About Short Straddle
A short straddle position consists of a short call and short put where both options have the same expiration and identical strike prices. When selling a straddle, risk is unlimited. Max Profit is limited to the net credit received (premium received for selling both strikes). The strategy succeeds if the underlying price is trading between the downside break even (strike minus net credit) and upside break even (strike plus the net credit).
The screener results are initially sorted by descending "Break Even Probability."
Options information is delayed a minimum of 15 minutes, and is updated at least once every 15-minutes through-out the day. The screener displays probability calculations based on the delayed stock price at the time the strategy is updated. The new day's options data will start populating the screener at approximately 8:55a CT.
Main features of the Screener include:
- Ability to add various filters, with hundreds of different combinations.
- Save a Screener: When you've defined filters that you want to use again, save the screener.
- Load a Saved Screener: Select a previously saved set of Screener filters to view today's results.
- View the Results using Flipcharts: Page through charts of the underlying symbols on the results page.
- Download the Results: Download up to 1000 results to a .csv file. The Download will also pull all of the data fields present on the View you use. Barchart Premier Members may download up to 100 .csv files per day.
- Automatic Screener Emails: This option is available for Barchart Premier Members. When you save a screener, you can opt to receive the top 10, 25, or 50 results via email along with an optional .csv file of the top 1000 results. Emails can be sent at Market Open (9:00am CT), Mid-Day (12:00pm CT), End-of-Day (4:45pm CT), and Overnight (3:00am CT) Monday through Friday.
Note: When selecting the Filter View for your Screener email, a filter must identify a specific search value in order for it to be included in the email.
Filters
Barchart Premier subscribers can add or modify different filters on the screener to find calls on the most favorable stock options.
Reordering Filters
Once filters are added, you may drag and drop them in the SET FILTERS tab to reorder the way they appear on the RESULTS tab (when using the Filters View). Each filter you add has the "Order" icon which is used to reposition it.
Deleting Filters
To remove a filter from your screener, click the checkbox to the left of the filter name, then click the red "Delete" button at the top of the column. You may also select all filters for deletion by clicking the checkbox at the top of the column, which selects ALL filters for deletion. You will be asked to confirm your decision to delete.
So you can focus on the best options, the screener starts by removing certain options:
- Days to Expiration (both monthly and weekly expirations) is 60 days or less
- Last Trade was made within the last 2 sessions
- Security Type is only Stocks
- The Break-Even Probability is greater than 25%
- The Option Price is greater than $1.00
- The Options Volume for both Leg1 and Leg2: for US market, must be greater than or equal to 100. For Canadian market, must be greater than or equal to 1.
- Open Interest for both Leg1 and Leg2: for US market, must be greater than or equal to 500. For Canadian market, must be greater than or equal to 5.
- Bid Price for both Leg 1 and Leg 2 is greater than 0.05
- Delta Leg 1 is between 25% to 75%
- Delta Leg 2 is between -25% to -75%
- Net Delta is between -10% and 10% (US market only)
In addition, the option must not be an "adjusted" option (the option cannot be based on a split stock).
Note: "Restricted options" (options quotes marked with an asterisk * after the strike price, and found on an individual symbol's options page) are automatically removed from the screener. A "restricted option" is typically created after spin-offs or mergers, and is not tradeable.
Probability Calculation
We take the underlying stock price (l), the target price (b), days to expiration (t) and the implied volatility (v) to calculate probability:
Probability Above = 1-NORMSDIST (LN(b / l) / (v*SQRT (t / 365)))
Probability Below = NORMSDIST (LN (b / l) / (v*SQRT (t / 365)))
b = target price
l = underlying last price
v = implied volatility
t = days to expiration
Short Straddle Break Even: Probability of the underlying trading inside of the break even points at expiration.
Views
The Results page contains three standard views. You may switch the view using the links at the top of the screener results table. The Main View shows the Volume and Open Interest for each option, while the Dividend & Earnings View can be used to highlight strategies with upcoming dividends and earnings. The Filter view shows you the data contained in the field(s) you've added to the screener.
A checkbox is provided on all Views to "Show Strategy Description" in the view. The Strategy Description can be helpful in breaking down how the options strategy was built. Example of a Short Straddle description:
SSD_11/18/22_28.00
where:
- SSD = strategy
- 11/18/22 = expiration date
- 28.00 = The Leg1 and Leg2 strike
Main View
- Symbol - the underlying equity. Clicking on the symbol will take you to the current quote page.
- Price - the delayed stock price at the time the strategy is updated for the underlying equity.
- Exp Date - the expiration date of the option
- Leg 1 (Call) Strike - the price at which the underlying security can be bought if the option is exercised.
- Leg 1 (Call) Delta - measures the sensitivity of the Leg 1 option's theoretical value to a change in the price of the underlying asset.
- Leg 2 (Put) Strike - the price at which the underlying security can be bought if the option is exercised.
- Leg 2 (Put) Delta - measures the sensitivity of the Leg 2 option's theoretical value to a change in the price of the underlying asset.
- Net Cr/Db - the maximum profit on the spread
- % of Stock - the percentage of the premium in relation to the underlying price of the stock
- Avg IV - the average implied volatility of the calls and puts immediately above and below the underlying price.
- -BE - the lower limit necessary for the strategy to break even (Leg2 Strike minus Net credit/debit)
- +BE - the upper limit necessary for the strategy to break even (Leg1 Strike plus Net credit/debit)
- Probability - the probability that the underlying is trading at or within the two break even points at expiration.
Dividend & Earnings View
- Dividend - the dividend the equity pays on the Ex-Dividend Date. On the morning of the Dividend Ex-Date, the stock's price is lowered by the amount of the dividend that was just paid.
- Dividend Ex-Date - the first day on which the stock trades without the dividend. If you wish to receive the dividend, you must own the stock by the close of market on the day before the Dividend Ex-Date. Many times, a covered call is exercised early so the buyer can own the stock and collect the dividend. This typically happens to ITM options the day before the Dividend Ex-Date.
- Earnings Date - The date on which a company is expected to release their next earnings report. The prices are more volatile, which tends to inflate the prices of the near-the-money strikes. During a contract period when there is an earnings report due, the earnings announcement can dramatically shift the range in which the stock has been trading.
