Put Calendar Spread Guide Setup, Entry, Adjustments, Exit

To do this, they can sell a short call option and simultaneously buy a long call option with a higher strike price. Thus, the trader can switch from the calendar spread to a more secure position in the form of a call option with a higher strike price. What is certain is that the trade will make maximum profit when it closes at either of the two peaks, that is, at the strike prices where the calendar spreads have been created. Calendar spreads are usually lower probability trades, but they can be very effective and profitable trading strategies, particularly when implied volatility is low.

Call calendar spreads can be adjusted during the trade to increase credit. If the underlying stock price declines rapidly before the first expiration date, the short call option can be purchased and sold at a lower strike closer to the stock price to receive additional credit. The long put contract will have a higher premium because it has more extrinsic time value, so you will likely pay a debit to enter the trade.

Lose the trade

To open a call calendar spread, sell-to-open (STO) a short call option and buy-to-open (BTO) a long call option at the same strike price but with a later expiration date. The position can be adjusted lower if the underlying stock price drops. A put calendar spread is a risk-defined options strategy with unlimited profit potential. Put calendar spreads are neutral to bullish short-term and slightly bearish long-term. To open a put calendar spread, sell-to-open (STO) a short put option and buy-to-open (BTO) a long put option at the same strike price but with a later expiration date. The long call contract will have a higher premium because it has more extrinsic time value, so you will likely pay a debit to enter the trade.

Legging out of a call calendar spread can increase the risk beyond the initial debit paid, but creates the highest profit potential. The decision to exit a call calendar spread will depend on the underlying asset’s price at the expiration of the short call contract. If the stock price is below the short call, the option will expire worthless. The long call option will be out-of-the-money and have time value remaining. The extrinsic time value will depend on the length of time until expiration and the strike price relative to the stock price. If you choose to only close the in-the-money short put option, there is potential for more risk.

Trading Insights (Daily)

A calendar spread is executed with the same type of option ― either a call or a put on both legs of the spread. These profit from a difference in the rate of time decay between the short-term option (fast) and the longer-term option (slower). When they are done using the at-the-money strike price as in our example, they are neutral with respect to the price of the underlying. If a higher strike price is used, they are bullish, and with a lower strike, they are bearish. Making adjustments are one way to manage risk when a trade starts to go bad.

The trade benefits from the behaviour of near- and far-dated options with respect to a change in time and volatility. The payoff diagram below shows the calendar spread on Nifty created by using two legs of weekly expiries. This video and its content are provided solely by tastylive, Inc. (“tastylive”) and are for informational and educational purposes only. This video and its content were created prior to the legal name change of tastylive. As a result, this video may reference tastytrade, its prior legal name. With the short premium portion of our Calendar Spread expiring on Friday, and all the extrinsic value having been drained from this option, we look to adjust this Calendar.

A decision will then need to be made to either exit the long put position or wait to see if the stock price declines and/or implied volatility increases before the second expiration date. The further out-of-the-money the strike prices are at trade entry, the more bearish the outlook on the underlying security. A calendar call spread is considered to be a bullish options trading strategy.

17/18: Portfolio Analysis – TLT Calendar Spread Adjustment

If the underlying stock price is above the short call at the first expiration date, both options may be closed to exit the position. A call calendar spread is purchased when an investor believes the stock price will be neutral or slightly bearish short-term. The position would then benefit from an increase in price and volatility after the short-term contract expires and before the longer-dated contract is closed. If the underlying stock price is above the short call at expiration, the long call may be exercised to cancel out the assignment of the short shares. Generally, put calendar spreads benefit from an increase in implied volatility. Ideally, the front-month short put option will expire out-of-the-money and be unaffected by changes in implied volatility.

The strategy consists of purchasing a longer-term option while simultaneously selling a shorter-term option. Tastylive content is created, produced, and provided solely by tastylive, Inc. (“tastylive”) and is for informational and educational purposes only. Trading securities, futures products, and digital assets involve risk and may result in a loss greater than the original amount invested.

