Generic filters
Search in excerpt

Un FNB pour chaque investisseur.

When It Comes to Skews, The Devil is in the Details

Prix
$0.00
$0.00
0.00%
Valeur liquidative
$--
$--
--%
Aperçu du FNB
En savoir plus sur

QQCC

FNB Horizons Options d’achat couvertes NASDAQ-100

Prix
$10.78
$-0.45
-4.01%
Valeur liquidative
$11.2234
$-0.7654
-6.38%

Active

Options D'achat Couvertes

Aperçu du FNB
En savoir plus sur QQCC

HSAV

FNB Horizons Compte maximiseur d’espèces

Prix
$114.71
$-0.06
-0.05%
Valeur liquidative
$114.6615
$0.0073
0.01%

Catégorie de Société - Rendement Total

Indices

Aperçu du FNB
En savoir plus sur HSAV
Explorer tous les produits
Generic filters
Search in excerpt
Retour à Médias

When It Comes to Skews, The Devil is in the Details

devil.jpg 

BY: HANS ALBRECHT, CIM®, FCSI, VICE PRESIDENT, PORTFOLIO MANAGER AND OPTIONS STRATEGIST, HORIZONS ETFS

Option-implied volatility is a complicated sounding term that simply describes current option pricing levels. It is one of the most important inputs to watch when trading options, but most novice traders tend to focus too much on at-the-money pricing levels. In doing so, they fail to realize that relative option pricing is generally not consistent across strike prices for out-of-the-money options contracts. For example, out-of-the-money puts tend to be priced higher on an implied volatility basis than out-of-the-money calls. This is known as the “skew” — put pricing tends to be ‘skewed’ higher. Skew, when calculated by many common measures will net out the effect of puts and calls, which can make it difficult to see precisely where a move in skew is coming from. This is overlooking important information and could affect investment results. When making decisions on enhancing a portfolio’s yield/return though call or put selling, it is better to separate call skew and put skew.

As the saying goes, “The devil is in the details”: By looking at the put and call skews separately, you are able to make better decisions in locating an edge. For example, a general calculation for skew on one-month options in the S&P500 Index would show that the skew has dropped a fair bit lately. But why has it dropped? Is it because puts have dropped, or is it because calls have risen? By calculating put and call skew separately, we see that most of the effect has come from the calls rising more dramatically than the drop in puts. In fact, 2.5% out-of-the-money calls were recently trading at their highest levels relative to at-the-money calls in almost 19 months. With that steep skew in-mind, as portfolio managers we know that we can sell higher-priced calls against our S&P500 Index holdings than normally would be available, and thereby add value to our portfolio via a covered call strategy. So, when looking at the skew, make sure to recognize where the movement is coming from – it will help you find and make better trades.

The views/opinions expressed herein may not necessarily be the views of AlphaPro Management Inc. All comments, opinions and views expressed are of a general nature and should not be considered as advice to purchase or to sell mentioned securities. Before making any investment decision, please consult your investment advisor or advisors.

Mots-clés
Non classifié(e)

Get Horizons insights in your inbox

"*" indique un champ obligatoire

Veuillez indiquer si vous êtes :*
* Indique un champ obligatoire
Ce champ n’est utilisé qu’à des fins de validation et devrait rester inchangé.

Publications connexes

À Horizons ETFs, nous croyons que l’éducation est synonyme d’autonomisation. Nous nous efforçons de fournir aux investisseurs canadiens les connaissances et les outils dont ils ont besoin pour naviguer dans le monde des placements. Qu’il s’agisse des connaissances de base sur les FNB ou de sujets plus complexes comme le fonctionnement de notre gamme de fonds inverses et à effet de levier, notre bibliothèque d’apprentissage exhaustive vise à être accessible à tous les investisseurs, des débutants aux spéculateurs expérimentés!