To "buy a call spread" is to purchase a call with a lower exercise price and to write a call with a higher exercise price. The trader pays a net premium for the position.
To "sell a call spread" is the opposite, here the trader buys a call with a higher exercise price and writes a call with a lower exercise price, receiving a net premium for the position.
An investor with a bullish market outlook should buy a call spread. The "Bull Call 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, the trader needs to buy the lower strike call and sell the higher strike call. The combination of these two options will result in a bought spread. The cost of Putting on this position will be the difference between the premium paid for the low strike call and the premium received for the high strike call.
The investor's profit potential is limited. When both calls are in-the-money, both will be exercised and the maximum profit will be realised. The investor delivers on his short call and receives a higher price than he is paid for receiving delivery on his long call.
The investors's potential loss is limited. At the most, the investor can lose is the net premium. He pays a higher premium for the lower exercise price call than he receives for writing the higher exercise price call.
The investor breaks even when the market price equals the lower exercise price plus the net premium. At the most, an investor can lose is the net premium paid. To recover the premium, the market price must be as great as the lower exercise price plus the net premium.
An example of a Bullish call spread:
Let's assume that the cash price of a scrip is Rs 100 and you buy a November call option with a strike price of Rs 90 and pay a premium of Rs 14. At the same time you sell another November call option on a scrip with a strike price of Rs 110 and receive a premium of Rs 4. Here you are buying a lower strike price option and selling a higher strike price option. This would result in a net outflow of Rs 10 at the time of establishing the spread.
Now let us look at the fundamental reason for this position. Since this is a bullish strategy, the first position established in the spread is the long lower strike price call option with unlimited profit potential. At the same time to reduce the cost of puchase of the long position a short position at a higher call strike price is established. While this not only reduces the outflow in terms of premium but his profit potential as well as risk is limited. Based on the above figures the maximum profit, maximum loss and breakeven point of this spread would be as follows:
Maximum profit = Higher strike price - Lower strike price - Net premium paid
= 110 - 90 - 10 = 10
Maximum Loss = Lower strike premium - Higher strike premium
= 14 - 4 = 10
Breakeven Price = Lower strike price + Net premium paid
= 90 + 10 = 100
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