
Start Here
Platform

Tour
Bots 101How it worksLive demo
Tools
Automated tradingOptions backtestingWatchlist scannerPrivate community
Use cases
New investorsStock tradersActive tradersPassive investorsSwing tradersAlgorithmic traders

Templates
By trade type
Stock trading botsOptions trading bots
By strategy type
Bullish options strategiesNeutral options strategiesBearish options strategiesHedging strategies
By style
Active and high frequency botsEvent-based botsTrend trading botsMomentum trading botsStatistic and probability-based botsTechnical analysis botsEarnings strategy bots

Integrations

Pricing
Education

Courses
Overview
By experience
Beginner
What is an options contract?Stock trading vs. options tradingOptions contract specificsCall vs. put options basicsBuying options vs. selling optionsOptions profit and loss diagramsOptions pricing tablesOption moneyness (ITM, OTM, and ATM)Options pricing and the "Greeks"Options expiration and assignmentWhat's our "edge" trading options?Single vs. multi-leg options strategiesSmall account options strategies
Intermediate
Fearless, confident options tradingHistorical volatility vs. implied volatilityPredicting market movesTrade size and capital reservesPortfolio balance and beta weightingHow to choose the best options strategyHow far out to place trades?Strike price anchoring with probabilitiesTips on getting your trades filledAdvanced and contingent orders7 step options trade entry checklist
Advanced
Developing a daily trading routineHow to avoid "Black Swan" eventsAdjusting and hedging option tradesExiting options trades automaticallyOptions strategies we don't adjust (and why)Big picture adjustment strategyWhen to adjust or notAdjusting straddles and stranglesAdjusting credit spreads, iron condors, and calendarsSmarter stop-loss ordersBuilding a diversified options portfolioRolling options trades for duration and premiumOptions expiration week position checklistDealing with stock assignment and dividendsHow to free up trading margin and cash
By subject
Options basics
Why options vs. stocks?What is an options contract?Smart use of leverageOption strike priceOption premiumOption expirationOption contract multiplierProfit and loss diagramsLong call option explainedShort call option explainedLong put option explainedShort put option explainedATM, ITM, and OTM optionsCash vs. margin basicsHigh probability trading definedHow to buy a call optionHow to buy a put optionSingle-leg vs. multi-legWhat is the VIX?Is fundamental analysis dead?
Entering and exiting trades
Game of numbers7 step entry checklistStrong liquidity examplesPicking the next directionScanning for tradesOption pricing table basicsSetting up your trade tabPinning your probability of profitUsing delta for probabilitiesBuy to open vs sell to openBuy to close vs sell to closeMarket, limit, stop loss orders5 types of contingent ordersLimit ordersMarket ordersLimit on close ordersMarket on close ordersAdvanced contingent ordersTaking profits before expirationMechanics of rollingConsider future events
Options expiration
Options expiration explainedWhat is the Options Clearing Corporation (OCC)?Physical vs. cash settlement optionsAmerican vs. European style optionsWeekly options expirationWeekly expiration tags/codesOptions assignment processOptions exercise processTrading timeline (duration)
Bullish options strategies
Bull put spreadBull call spreadLong callShort putBull call backspreadPut broken wing butterflyCall calendar spreadPut diagonal spreadCustom naked putCovered callSynthetic long stock
Neutral options strategies
Short straddleLong straddleIron condorsShort strangleLong strangleIron butterflyUnbalanced iron condors
Bearish options strategies
Bear call spreadBear put spreadLong putShort callBear put backspreadCall broken wing butterflyPut calendar spreadCall diagonal spreadCustom naked callCovered putSynthetic short stock
Portfolio managmeent
No guaranteed tradesDon't do something, sit thereAccount size adjustmentsAvoiding stock market overloadStocks, indexes, & ETFsMonitoring positionsCreating automatic alertsIndividual stock betaPortfolio betaBeta weighting your portfolioUncorrelated industries/sectorsSystematic vs. unsystematic riskEfficient portfolio frontierLimiting undefined risk tradesEconomic calendarConcept of legging
Options pricing and volatility
How to find option price quotesUnderstanding the mathIV vs. IV percentileProbability of profit vs. probability of touchOption probability curveBid-ask spread definedIV expected vs. actual moveThe "Greeks"Fatal pricing errorsInverse ETFsOptions parity
Adjusting trades
#1 adjustment for any tradeWhen to adjust a tradeSingle options trade vs. overall portfolioCall spread adjustmentsPut spread adjustmentsShort strangle adjustmentsIron condor adjustmentsShort straddle adjustmentsCalendar spread adjustmentsDebit spread adjustmentsButterfly adjustmentsUsing stop lossesDelta hedgingRolling positionsPairs hedging

