Oh wow ATTICUS You have no idea the can of worms you opened in my brain pan. That missive was DEEP mon. Well maybe not to you working from experience. But the hidden familiarity with various conditions not explained was apparent. I got the classical spread bit. Going to have to re-think things here. I understand how to put on the calendar, the bull and bear long verticals. What I currently lack is the inner knowledge of how they react to different market conditions, from practical experience. Well if I switch to paper trading, probably can hang in here some time longer? CLASSICAL HUH? DEEP MON! Sun just came up over the barrier reef this Saturday morning. At least I theeenk it is Saturday? ( grin ) Still got to work my way out of my current two CASH money positions though. But will hesitate afterward of going into new ones for the time being, other than my standard pattern trade. BABU I assume you are going to send me the NATUNBERG on this Saturday, or a Sunday? Let me send you my e-mail, which I check couple or more times a day. I don´t always check this social technical thread.
Wow! Ammo that was a mouthful of experience. Very interesting. 5 years, just betting on direction, as a market maker yet? Babu You have a block on your elite email, so will check here for your link couple or more times, on Saturday and Sunday. Thankyou in advance.
Posting my trades: Currently long aapl 625 May and Goog 630 calls. Also worthless Gld april 170 and Tna 70 rough week but holding 4/9/2012 Bought 3 GOOG May 19 2012 630.0 Call @ 25.58 4/9/2012 Bought 5 AAPL May 19 2012 625.0 Call @ 31.1 4/13/2012 Bought 2 AAPL May 19 2012 625.0 Call @ 29.35 worthless 2/17/2012 Bought 3 TNA Apr 21 2012 70.0 Call @ 3.9 3/2/2012 Bought 3 GLD Apr 21 2012 170.0 Call @ 2.82 3/5/2012 Bought 2 GLD Apr 21 2012 170.0 Call @ 2.45
Well let me see. I´m taking stock educational inventory here. After Atticus comment about the classical trades. CLASSICAL TRADES ???????? For this novice? Credit Spread ( experience a lot ) Long Straddle, ( a medium experience ) Vertical Bull Call spread ( no experience ) Vertical Bear Put spread ( no experience ) Strangle ( small experience ) Box Spread ( no experience ) Straight long puts or calls. ( lot of experience ) Calendar Horizontal spread ( tiny experience ) Delta Neutral ( gamma scalping ) ( no experience ) neutral butterflies ( no experience ) __________________________ I´m find the idea of the two verticals interesting. Should work on a month frame, with far out 3 rd month options. ______________________________ The long straddle and the long strangle look interesting, used with gamma scalping delta neutral method ) _______________________________ Horizontal Calendar will have to paper trade that some more, in cash it didn´t work out that well. ________________________________ Straight buying works, but need the VIX to rise, it doesn´t work in a bull trend that has a low VIX. ____________________________________
Well I´m reviewing my option trading education. Such as it is. One time ATTICUS privately gave me his favorite strategies and I just read them again, while going through my old private emails on here. I see none of the standard stuff classical listed here, is any of his choices. So back to the study room again, but not this noon. Me thinks I will go for a swim, then see if my youngest daughter is open for lunch on the beach. Interesting stuff this option trading. Bottom line though you have to turn it into a growing equity balance, no matter how mentally challenging and interesting, complex or esoteric the technical conversations get. I am failing to do that. So something wrong here with my approach. I am however expanding my jargon, lingo and comprehension however slight,about many of these strategies. with a lot of assistance from my friends on here. Been a lot of fun.
Ammo I found your comment on doing MM for 5 years and straight buying intriguing. I remember back in the 1980´s talking to some friendly acquaintances with seats on the Exchanges. One guy had like 5 places at $250,000 each. You must have rented maybe? To trade directional, you would not have had, if I remember the conversations of the time rightly, to pay commissions and you were your own bid ask spread. Without paying commissions, I can see where you could scalp all day long. Being a retail trader and trying to get over that nut, of the bid ask spread, plus commissions makes all the difference in the world. _________________________________ Don Bright kept insisting the money is in SELLING. So I keep looking at SELLING THETA, or swollen volatility strategies. Trying to figure out the tricks and nuances of using them. To be successful, you have to get your volatility and trend right, month and all that. I hate to go back to paper trading, but my account is down the lowest ever and while I haven´t blown my designated $5000 yet, I don´t want to either. _______________________________ It was a gorgeous day out here today. Sun bright, the trade wind from the ESE at 25 knots. Couple of big sailboats went past on a beam reach, with tourists at lunch time. In the lagoon, between the beach and the reef, 3/4 mile away. Boy those sailboats were flying. The big sloop was under lone mainsail, the tradewind was so strong, with white caps in the lagoon and goosing along like it was covered in coconut oil. The forty foot catamarin in front had everything up, and that sucker was going like motorized speedboats, under jib and mainsail. Really fast. I ached to be out there with them. My youth is gone, when I used to do this stuff. The body weak unfortunately, I can only dream nowadays. If I had to live life over, would do it ALL again. I had a helluva a great time.
"Don Bright kept insisting the money is in SELLING. So I keep looking at SELLING THETA, or swollen volatility strategies. Trying to figure out the tricks and nuances of using them. To be successful, you have to get your volatility and trend right, month and all that. I hate to go back to paper trading, but my account is down the lowest ever and while I haven´t blown my designated $5000 yet, I don´t want to either." yes, this is exactly right. the idea is to stay delta and vega neutral while staying theta positive. it can be boring, but successful trading typically is.
You don't necessarily have to pay the spread. And, as I understand it, on some US exchanges, being retail is gonna get you queue priority.