Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Bullish Put Spread Strategies In Options

A vertical Put spread is the simultaneous purchase and sale of identical Put options but with different exercise prices. To "buy a put spread" is to purchase a Put with a higher exercise price and to write a Put with a lower exercise price. The trader pays a net premium for the position.
To "sell a put spread" is the opposite: the trader buys a Put with a lower exercise price and writes a put with a higher exercise price, receiving a net premium for the position.
An investor with a bullish market outlook should sell a Put spread. The "vertical bull put spread" allows the investor to participate to a limited extent in a bull market, while at the same time limiting risk exposure.



To put on a bull spread, a trader sells the higher strike put and buys the lower strike put.
The bull spread can be created by buying the lower strike and selling the higher strike of either calls or put. The difference between the premiums paid and received makes up one leg of the spread.

The investor's profit potential is limited. When the market price reaches or exceeds the higher exercise price, both options will be out-of-the-money and will expire worthless. The trader will realize his maximum profit, the net premium
 The investor's potential loss is also limited. If the market falls, the options will be in-the-money. The puts will offset one another, but at different exercise prices.
The investor breaks-even when the market price equals the lower exercise price less the net premium. The investor achieves maximum profit i.e. the premium received, when the market price moves up beyond the higher exercise price (both puts are then worthless).
An example of a bullish put spread.
Lets us assume that the cash price of the scrip is Rs 100. You now buy a November put option on a scrip with a strike price of Rs 90 at a premium of Rs 5 and sell a put option with a strike price of Rs 110 at a premium of Rs 15.
The first position is a short put at a higher strike price. This has resulted in some inflow in terms of premium. But here the trader is worried about risk and so caps his risk by buying another put option at the lower strike price. As such, a part of the premium received goes off and the ultimate position has limited risk and limited profit potential. Based on the above figures the maximum profit, maximum loss and breakeven point of this spread would be as follows:
Maximum profit = Net option premium income or net credit
                             = 15 - 5 = 10
Maximum loss = Higher strike price - Lower strike price - Net premium received
                          = 110 - 90 - 10 = 10
Breakeven Price = Higher Strike price - Net premium income
                               = 110 - 10 = 100

No comments:

Post a Comment

TopOfBlogs Online Marketing