I’m trying something new here with these option case studies. Let me know what you think via the comments section after watching the videos because I’d be more than happy to make more. Adding a suggestion of what you’d like to see would be helpful too. . . Strangles = A Pure Volatility Play Strangles ...…
Strong statement right? I can back it up and will in this post. There are many ‘bad’ trades but today I’m going to focus on 2 of the worst possible trades. And just to be 100% clear this has nothing to do with market direction. Some would say that the two worst possible trades would ...…
Nobody wants to struggle. We all want it easy – and if possible, quick and easy at the same time. Yet for some money things in life (of which include options trading) it’s the struggles that make us better. Stronger and more prepared. In fact, I have gone so far as to tell some of ...…
In life there are things that are just too damn expensive. Children, cars, houses and stocks. Some of the bigger name and higher value securities over the last 5-10 years have gotten so price heavy that it almost pushes the normal retail option trader out of the market for those stocks. AAPL, GOOG and AMZN ...…
As investors we are seldom ready to trust mobile trading applications until something forces the change. This was just the case for me. Just this past winter I was traveling a lot for the holidays and just couldn’t access my desktop trading platform as much as I wanted. Thus I had to relay on the ...…
Honestly, would you ever ride bull? Not a bull market but a real raging bull? I sure as heck wouldn’t but some people would love the thrill. Others even like running side by side with bulls (drunk albeit). Not this guy, not ever – I’m just not that fun my wife would say. But this ...…
When I look back at 2012 I can’t help but think it was a huge year of market uncertainty. From elections and Europe to our own economy struggles here at home. But despite the headwinds the markets were resilient and pushed equities higher by nearly 16% at year end. How much of this was QE3 ...…
As we all tend to do at the beginning of each year I find myself looking at what I did good/bad last year and what I will change going forward. 2012 was a very good year – not great either – but I could have done better. Namely my portfolio spent the last quarter of ...…
Ever heard the saying “A rising tide raises all ships”? You know the idea that in a good market all stocks will rise together. Sure the better companies might rise faster than weaker companies but yet they all rise in value. Likewise in a falling market even the great companies will take nose dive. It’s ...…
If you hate range-bound and low volatility markets (like the one we were in this summer/fall) then you may want to try trading a calendar spread. But if you’re a beginner you might ask “Is this strategy good for me or will I get burned?” If you’ve never traded options before I would stay away ...…
I don’t know about you guys but I’m really glad that the elections are over if nothing else just so I can get my TV back from all the political ads here in Virginia. It seems that every other night my wife and I watched more political ads than anything else on TV for the ...…
At the end of each quarter I desperately find myself doing two things. One, checking my performance, and two, waiting by the mailbox for the next issue of Think or Swim “Think Money” magazine. If you’re an option trader, or even just someone who is relatively interested in the options market, then Think Money is ...…
Ever been knocked off your feet? Well, if you don’t have a strong handle on the different types of option orders it will happen soon. That’s why traders who migrate to options trading from the world of stock trading often find it very difficult to immediately grasp the types of orders that are available. With ...…
Particularly for young people who are just considering getting started with investing, the concept of managing a long-term investment portfolio is a daunting one. After all, we all start from square one, and if you have never dealt with investments or savings in a long-term sense before, it can all seem almost like a different ...…
Let me start this blog post with a question. . .If you’re going to buy a house from me, would you rather just buy the house outright OR have a contract to buy the house at some predefined price in the future? Naturally you might think that the next questions you would ask are “What’s ...…
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