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Impliedvolatility

HIGH IMPLIED VOLATILITY OPTIONS (8/28)One of the first things I do when searching for either covered calls to do or just general premium selling plays is to look for high implied volatility underlyings with relatively decent expirations, strike widths, and fairly tight spreads (i.e., having weeklies is best with $1 wide strike widths and a bid/ask that is no more than .15 wide from top to bottom is ideal, although I'll bend those rules from time to time; $TWLO's a good example of this, nasty wide spreads, but premium too juicy to pass up). After I identify those, I start looking at actual plays to see if I can make something out of them, looking at all possible premium selling strategies -- short nakeds, short straddles/strangles, credit spreads, iron condors, etc. Here's today's lists of stocks, sector exchange-traded funds, and broad-market exchange traded funds, ranked by their implied volatility percentage: Stocks RIGL 219 (biotech) (in a trade), NVAX (biotech) 185 (in a trade), GSAT (telecomm) 152, TDW (O&G) 117, SDRL (O&G) 93, MX (semicon) 78, CHK (O&G) 78 (in a trade), GLNG (solar) 76, CLF (mining) 75 (in a trade), WLL (O&G) 73 (in a trade), CDE (mining) 72, HL (gold/mining) 70 (in a trade), GNW (financial) 69, LC (financial) 65, VRX (biotech) 62, AUY (gold/mining) 60, AMD (semicon) 60, NE (O&G) 60 (in a trade). Sector Exchange-Traded Funds GDX (gold miners) 42, XME (mining) 38 (in a trade), XBI (biotech) 36, XOP (O&G) (33). Broad Market Exchange-Traded Funds EWZ (Brazil) 34.6, EEM (Emerging Markets) 21.4, IWM (Russell 2000) 18.5, QQQ (Nasdaq) 15.7, EFA (Word, ex. US/Canada) 14.4, SPY (S&P) 14, DIA (DJIA) 13.5. Notes: The $RIGL play posted here is the play I'm in. It's not currently workable except possibly as a naked 2.5 short put play due to strike width -- 2.5, 5.0, etc.
NASDAQ:RIGL
by NaughtyPines
2
BOJ: JPY V USD, EUR, GBP - WHAT THE OPTION MARKET IS TELLING US50 Delta ATM Volatilities: USDJPY - - $Yen has an ATM implied volatility curve of 55.95%mrkt 24.08%1wk 18.31%2wk 14.12%1m - Obviously we are aggressively steeper in the front end, with BOJ tomorrow and JPY MOF Fiscal Package details coming next week providing heightened vol for the 1day and 1wk vols - naturally we then see the curve tail off as the event vol fades. GBPJPY - - £Yen has an ATM implied volatility curve of 58.66%mrkt 25.93%1wk 23.02%2wk 18.30%1m - The same can be said about sterling yens ATM curve, adding that it is steeper accross the tenors as the recently heightened GBP risk/ BOE event vol is priced into the 1wks and 2wks greater relatively vs $yen, with 1ms also outperforming $Yen as the perceived GBP risk/ vol post-brexit carries higher vs the USD. EURJPY - - EUROYEN has an ATM implied volatility curve of 49.42%mrkt 22.82%1wk 18.03%2wk 14.23%1m - EUROYEN mirrors $yen from 1wk-1m as the term structure is very similar for eur vs usd (no significant event vol expected). Though we see a notable 6-7vol divergence in the current vol which is expected as $Yen expressions are favourable for BOJ out-performance positionings (USD a firmer based/ more widely traded) and £Yen are favourable for BOJ under-performance structures as BOE next week compunds the attractiveness in the downside of the cross (BOE likely to ease) which in turn increases the demand for £Yen expression on a BOJ no-show. 25Delta Risk Reversals (25d call vol minus 25d put vol - examines the relative demand) USDJPY - - $Yen RRs are +3 mrkt, +0.62 1wk, -0.67 2wk, -0.81m - Interestingly we are seeing a moderate $Yen topside coverage in the front end (e.g. current and 1wks) implying the market is hedging/ positioning for a BOJ Out-performance Surprise (call demand > Put). The RRs are quite small at +1 so i wouldnt say there is a huge consensus on BOJ HIT expectations. Nonetheless calls are likely being purchased to hedge underlying spot short positions in the near term as any $yen/ BOJ topside is expected to not last long and be faded aggressively - which explains the switch to negative RRs after the BOJ/ MOF events have passed. GBPJPY - - £Yen RRs are -6 mrkt, -3 1wk, -1.3 2wk, -2.2 1m - Understandably SterlingYen has a different RR structure as BOJ and BOE predispositions are priced into option structures, rather than just BOJ (as is the case for £yen and euroyen) - so we see a strong put bias, particularly in the front end (current and 1wks) as these cover the BOE and BOJ event vol. Unlike $Yen we see there is a clear trend for BOJ miss/ downside speculation as it is the logical chosen proxy, as a BOJ miss is highly likely to then be compounded over the current and 1wk terms as BOE hit expectations are priced in, accelerating the GBPJPY to the downside and RRs towards the LHS (BOJ miss = yen strength, BOE hit = Streling weakness - aggressive downside). Also put gbpjpy, automatically hedges any BOJ hit/topside risk as 1wk later the BOE is likely to ease so any yen downside arising from a BOJ hit will likely be smoothed somewhat by BOE easing induced GBP selling; thus lessening the negative impact or even turning the position back into the money.