Strategies
OverviewLong callLong putShort callShort putCovered callCovered putProtective putCollar strategyLEAPSBull call debit spreadBear call credit spreadBull put credit spreadBear put debit spreadLong straddleShort straddleLong strangleShort strangleCall calendar spreadPut calendar spreadIron condorReverse iron condorIron butterflyReverse iron butterflyCall butterflyPut butterflyStrapCall diagonal spreadPut diagonal spreadCall ratio spreadPut ratio spreadCall backspreadPut backspreadLong box spreadShort box spreadReversalStock repair

Topics
OverviewAsset allocationAutomated tradingBehavioral financeBondsBrokersCandlestick patternsChart patternsDay tradingDividendsEconomic indicatorsEconomicsETFsEquity investmentsExercise & assignmentFinancial analysisFinancial historyFinancial marketsFinancial modelingFinancial theoriesFundamental analysisFuturesInvesting basicsInvestment accountsInvestment taxesInvestor biasesMarket holidaysMarket hoursMarket indexesMarket indicatorsMomentum tradingOptionsOptions pricingOptions settlementPortfolio managementRisk managementStocksStock marketSwing tradingTechnical analysisTechnical indicatorsTrading commissionsTrading platformsTrading psychologyTrend tradingGlossary
Resources

Workshops

Podcast

Blog
Support

Help Center
Overview
Getting started
What is a bot?Creating a bot
Using the bot wizard
Automation typesAutomation editorBot dashboardBot positionsBot logTemplates and cloningKey conceptsSafeguards and limitsPower of botsBest practices
Bot automations
What is an automation?Scanner automationsMonitor automationsEvent automationsEditing automationsReusing automationsCopying automationsOrdering automationsUsing custom inputsBot level inputsAutomation statusesAutomations library
Bot actions
DecisionsOpen positionClose positionNotificationsLoop symbolsLoop positionsBot tagsPosition tags
Bot examples
Genesis 1.0 botGenesis 2.0 botGenesis 3.0 botTrend trading with stocks botPortfolio trend trading botTrend trading with options botMultiple moving averages botTechnical swing trading botTrend and momentum botWeekly credit spread botRecurring iron condors botThe "Honey Badger" botHybrid spreads botHigh IV rank iron condor bot
Decision recipes
Comparing underlying symbol priceEvaluating symbol typeEvaluating underlying symbol OHLCComparing underlying symbol propertiesEvaluating underlying symbol performanceEvaluating underlying symbol standard deviationComparing underlying symbol price to an indicatorComparing multiple underlying symbol indicatorsEvaluating underlying symbol implied volatility rankEvaluating underlying symbol earnings reportingEvaluating underlying symbol price probabilityEvaluating underlying symbol probability within rangeEvaluating bot propertiesEvaluating bot available capital for opportunitiesComparing bot position count to position typeComparing bot position count to underlying symbolEvaluating bot position count to position type and underlying symbolEvaluating bot last position activityEvaluating bot last activity with underlying symbolEvaluating bot position activity historyEvaluating bot position activity history with underlying symbolComparing bot active orders statusComparing bot active orders status with underlying symbolEvaluating bot position availabilityEvaluating bot tagsEvaluating opportunity availabilityEvaluating opportunity return expectationsComparing opportunity attributesComparing opportunity leg attributesComparing opportunity bid-ask spreadEvaluating opportunity probabilitiesEvaluating position performanceComparing profit target to trailing valueComparing position time to expirationComparing position durationEvaluating position underlying symbolComparing position propertiesComparing position leg propertiesEvaluating position typeEvaluating position sideComparing underlying symbol price to position legEvaluating position tagsEvaluating underlying symbol indicator propertiesComparing multiple underlying symbol indicator propertiesEvaluating MACD technical indicatorComparing Bollinger Bands to symbol priceEvaluating stochastic technical indicatorComparing VIX propertiesEvaluating market time of the dayEvaluating days of the weekEvaluating bot switches
Position statement
Activity summaryPosition detailsTrade detailsOpened positionsClosed positionsCanceled positionsOverride positionsExpired positionsPosition historyManually open positionManually close positionImport position
Order pricing
SmartPricingFinal price settingsPosition summaryOrder detailsWorking ordersManual override
Bot templates
Creating new templatesUpdating existing templatesDeleting templatesSharing templatesUpdating shared templatesTemplate best practices
Cloning bots
Cloning existing botsCloning from templateCloning from shared template
Troubleshooting
Using bot logsTesting your botsNot enough capital warningDaily position limit warningTotal position limit warningPricing anomaly warningMissing or invalid input errorDaily symbol limit errorExcessive errors failsafeOverlapping strikes failsafePrice exceeds strike-difference errorOptions expiration protocolDuplicate orders errorOptions approval level errorBot event loopsStock splits and corporate actionsSupported browsersSupported countries
Community forum
Community guidelinesCrafting your introductionSending group messagesSending private messagesAttaching bot templatesReceiving bot templatesAttaching automationsReceiving automationsFollowing tradersPosting publiclyEditing posts and messagesSubscribed discussionsUsing bookmarks
Using backtester
Running a new backtestBacktesting results summaryModifying existing backtestsMy backtestsInstantly create bot from backtestBacktesting research databaseTop backtestsBacktesting errors
Account settings
My profileTrading accountsConnecting to TDAmeritradeConnecting to TradeStationConnecting to TradierIncompatible accountsPassword managementSession timeoutTwo-step authentication
Technical docs
Infrastructure and securityAutomation structureAutomation behaviorData feedsOrder handlingTrade enforcementsBroker rejection errorsBot limitationsProfit and lossFair value pricingDecision propertiesDecision calculationsParameter selectionCalculating probabilityPlatform indicators

