Interesting - thanks for posting!
I have been selling put options (as credit spreads) for about four years now. Initially on individual stocks, and still many individual stocks, but moving also into indices.
I prefer it to buying because I don't have time to trade and this way I can just sell, wait, recycle each month
I have to admit to being astonished at how simple it seems to be. I have got caught a few times when stocks have taken a big dip, but even then it has been relatively simple to roll out and down over a few months to realize the gain.
I initially thought about regularly posting trades here, but I don't think the interest level is that high
Cheers
Going to expiration is a profitable strategy. I've found just a bit more profit from buying back at 50% of the initial credit and then looking for another position to put on.
How far out do you start your position? I used to do 45 to 40 days. Now I do 65 to 45. I still do just monthly options. Do you do weekly?
Oh, no doubt that there are more profitable ways to do things, but I love selling as it involves just a couple of hours per month and I can sleep easy.
I sell monthly and have found that ~80% of the time they close worthless and I sell the next batch, the other ~20% I roll them out and/or down. I can be less conservative and increase the 80% towards 90+, but I have so far never had an issue rolling out - it has occasionally taken a few months ( I wrote a post on it - Disney) but we always get there in the end
Thanks for the reply!!
I agree. Since my trading is in a US IRA, I have to used defined risk trades, so I sell a put spread instead of a put.
When do you look to roll? I usually do it between 10 and 7 days out? Since I use an GTC Limit exit at 50% I'm not looking for worthless. How much of a buffer Out of the Money (OTM) do you look for when rolling as the price can still wobble a bit toward expiration?
If I need to roll I will normally wait until a few days out. I don't like to wait till expiration day
I always sell spreads now
Cheers
I posted from this week's trades. Please lend an idea on the IWM call position over there if you would?