Maximum Pain Theory

This is the idea that says that the price of the underlying asset will gravitate towards the point where the most options expire worthless.

Some option traders will “trade around” or “trade off of” these levels by Selling Puts or Calls against it.

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    This is when you sell an options contract and simultaneously buy one with a later expiration date and a higher or lower strike price. For example, if your sell to open the AAPL NOV 145.00 Call and then buy to open the AAPL DEC 150.00 Call , you have created a diagonal spread. See also:…

  • What Is Implied Volatility?

    This is basically the level of volatility reflected in the current options prices. Each options contract has a unique level of implied volatility that is computed using an options pricing model. The Implied Volatility (IV) is fluid and consistently changing. When the IV is high, it indicates that the option premiums are expensive. When the…

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    This is basically the amount of intrinsic value that an options contract has. In other words, it is the relationship between the strike price of the option and the price of the underlying asset. See at-the-money and Deep in-the-money.

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    This is a spread strategy that involves selling options and buying a greater number of out-of-the-money options. Backspreads are often in a ratio of 1 to-2 or 2-to-3 and most traders use them because they work well when there is an increase in market volatility especially when they think the market is about to move…

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