by QuantumLogicTrading
6
NZDUSD: TECHNICAL ANALYSIS - 0.70 RES, MA, STDEV, IV=HV & RR NZD$ Technical analysis - Remain bearish below 0.70 - 0.69tp1 0.68tp2 on a rate cut (Aug 10th): Key level close: 1. On the daily and weekly we closed at the strongest pivot point of recent times at 0.70 - this is very bearish as historically this is the strongest level (lower than post brexit). MA: 1. We trade below the 4wk and 3m MA - this is a bearish indication + we are finding some support at the 3m moving average where price currently sits, though NZD$ looks to try and push lower with daily candles skewing their spikes to the downside. We have been above the 6m MA since June which sits at 0.69 and likely offers our next bearish support once we break the 3m MA. IV/ HV: 1. Realised Vols have also unsurprisingly aggressively come off in recent days, likely a function of the RBNZ rhetoric fading. Plus Implied vols are seen steeper in the 1wk and flatter in the 2wk-1m - with 1wk, 2wk and 1m Implied vols trade at 13.12%, 12.66%, 13.09% vs HV 1wk 2wk 1m at 10.90%, 15.60%, 14.58% - this mixture between HV and IV shows there has been considerable volatility drivers in the past/ future which are causing the curves to converge and diverge in no particular direction e.g. brexit, RBNZ hawkish/ dovish comments, future rate expectations - which all distort the interaction between HV and IV. Deviation Channels/ Support levels: 1. We Trade near to the bottom of the 6m deviation channel at 0.69 as NZD economic assessment asserts downside pressure on the pair, nonetheless but we could see support here as 0.69 is also a price action support level. Looking at the 12m SD channel, we are trading just below the average price at 0.703 - hence there is definitely more room for downside and we have just crossed the middle regression line implying we are entering some downside deviation now, with the 12m -2SD resistance level at 0.675 which is in line with the price support level at 0.68 which is where i think we will head after the RBNZ announces a 25bps cut.. Risk-Reversals 1. 25 delta Risk reversals trade marginally bearish for NZD$, with current at -0.2, 1wks at -0.3 and 2wks at -0.6 and 1m at -0.95 - this suggest the NZD$ has a slight downside bias which concurs with the RBNZ's dovish stance and committment to cutting rates that was made clear in the July economic assesment (see attached). - 3m risk reversals trade with a similar downside bias to the 1m at -1 which shows the market expects extended NZD$ downside, likely a function of further rate cut expectations from the RBNZ. *Check the attached posts for indepth fundamentals*
Short
by QuantumLogicTrading
USDJPY: TECHNICAL ANALYSIS - MA, KEY SUPPORT, STANDEV, IV>HV, RRYen$ Technical analysis - Bullish but fundamentally driven this week: Key level close: 1. On the daily and weekly we closed above the 2nd strongest pivot point of recent times at 1.055 - this is very supportive as historically this is the strongest level (next to 100/101). MA: 1. We trade above the 4wk ma and the 3m MA is acting as strong support (black line) - this is a supportive/ bullish indication but we have been below the 6m MA since the beginning of the year as the 2016 safe havens have outperformed - this indicates we are seeing a risk-recovery which concurs with initial thoughts IV/ HV: 1. Realised Vols have also unsurprisingly come off, this is bullish but bare in mind that brexit has distorted some of the longer dated HV (still high) and caused the spike in the shorted dated HV. Relatively, Implied vols are steepening higher than HV - with 1wk, 2wk and 1m Implied vols trade at 23.84%, 19.42%, 15.28% vs HV 1wk 2wk 1m at 6.35%, 13.16%, 17.18% - so IV is greater than HV across the front end which is bearish - though imo this shouldnt be considered so as BOJ event vol premiums are likely the culprit for the curve steepening - especially at the 1wk-2wk tenors (vs realised) so this isnt necessarily bearish. Deviation Channels/ Support levels: 1. We Trade close to the top of the 6m deviation channel at 1.0700 as we witness a recovery rally, this could be condisered bearish as we could see resistance here, but as i said i think fundamentals are more at play here than the techs. Looking at the 12m SD channel, this is more appropriate and shows us trading just above the average 12m price at 105- hence there is definitely more room for upside to 110 and we have just crossed the middle regression line implying we are entering some yearly upside deviation now, with the +2SD resistance level at 110 which is in line with the price support level at 1.09-11. Risk-Reversals 1. 