Contact
Send FeedbackReport IssueEmail Us
Option AlphaOption Alpha

LoginSign Up
ResourcesPodcast

Position Sizing Impact on Returns [TLT Iron Condor Backtest]

In this episode we use our new backtesting software to observe the effect different position sizing has on the returns of an iron condor.
Position Sizing Impact on Returns [TLT Iron Condor Backtest]
Kirk Du Plessis
May 25, 2017

I've said it for years, position sizing matters in a high probability system. Much more so than you would believe and today's show is the first in a new mini-series we are doing leading up to the launch of our new backtesting software. Inside we'll cover a case study using and iron condor backtest we ran on TLT including the impact on returns that altering the position size had on the portfolio.

Key Points From Today's Show:

Weekly Iron Condor in TLT

  • Set the trade up to make weekly entries every 40 days, averaging 40 days to expiration.
  • There may be some weeks that have no entries, and rarely any overlap between trades.
  • Overall allocation in the first run was at 50%, which really impacts the profitability of the trade.
  • There was no IV rank filter, and we just made as many trades as we could.
  • Took profits at 50%, and there was no stop loss or adjustments.
  • Selling the 20 delta calls on the short side, and the 20 delta puts on the short side, creating an expected 60% win rate.

Results:

  • This iron condor lost compared to the S&P 500.
  • It had a negative 67% return over the testing period.
  • The number one reason why this trade lost was because of over allocation.
  • Taking profits early, and IV's over expectation, we still won at 81%.
  • The killer is the drawdown that was associated with high levels of allocation.
  • The sequence of returns created an impossible situation to recover from.

*Much more important to have slow, steady gains in your portfolio as opposed to big swings and big movements in your account.

Tweaks and Adjustments:

  • Reset the strategy and adjusted the overall allocation from 50% to 30%.
  • Used the same exact setup - 40 days to expiration, no IV rank, taking profits at 50%, no stop loss, etc.
  • Just entered fewer trades for the portfolio size -- instead of doing five tickers, do three.

Results:

  • Went from a negative 67% return to a 6.86% return.
  • The max drawdown was reduced to 45%, which happened in the middle of the cycle.
  • This shows how important small tweaks in allocation can be, as well as the importance of not having large drawdowns early on in your portfolio.
  • When your sequence of returns are not correct and you are over-allocated, so you lose early big, which sets you up for disaster.
Backtesting
Research
Case Studies
Iron Condor
Portfolio Management
Rate of Return
Iron Butterfly

4.8 (1.1k Ratings)
Subscribe Now

No-code, fully automated trading for stocks and options.

HomeAboutLegalStatusContact
©2022 Option Alpha. All Rights Reserved. Patent Pending USSN 63/118,547