tastylive: From Theory to Practice

In today's From Theory to Practice, Dr. Jim analyzed recent earnings reactions in Tesla and IBM, noting unusual price action where both stocks initially gapped in one direction but quickly reversed. Then, he added a downside Put Butterfly to play the surprise CPI release tomorrow morning.

In this episode of From Theory to Practice, Jim Schultz discusses recent earnings trades, particularly focusing on Netflix (NFLX) and upcoming earnings for Tesla (TSLA) and IBM (IBM). He highlights a successful long put spread on Netflix that yielded a profit, emphasizing the effectiveness of at-the-money vertical spreads for earnings plays. Schultz also shares his bullish outlook on Tesla, planning to use an expected move butterfly strategy. For IBM, he opts for an out-of-the-money put spread for a downside bet. The market remains volatile, impacting various assets, including gold and silver.

In today's From Theory to Practice, Dr. Jim looks at volatility trends over time. In doing so, it becomes very clear that volatility likes to live on the lower end of its range, and it does tend to contract quickly after expansions. Lastly, Dr. Jim puts on a downside play for NFLX Earnings.

In today's From Theory to Practice, Jim Schultz closed an underperforming GLD spread at its max value of $5, demonstrating proper expiration management. He then established new positions by selling a 20-delta strangle in MES futures options expiring November 28th and adding an MNQ position despite challenging bid-ask spreads.

In today's From Theory to Practice, Dr. Jim discusses how much leverage to use in a long delta portfolio, emphasizing a different approach from short delta strategies. Unlike short delta positions where the delta-theta ratio provides protection, long delta positions lack this shield during volatility expansion. For long delta traders, he recommends using SPY as a reference point to measure leverage. A portfolio with beta-weighted delta equal to its notional value in SPY shares (1X leverage) means you're essentially holding the equivalent of being fully invested in SPY. Most traders settle between 1X-3X leverage, with experienced traders occasionally going as high as 5X-6X.

In today's From Theory to Practice, Dr. Jim examines how much leverage traders should use in derivatives trading, emphasizing the importance of the delta-theta ratio for short delta portfolios. He recommends targeting a 0.5 ratio (one short delta for every two positive theta), with portfolio theta levels between 0.1% to 0.5% of net liquidation value based on experience level, account size and market volatility. The session highlights how VIX levels should influence position sizing, with higher volatility periods warranting more aggressive theta deployment.

In today's From Theory to Practice, Dr. Jim was shocked to see Domino's Pizza (DPZ) surged 14% as bank earnings season kicked off with Goldman Sachs (GS) and Citigroup (C) reporting. Then, he managed his Home Depot (HD) calendar spread that was closed for a 15% profit, while a new Bank of America (BAC) butterfly position was established ahead of tomorrow's earnings report.

Dr. Jim managed two struggling positions - closing a HIMS position for a minimal loss and adjusting a GDX position by converting to an inverted strangle. He also opened a new short put on the energy index (XLE) at the $85 strike. With earnings season approaching, traders should prepare for increased opportunities and potential volatility in individual stocks over the coming weeks.

In this educational session of From Theory to Practice, Jim Schultz breaks down undefined risk strategies like short puts, short strangles, ratio spreads, and jade lizards. While these approaches offer superior probabilities and easier adjustments compared to defined risk strategies, they come with the significant tradeoff of unlimited risk exposure and greater complexity.

In today's From Theory to Practice, Jim Schultz explored defined risk strategies for beginner traders, highlighting vertical spreads and iron condors as popular starting points. He emphasized that defined risk's primary advantage is knowing maximum loss at entry, though these strategies offer lower Greek exposure and less flexibility than undefined risk alternatives.

In today's From Theory to Practice, Dr. Jim looks to adjust his PANW Strangle into a Straddle to help improve the break-even point on the upside. With earnings coming up before November expiration, the objective for this position is still to manage it prior to that earnings release.

In today's From Theory to Practice, Dr. Jim continues his deep dive into delta, with a look at using Delta as a measure of directional bias. Arguably, using Delta in this way, either at the individual position level or the overall portfolio level, is the most common way that active traders use Delta. This is likely because Delta can help quickly gauge the approximate directional bias of an individual position or total portfolio at a glance.

In this educational session of From Theory to Practice, Jim Schultz continues his deep dive into Delta by explaining how traders can use it as a probability gauge - the second most common application beyond the textbook definition of measuring option price movement. Delta serves as an excellent probability approximator in two key ways: 1. **Probability of expiring in-the-money**: This explains why traders typically select 30-35 delta strikes for short options strategies. The inverse (1 minus delta) indicates the probability of expiring out-of-the-money - crucial for premium sellers. 2. **Probability of touch**: Calculated as two times the delta, this measures the likelihood that a price level will be reached at some point before expiration, helping traders assess potential market movements.

In today's From Theory to Practice, Dr. Jim launches a three-part series exploring Delta, beginning with its textbook definition as a measurement of option price movements. While this is how Delta is taught academically, it's actually the least common application for active traders. Delta represents how much an option's price will move for every $1 movement in the underlying stock. Though often presented as a decimal (0.30), traders typically reference it as a whole number (30 Delta), meaning a $1 stock move leads to a $0.30 option price change. Long puts and short calls have negative Delta (bearish positions), while long calls and short puts have positive Delta (bullish positions). Understanding these relationships is fundamental for tracking option P&L and making position adjustments.

In today's From Theory to Practice, Jim Schultz analyzes market conditions as gold reaches new highs, suggesting a potential reversal. He executes a downside butterfly spread on gold futures (GC) with strikes at 3855/3820/3785 for a $5 debit, positioning for a possible pullback. Despite gold's strong uptrend, Dr. Jim points to morning price action showing a $50 dip as a potential "chink in the armor." He also restructures an existing GDX position by rolling a put from the 62 to 70 strike, creating a straddle and collecting $1.39 additional credit. For earnings, he places a bearish ATM Vertical Spread on Nike (NKE) ahead of after-hours results tonight, buying the 71 put and selling the 67 put for $2.13.

In this episode of From Theory to Practice, Jim Schultz leads off with an announcement that FTTP is moving to five days a week - a gimme to some, but a gotcha to others, for sure. Then he highlights the potential ramifications of an impending government shutdown and the mixed market signals, such as rising volatility despite a bullish S&P 500. In his portfolio, several trades are reviewed, including Chipotle (CMG) and Costco (COST), alongside a new position in SoFi (SOFI). Dr. Jim then hops on the soapbox to wax poetic about position sizing and flexibility.

In this episode of Options Trading Concepts Live, hosts Nick Battista, Mike Butler and Katie McGarrigle discuss recent market movements, including a weak performance from the E-minis (ES) and tech stocks like Netflix (NFLX) and Palantir (PLTR). They share trade ideas, including a defined-risk upside trade on Costco (COST) ahead of its earnings and a put diagonal spread in Palantir. The hosts also introduce Tasty Live's new Money Match promotion, offering a 1% cash match for new accounts.