25 delta Risk reversals trade bearish for $Yen, with current at -1, 1wks at -0.4 and 2wks at -0.2 and 1m at -1 - this suggest the $yen has a slight downside bias but is potentially searching for direction going into the big BOJ meeting on the 29th - investors are not committing much to a delivery or non-delivery, as the 1wks trade nearly flat at -0.4 - maybe this will change over the course of the week, but it indicates that we may see $yen trade calmly before the storm as a pose to heavy positioning before the event. - Though 3m risk reversals trade with a clearer downside bias at -1.7 which shows the market expects $Yen to trade lower in the 3m term- likely a result of investors expecting the risk-off trend of 2016 to continue. Option Demand: Significant put vol demand around the 105.5 pivot point, highly likely to be investors betting on a bearish turning on the break of the level (though expiry in 2 days). Going forward we see more call demand, on Wednesday we have large 106.25 notional and thursday 107.25 notional respectively - likely buying a pre-event $yen breakout as investors usually prince in too much of a BOJ delivery. *Check the attached posts for indepth fundamentals*
Long
by QuantumLogicTrading
SELL EURUSD: TECHNICAL ANALYSIS - 1.09 CLOSE, MA, STANDEV, IV>HVEUR$ Technical analysis - highly bearish: Key level close: 1. On the daily and weekly we closed below the strongest pivot point of recent times below 1.10 - this is very bearish as historically this is the strongest level (lower than post brexit). MA: 1. We trade below the 2wk and 4wk MA - this is a bearish indication + we have been below the 3m MA since brexit. IV/ HV: 1. Realised Vols have also unsurprisingly come off, this would but bullish but brexit has distorted the longer dated HV and they are lagging, plus Implied vols are steepening higher than HV - with 1wk, 2wk and 1m Implied vols trade at 9.55%, 8.87%, 7.96% vs HV 1wk 2wk 1m at 6.7%, 7.09%, 7.24% - so IV is greater than HV across the front end which is bearish. Deviation Channels/ Support levels: 1. We Trade close to the bottom of the 6m deviation channel at 1.0900 but this is due to brexit so shouldnt be considered bullish but we could see resistance here. Looking at the 3m SD channel, this is more appropriate and shows us trading just below the average 3m price - hence there is definitely more room for downside and we have just crossed the middle regression line implying we are entering some downside deviation now, with the -2SD resistance level at 1.085 which is in line with the price support level at 1.083. Risk-Reversals 1. 25 delta Risk reversals trade marginally bearish for EUR$, with current at -0.25, 1wks at -0.15 and 2wks at -0.32 and 1m at -0.72 - this suggest the EUR$ has a slight downside bias but is potentially searching for direction in lack of ECB directive rhetoric coming out on Thursday. I also think EUR$ has taken a bit of a back space in the vol space as investors search for better alpha (JPY/ GBP pairs) given EUR$ low volatility at the moment due to lacking CB bias vs other pairs. - Though 3m risk reversals trade with a clearer downside bias at -1.1 which shows the market expects EUR$ to trade lower in the 3m term, even if this is only a slight bias - likely a result of September ECB easing expectations nonetheless. *Check the attached posts for indepth fundamentals*
Short
by QuantumLogicTrading
3
GBPUSD: TECHNICAL ANALYSIS - BEARISH MA, IV>HV, STANDEV & RRTechnical analysis - highly bearish: MA: 1. Just crossed the 2wk and 4wk MA - this is a bearish indication + we have been below the 3m MA for several weeks unsurprisingly since brexit. IV/ HV: 1. Realised Vols have also unsurprisingly come off, this would but bullish but brexit has distorted the longer dated HV and they are lagging - Implied vols are steepening higher than HV - particularly around the 2wks as BOE vol prices - so IV is greater than HV in the front end which is bearish, especially around BOE where we expect ALOT of bearish pressure going into the BOE as easing is expected. Deviation Channels: 1. We Trade at the bottom of the 6m deviation channel but this is due to brexit so shouldnt be considered bullish. Looking at the 3m SD channel, this is more appropriate and shows us trading at the average 3m price - hence there is definitely more room for downside and we have just crossed the middle regression line implying we are entering some downside deviation now. Risk-Reversals 1. 25 delta Risk reversals trade marginally bearish for GBP$, with current at -0.1, 1wks flat at 0.02 and 2wks at -0.5 - this is surprising given BOE is coming up - one would expect a larger skew to one direction - since this isnt the case it could be 1) the market is neutral on the decision e.g. not sure of the result or 2) given we have 2wks yet investors are yet to postion in the option market, which they will next week - ill keep you updated on the vol/ option space biases. - Though 1m risk reversals trade with a clearer downside bias a -1 and 2m at -2 which shows the market expects GBP$ to trade lower in the 1-2m term - which makes sense given the economic uncertainty + BOE Easing potential. *Check the attached posts for indepth fundamentals*
