OPENING: GE SEPTEMBER/JULY 6/7/8 COVERED ZEBRAOver the weekend, I did a post on "Zero Extrinsic Back Ratios" or "Zebras," (See Post Below), and am resetting a trade I got a smidge too impatient and/or aggressive with in GE to show how this setup works in practice with a minor twist: I'm covering it with an extra short call.
Metrics:
Max Loss: 1.96/contract
Max Profit: 3.00/contract (the width of the 6/7 or 1.00 plus the width of the 6/8 or 2.00)
Break Even vs. Spot: 6.98 vs. 6.86 (total debit paid (1.96) divided by the number of longs (2) or .98 plus the long call strike (6.00) or 6.98)
Delta/Theta: 72/.10
Notes: In my Brazilian Zebra Post, I indicated that a straight Zebra should be looked at in parts: (a) a standalone, in-the-money long; and (b) a long call vertical. Assuming favorable movement, the long call vertical would be taken off at or near max, after which the long call could be allowed to ride. Alternatively, the short call is rolled out for further credit and cost basis reduction, with the take profit reduced by the amount of credit received (e.g., if max is 2.00 and the credit received on roll is .20, the new take profit target is 1.80).
Here, I'm twisting that setup slightly by covering what would have been the stand alone long with an additional short call so that -- in essence, I've got two long call diagonals in place: a September/July 6/7 with a max of 1.00 and at September/July 6/8 with a max of 2.00. The goal: to take profit on the 6/7 at or near max and the 6/8 at or near max. Otherwise, I'll just roll the short calls out to reduce cost basis further.
An additional variation would involve laddering the short calls out in time by strike and duration: September 2 x 6 long call/July 7 short call/August 8 short call.
