Question on two weird TSLA Robotaxi Event Spread Strategies

Discussion in 'Options' started by dancingpig, Oct 8, 2024.

  1. I'm learning from others' transactions and noticed a variety of spreads, both bullish and bearish, on TSLA ahead of the Robotaxi event. Most of these trades are between the $200 and $300 strike range, speculating on price movement above or below the current level.

    However, two transactions stand out to me:

    1. Calendar Call Spread (20-Dec-24 : 16-Jan-26 70 C):
    The short call at $70 is deep ITM, and assignment on Dec. 20 seems likely, meaning you'd need to exercise the long call. Is the only gain here from the Theta difference between the two calls over three months? Why use the $70 strike—why not something closer to the current price? Is there an advantage to maximizing the Theta difference deep ITM?

    2. Call Spread (16-Jan-26 5 : 70 C):
    If this is a bear call spread, it profits only if TSLA stays below $64.55, which seems like low probability. Could this spread be used to borrow money at less than 10% annual interest? If it’s a bull call spread, it seems odd to pay 10x the debit for just 1x profit and wait over a year.

    Any insights would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!