Short
by QuantumLogicTrading
2
SOLD TO OPEN: SPX JULY 22ND 1920/1930/2140/2150 IRON CONDOROut of one SPX iron condor ... into another. Did this from my phone, so I don't have the exact metrics on this little fella, but it was supposed to be a "classic" skewed instrument iron condor, with the short call strike at the 75% probability out-of-the-money strike and the short put at the 85% probability out-of-the-money strike for the expiry. I usually like to shoot for getting a fill at 1/3rd the width of the wings (i.e., 1/3rd of $10 or about $3.33). Since I was doing it from my phone (not ideal, lemme tell ya), I wasn't as surgical as I usually am with these setups, and settled for a $280 credit fill ... . As usual, I'll look to take this off at 50% max profit or about $140/contract ... . Next week, I'll probably look at similar setup in RUT, since it is likely to have higher implied volatility than SPX and therefore juicier premium to be had.
TVC:SPX
by NaughtyPines
GBP DOWNSIDE BREXIT POSITIONING & VOLATILITY UPDATEMy FX portfolio currently consists of : - 2Long x USDJPY @ 106.8; 2Short x GBPJPY @ 151.2 (dynamic hedge for long UJ); 2Short x GBPUSD @ 1.4570. I will add to my short GBPUSD holdings if i can get a similar price & I may add to short GBPCHF or EURCHF downside if markets make a turn for the worst as IMO CHF denominations are under-priced relatively (as discussed in the attached article). ATM Implied Volatility and Historical Volatility: - GBPUSD ATM IV continues to rally today, despite being in the 2 year 100th percentile, to trade at 19.15% (0.6 up) currently, 1wks 20.5% (up 1.5), 1m 29% (up 0.5) from yesterday, whilst HV continues to trade relatively flat at 10%, with ATR increasing about 10 pips on the week. - This positive divergence in IV and HV means that GU potentiallly has almost 2x as much more volatility to show in its price action - so I expect the market to get much more rangy in the coming weeks, so anyone day trading i advise to leave GBP crosses alone and i advise a MINIMUM SL of 1 ATR which is 150 pips, as IV implies such moves will become less and less uncommon in the coming weeks. Therefore I also suggest only play longer term 2/3wk positions so that the 150pip SL can be justified with 300+pips of upside tp. - GU Risk Reversals on the 1wk increased to -2 (from -1.8) with the 1m trading flat at -8.7, so we can expect further downside in the pair as puts in the nearterm continue to be demanded more so than the calls - which makes sense in this highly volatile and fundamentally short environment. Vol demand - GBPJPY and GBPCHF1wk and 1m risk reversals in the long run are becoming negative at a higher rate/ momentum compare to USD e.g. investors are buying GBPJPY and GBPCHF Puts at an increasingly faster rate than GBPUSD puts (the change of the RR values are increasingly negative more than the GU - The GU RRs are almost already fully priced). Hence, from a future value point of view (since the demand for downside is not outpacing that of GU) we can expect, GCHF and GJPY to in the future fall at a faster rate than GU, which makes sense given the room let until the next support levels. - GJ 1wk and 1m are at -0.9 and -7.4, whilst GCHF are at -1.2 and -5.6 (compared to GU at the above -2 and -8.7), we can see that the put demand for GJ and GCHF still has room to increase until it reaches the levels that GU is trading at hence why I like expressing GJ and GCHF even more so. - Finally, GJ and GCHF HV trade at 19 and 15 respectively. However GJ vols are begging to trade lower, (perhaps indicating the pair is now becoming oversold) and GBPCHF HV is trending higher (indicating that sell side demand may be picking up now that the GJ expression is reaching its fully priced state, after selling off since sunday). This supports my view from my last piece about getting short GBPCHF now vs adding shorts to GU or GJ since they are much more overweight to the downside.
