A great system for option traders who feel the underlying instrument they're working with will probably be range bound for the next 2, 3, or 4 weeks of time or so is the butterfly spread .
This theta positive option strategy produces profits when the stock or index that is being traded remains within a contained range on the graph or ends up on expiration day at or near the short strikes of the trade.
Here is an illustration of this tactic:
Buy 5 contracts of SPY 100 calls. Sell 10 contracts of SPY 105 calls. Purchase 5 contracts of SPY 110 calls.
These trades can generate quick gains for the investor as a result of the short strikes in the position (the strikes that have been sold) providing so much premium into the traders account. This is because the strikes that are usually sold in these trades are the 'at the money' strikes - or the strikes that reside closest to where the underlying is actually trading at when the trade is first put on. The 'at the money' strikes always contain the most amount of time premium, which is what option traders are looking to benefit from when trading these type of income positions.
While you can find numerous mutations of the butterfly spread, the two most popular are the standard butterfly distribute which is traded for a debit, and then there's the iron butterfly, which is put on for a credit. It is true that these two individual versions of the butterfly spread are indeed different, if you would look at the risk graph of one and then compare it to the other, they would look exactly the same, and they actually perform the same as well.
The butterfly option strategy is a 'delta neutral' strategy, meaning that investors who use this technique do not have an opinion on market direction or believe that the underlying being traded will remain in its general location on the chart for the duration of the trade.
With the proper knowledge, the butterfly spread can be a lucrative, low pressure, and pleasant investing system that doesn't require one to be glued to their computer screen stressing out over every tick of the market all day.
To find out more about this strategy, visit this Iron Condor Training Website for tons of free training videos, examples, reports and easy step by step instructions on how to trade the Butterfly Spread to generate a consistent income.
Author: Ted Nino
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