15. When to trade options

Introduction

Options trading can be incredibly versatile, allowing traders to customize strategies based on market conditions and individual outlook. The three main approaches are hedging to manage risk, speculating on price movements, and generating income from options premiums. Knowing when to apply each strategy is key to successfully trading options.  

Hedging With Options

Options are highly effective tools for hedging and limiting downside risks. During periods when you want to protect existing investments from temporary volatility or uncertainty, options can help. For example, buying protective puts or constructing spreads can lock in gains ahead of major events like earnings reports or economic data releases. 

Investors with large long term stock positions often use options to cap downside around binary events like FDA drug approvals while retaining upside potential. Options allow efficiently mitigating portfolio risks compared to adjusting the underlying position itself.

Speculating With Options 

Options shine when you expect a sizable price swing in an underlying asset but want to risk less capital. Buying calls or puts controls the maximum loss while providing leveraged exposure to upside or downside moves. Speculating with options is ideal when implied volatility is relatively low but foresee a volatility expansion.

Around events like elections, FOMC meetings, or cryptocurrency forks, the limited risk profiles of options allow benefiting from the anticipated price action. Speculators can also leg into positions, starting with a small options position to evaluate the thesis before increasing size.

Generating Income With Options

When markets are rangebound or lacking a clear directional catalyst, options income strategies come to the fore. Selling options premium allows profiting from stagnant or sideways trading markets. This works best when implied volatility is high, providing more premium to collect when writing options.

Neutral trading environments with limited expected upside or downside are ideal times to implement income strategies using credit spreads, iron condors, and covered calls. Patience is required, however, as profits accumulate over a series of trades rather than overnight gains.

Timing the Trade

Regardless of the strategy, timing options trades considers upcoming events, technical levels, and volatility trends. Approaching earnings and economic reports provides clearer catalysts when speculating or hedging. Technical analysis can identify support and resistance levels to target. 

Analyzing implied volatility is also crucial. Volatility tends to mean revert, so sell options when implied volatility is elevated and buy options when it is depressed. Comparing historical volatility gives context for identifying these high and low volatility periods.

Expiration Selection

Expiration selection balances the desired market outlook with contract liquidity. Near term monthly options provide quick trades and high leverage but rapid time decay. Quarterly or LEAP options have slower premium bleed but tie up capital for longer.

Deeply in or out of the money strike prices tend to be less liquid. Focus on strikes at or near the current price of the underlying asset for adequate volume and Bid/Ask spreads when entering and exiting positions. Active front month contracts generally offer the best liquidity.

Managing the Position 

Determining maximum loss tolerance and setting near term profit goals before entering a trade promotes discipline. Reevaluate the thesis along the way, closing out or adjusting positions on fundamental changes or technical breakouts. Widening credit spreads locks in gains on short option positions. 

Maintaining balanced position sizing ensures excessive risk taking doesn’t jeopardize the trading strategy or plan. Patience and commitment to predefined risk points are vital for persevering through inevitable losses.

Conclusion

Options trading requires assessing market conditions, upcoming catalysts, and volatility trends to time entries and select appropriate strategies. Hedging, speculating, or generating income strategies each shine under certain circumstances. Maintaining risk and position management rules allows traders to fully leverage options’ versatility across diverse market environments.