A favorite directionless investment method with option sellers is called the vertical spread or the credit spread. One reason it’s so well-liked is because it’s one of the easiest option strategies to understand. Another explanation for it’s attractiveness is that once the trade is placed there can be very little attention needed to supervise it – allowing the credit spread trader to go out and spend their time doing other things rather than sitting in a dark room staring at a trading screen all day long.
A core trading strategy that is found within many of the other option trading strategies like the butterfly trade which is constructed from a credit spread and a debit spread, and also the iron condor which is built from two separate credit spreads placed on either side from where the stock or index being used is trading at.
Option traders love to trade this strategy because the way these trades are constructed can allow the trader to be wrong and still make money. If the trader creates a particular credit spread position, he or she can win if the stock or index being traded winds up doing three out of four possible scenarios. If the stock goes down, the trader makes money. If the stock goes nowhere the trader makes money. If the stock goes up a little, the trader makes money. The only way the trader can lose money if the stock goes up far enough to threaten the credit spread that has been sold. And even then, there are management and adjustment techniques that can be utilized to hedge against losses.
To demonstrate let’s invent a trade where the option trader feels as if the stock being traded is about to tank. Because he believes that this specific stock will not advance any higher from it’s current position a bear call vertical spread is sold, bringing in a nice credit.
If the stock does move down as our trader anticipates, this spread trade wins. If the stock does absolutely nothing and just remains trading at it’s current level, this trade wins. Even if the stock moves up against our traders outlook, this trade can win just as long as it doesn’t move up too much. The only way this position will lose money is if the stock moves too high too fast – in which case the trade could still be profitable just as long as our trader knows how to properly manage and adjust the position.
While credit spread trading can be a great way to generate passive income, of course like any investment method there are potential pitfalls one should be aware of before jumping in. To learn more about how to properly trade this option strategy, including how to correctly place, manage, and most importantly how to ADJUST them, visit our free video training website at Credit Spreads