Paranoid about selling Options?

Discussion in 'Options' started by CashDelivery, Jun 22, 2014.

  1. jamesbp

    jamesbp

    Any logic to the 1% .. or just indicative that taking on too much gamma risk?
     
    #11     Jun 23, 2014

  2. It's akin to a mental stop... you have to be mental to carry more risk than what equates to a (linear) 30% monthly ROC due to theta.
     
    #12     Jun 23, 2014
  3. wtf are u guys talking about, im clueless :p
     
    #13     Jun 23, 2014
  4. newwurldmn

    newwurldmn

    I have the same risk limit too.

    Risk limits are meant to be broken but ONLY in unusual circumstances.

    95percent of the time I am well under the 1perxent.
     
    #14     Jun 23, 2014
  5. Amalgam

    Amalgam

    Try to keep your aggregate theta < 1% of your portfolio as a sanity check on the risk you're taking.
     
    #15     Jun 23, 2014
  6. That's great....if you have a $500k account size or greater.
    Us smaller guys need to be pushed to 5% min.
     
    #16     Jun 23, 2014
  7. FTW!

    I am up 10% on client money in a TOS account for the month of June and I never took the account over 0.3%. Keeping a reasonable lid on theta allows you to stick with the position. I don't consider 1% terribly conservative.
     
    #17     Jun 23, 2014
  8. newwurldmn

    newwurldmn

    Your risk limits should be agnostic to your account size.

    If you have to "push the limit" then you don't have enough capital.

    Edit: take that back. At best agnostic, in reality the less capital you have the less risk you should be taking.
     
    #18     Jun 23, 2014
  9. donnap

    donnap

    Posts 2 and 3 are very good and understandable. Also Downprufs constant use of flies finally sunk in and was educational about limited risk positions.

    I sell options naked, or more often ratio writes/spreads (same kind of risk) - but yeah I try to limit that risk ASAP.

    We all have short memories. Those of us who were around 9/11/2001 found no market. There was a great amount of confusion and even talk of extending option expiry. No one knew what was going to happen for a while.

    It's something that we ignore most of the time. As terrible as 911 was, something as bad or worse could shut down the market. Imagine waking up to no market.

    It's always a good thing to be reminded about limiting risk.
     
    #19     Jun 23, 2014
  10. Is there a quick & dirty way to estimate total portfolio theta?
     
    #20     Jun 24, 2014