Traders Toolbox: Spread It On Revisited...

Trader's Toolbox

At MarketClub our mission is to help you become a better trader. Our passion is creating superior trading tools to help you achieve your goals -- no matter which way the markets move -- with objective and unbiased recommendations not available from brokers.

The Trader's Toolbox posts are just another free resource from MarketClub.

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"Spreads sometimes are touted as a no- or low-risk trading option, ideally suited to smaller or more risk-averse traders. Although some do have limited risk in certain circumstances, spreads are by no means risk free, and in fact they contain some unique risks, especially for traders who don’t have a clear understanding of the limitations and possibilities of these transactions.In options markets, the term spreads covers everything from simple time spreads to complex butterflies, boxes and conversions. Although futures spreads are, at least on the surface, more straightforward than many of their options counterparts, understand the basic price relationship between different futures contracts as well as the function off spread trading is integral to a well-informed market perspective.

In the most basic sense, a spread refers to the price difference between two or more trading instruments, whether they are two contact months of the same commodity, two different commodities or the cash and futures price of a particular commodity. (The cash/futures spread is commonly called basis..."

Revisit the Trader's Toolbox Post: "Spread It On" here.

Traders Toolbox: Learning Options Part 4 of 4 Revisited...

Trader's Toolbox

At MarketClub our mission is to help you become a better trader. Our passion is creating superior trading tools to help you achieve your goals -- no matter which way the markets move -- with objective and unbiased recommendations not available from brokers.

The Trader's Toolbox posts are just another free resource from MarketClub.

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"In real estate, they say that the three most important things are location, location, and location. In options, the three most important things are volatility, volatility, and volatility. Often neglected by option rookies, volatility is the cornerstone of an option professional’s trading strategy.In its simplest form, expressed as the annualized percentage of the standard deviation, volatility measures how far a contract can be expected to swing from a mean price. A contract trading at 50 would have a volatility of 10% if it traded between 45 and 55 over a given period of time.

Historical volatility is just that: the volatility calculated (using closing prices) over a given period – 20 days, 20 weeks, one year, etc. Implied volatility is the volatility using current market prices. For example, using four primary option pricing inputs – futures price, settlement price, time until expiration and volatility – would result in a theoretical price.

By plugging in the current option price in place of the theoretical price and working backward, it would be possible to determine the volatility the current market is implying. (It is not mathematically possible to work backward and solve for implied volatility using an equation like the Black-Scholes model, but an approximation can be derived.)..."

Revisit the Trader's Toolbox Post: "Learning Options Part 4 of 4 " here.

Do You Speak Geordie?

Chances are unless you grew up in the north of England (Newcastle to be exact,) you wouldn't understand the language of the Geordies.

I recently posted on this blog some highlights from my holiday down under and in part of that blog posting I mentioned that I was from Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Well, as we all know the web is an amazing tool and it wasn't long before one of our members, who is also a Geordie, commented with some real Geordie talk.

I'm going to include his comment in this post to demonstrate a point that will be a little clearer later in this blog posting. You will probably not understand what follows, and that's okay, because I think it is a pretty fair bet that the chances of you going to Newcastle upon Tyne are pretty slim.

See if you can understand this?

Weh ye buggar mar, ah did'n nah yeh weor wone of the canny lads from the toon? De ye iver sing blaydon races noo and de ye get yeor broon sent ower.

Translation here:
Continue reading "Do You Speak Geordie?"

Trader’s Whiteboard: Lesson 8

Despite a shaky economy recently, there are traders still making money. If you're wondering how, watch today's Trader's Whiteboard video where Adam will share how you can be successful in any market. He points out 5 components that every trader can put in place and see results immediately.

Click here to see the last installment in the Trader's Whiteboard series and beef up your trading strategy.

Enjoy!

The MarketClub Team

Traders Toolbox: Learning Options Part 2 of 4 Revisited...

Trader's Toolbox

At MarketClub our mission is to help you become a better trader. Our passion is creating superior trading tools to help you achieve your goals -- no matter which way the markets move -- with objective and unbiased recommendations not available from brokers.

The Trader's Toolbox posts are just another free resource from MarketClub.

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"Many people like options because they believe them to be less risky than futures. Options sometimes offer reduced risk, but usually at the cost of reduced profit potential.

One drawback of options is that a trader must consider market speed (volatility) as well as direction. Traders who buy or sell options outright to profit from up or down moves in the underlying market can find themselves fighting an uphill battle against volatility and time decay. With futures, if you’re right about market direction, you’ll win. With options, you can be right about the market and still lose...."

Revisit the Trader's Toolbox Post: "Learning Options Part 2 of 4" here.