Short
by QuantumLogicTrading
TRADE IDEA: RUT/IUX 1075/1085/1190/1200 IRON CONDORStaying with short duration index setups here, so that I can be flexible if any non index premium selling opportunities come along; going with RUT over SPX due to RUT's higher implied volatility ... . (As a smaller, alternative trade, you can look at a similar setup in IWM). Metrics: Probability of Profit: 62% P50: 71% Max Profit: $340/contract Max Loss/Buying Power Effect: $660 Delta: -3.51/contract Theta: 12.26/day/contract Notes: Naturally, I'm looking at pricing in the off hours, so it may be necessary to tweak the setup a bit in terms of strikes and/or fill price on NY open. I'll look to manage this setup aggressively and take it off at 50% max.
I
by NaughtyPines
BUY USDJPY: SUP LEVEL @105.5 & VOLATILITY SELL-OFF @ HIGH LEVELSBUY USDJPY @106.5 or @107.0 - SL @105 - TP @109-11 based on: $YEN's historical most important support level - The 105.5 Key level will more than likely hold as it has many times before - At 105.5 there are 3 significant UNSUCCESSFUL tests of the level over the last 3 years thus it is a great entry point. Also another plus is if you look at the monthly chart you will notice 105.5 is the 2nd most important level in $Yen's 20y+ history, the 1st most important/tested is the 101 level. - Further, over the last 3 years the level has been tested 4 times in total and it only broke once when USDJPY rose to 127 so that means LONG at this level has a 75% chance of success (based on the simple discrete math). - Plus, around 105.5 at 106 and 106.5 these also provide "mini" strong support levels which i think are great, low risk entry points for long positions. Normal Distribution and High Price Standard Deviation Volatility - as you can see the weekly bar has closed below the 5 year -3SD (and -2SD 2.5year) once before, by the red bar 5 weeks ago which was also at the 105.5 support level- at which point USDJPY0.02% rallied back up to 111.5 from 105.5 after closing below the -3SD and -2SD line and on the 105.5 so we could see topside like this again. - in addition to this, it is worth noting that the 5y -3SD blue line that was violated but rejected 5 weeks ago and is being tested again, based on normal distribution theory, says that prices touching this line have a 99.5% probability of reverting BACK UP towards the mean at 122.5. The -2SD 2.5year line that was also violated has a 95% probability of retracing up towards the mean at 126. Historical and implied volatility at all time highs - a reversal - Historical volatility across the board (5,10,20,30,60) is trading at all time high levels now and at some point these levels have to come down, investors cant keep pushing vols higher, which in turn, means selling of UJ must come to an end soon and we should see an upward recovery run. - The same is true about Implied vols which are trading at 15.75% which is in the (upper) 90th percentile of the last 2.5 years of days, meaning implied vols 90% of the time have been lower than this - thus a reversal is more likely at these levels. HV is likely in the 90%tile or greater also - Usually a sell-off in volatility precedes buying of UJ. - See more info on vols here: www.tradingfloor.com Downside analysis 1. The obvious risk of the Long UJ play are that the 105.5 level doesn't hold, in which case i believe the long squeeze caused, as a result of all long SLs being hit causing a cascade of selling could take us down to 102/3 - however this is easily avoided by keeping tight stops at 104.5-`105 dependent on your risk appetite. - even with a 150pip SL it still returns us 3x returns with a TP target of 111+ 2. The markets may trade risk off in the coming weeks as the macroeconomic envrionment is filled with uncertainty e.g. FOMC, BOJ and UK EU Referendum, in which these events are compounded by the fact that risk markets (spx etc) are currently trading at all time highs, making a reversal in their direction and risk-off tone more likely. Furthermore other risk-off assets such as Gold and Bonds are trading well. All of which may combine into a strong risk off environment that fuels the JPY follow the bullish trend with its counterparts (bonds and gold) and enabling UJ to push past the 105 strong hold. - However, these issues are all displaced by a tight SL as advised at 104.9 (to benefit from the 105 key lvl supporrt potential)
Long
by QuantumLogicTrading
4