Reverse Calendar Spread With Puts

Put calendar spreads can be adjusted during the trade to increase credit. If the underlying stock price rises rapidly before the first expiration date, the short put option can be purchased and sold at a higher strike closer to the stock price to receive additional credit. Ideally, the stock price is at or just below the short call at the time of expiration, and the short contract would expire worthless. A decision will then need to be made to either exit the long call position or wait to see if the stock price and/or implied volatility increases before the second expiration date.

• Both options should have sufficient liquidity to ensure instant execution.
• If the short call is in-the-money at the first expiration and the long call is not sold simultaneously, the maximum risk may exceed -$200 if the stock subsequently reverses before the second expiration.
• If the stock price is above the short put strike at expiration–which is the goal of the calendar spread–the short contract will expire worthless.

If the stock price is above the short put strike at expiration–which is the goal of the calendar spread–the short contract will expire worthless. The long put option will still have extrinsic time value remaining. The investor can choose to exit the long put at this point or continue to hold the position with no increased risk. A put calendar spread is purchased when an investor believes the stock price will be neutral or slightly bullish short-term. The position would then benefit from a decrease in price and volatility after the short-term contract expires and before the longer-dated contract is closed.

Find new trade ideas

The next day, CSCO price gapped down and went below the lower breakeven point. But suppose the investor was not paying attention to the earnings date and continued with the trade. The previous example was a winner because although the price got outside the tent, the price eventually came back towards the original calendar center. If the investor were to continue with the trade, it would be a bit of a gamble.

The payoff diagram below illustrates a $100 profit as the outcome with the underlying stock trading at-the-money at the first expiration if the long put is sold with $3.00 of extrinsic value remaining. If the stock price is above the short call options’ strike at the front-month expiration and the investor chooses to close both options, the loss would be the trade’s initial cost. If the stock price is below the short call strike at expiration–which is the goal of the calendar spread–the short contract will expire worthless.

• While using a calendar spread strategy, it is crucial to consider the liquidity of the options.
• Rolling it there would be equivalent to closing out the entire position.
• In fact, calendar spreads have been one of the most profitable trading strategies we have used over the last several years.
• The long call contract will have a higher premium because it has more extrinsic time value, so you will likely pay a debit to enter the trade.
• Delta is the software’s estimated value value change in this position over the next one dollar of price movement in the asset.

A put calendar spread consists of selling-to-open (STO) a short put option and buying-to-open (BTO) a long put option at the same strike price but with a later expiration date. At the near-term expiration, the payoff diagram slightly resembles an inverted V. After the near-term expiration, if the long put option is held, the payoff diagram is the same as a long put. If the stock price falls and/or implied volatility increases before the long put’s expiration date, the position will gain value. If the stock price rises, the extrinsic value of the long put will decrease. The payoff diagram for a put calendar spread is variable and has many different outcomes depending on when the options trader decides to exit the position. The maximum risk is defined at entry by the debit paid to enter the spread if both options are exited at the first expiration.

If the implied volatility of the longer-term option is higher than that of a shorter-term option, the strategy will be profitable. By contrast, if the implied volatility of the options is comparable, the strategy’s profitability may be limited. The rate of decay of the near-term option increases with time and will increase as we close on the near options expiry. Also, assuming all things remain unchanged, the passage of time would have a positive calendar spread adjustments impact on the strategy till the expiry of the near-term option expiry. Get an edge on the markets with our daily trading newsletter, Trading Insights, and receive timely trade ideas covering stocks, options, futures, and more to keep you on the right side of the action. From trading basics to advanced strategies and high-probability set-ups, the insights you need from our all-star lineup of trading pros is delivered straight to your inbox.

The price of the asset most optimal for the maximization of the strategy profit is called the sweet spot. In terms of a calendar spread, this point is reached when the short option is executed “in the money” or slightly “out of the money”. In this case, the short option has zero value (which is an advantage for an option seller), and the long option still has a time value. On the date of expiry, the maximum gain would occur when the price of the underlying asset closes at or below the strike price of the near-term expiry, which would be worthless. If volatility is high on the day of expiry, the far-term option will add to the profitability. The maximum profit of a calendar spread is the net credit received by the trader from the sale of a short-term option.