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"WORRY-FREE OPTION TRADING SYSTEM". A simple, but amazinglypowerful technique. CLICK HERE for the full details.

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You can find more about option trading in CBOE Education Area.

    Reminder

1. Our range of picks is broad enough for you to select the best ones – those that fit your portfolio, option strategy, risk averseness, industry focus, etc. Our track record shows that we make rational decisions based on rational models. If you stay with us and make frequent trades, the average trade will be a success. However, according to the rules of statistics, there is always room for risk and each individual trade can be either a success or a failure.
2. Options involve risk, and are not suitable for all investors. Every investor who uses options should read and understand the publication "Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options" published by CBOE


About Options

Q. What is the theoretical option price compared to the actual option  price?

A. Theoretical option prices are computed with the help of Black-Scholes model. You can learn more about option pricing models here
You can also check our glossary

Theoretical prices primarily reflect the stock price volatility and do not take into consideration technical signals. However, it is dangerous to ignore these technical signals. Keep in mind that the underlying stock price movement is the key factor which determines the option price. That is why we run technical analysis when preselecting our picks. Please pay attention to green and red arrows in our resumes.

Actual option prices can differ significantly from theoretical ones for the following reason: although many traders take theoretical prices as a starting point, they use technical signals to further adjust these prices. For example, if the underlying stock price is expected to increase, the actual call option prices will be higher than theoretical ones. According to the supply and demand theory, demand for the call options will rise as many market players would like to catch the upward stock price movement. Vice versa, if the market anticipates a price decline, the actual put option prices would normally exceed  their theoretical levels. Demand for put options will go up as many market players would like to get a protective hedge for their stocks.  
Q. Does this mean that the option is overpriced if theoretical price is $0.46 and actual price is $1.35?

A. Not necessarily. Every market situation needs to be analyzed separately.

It holds true only if the stock price won't change significantly and actual option prices will start to tend to their theoretical levels. But if the stock price drops or surges as anticipated by the market, then theoretical prices are the ones far from reality. There is a special class of option strategies when the trader bets on volatility change and the corresponding change of disparity between theoretical and actual option prices. Learn more about these strategies here

You can also find our short-term picks for "volatility" strategies on our site on a daily basis. Also please take into consideration the general market volatility trend that we compute and publish on our main page. It would be more risky to bet on a particular stock volatility drop if the market volatility is on rise.
Q. It seems to me that since 80% of options expire worthless, purchasing options with a net credit makes more sense to me.  Is that sound judgment or am I thinking wrong?
A. It is a "myth" you should not rely on! In fact, nobody cares for numerous options with different strikes and expiration dates. Every trader is focused on certain option strikes and expiration months, for which general rules of that kind should not be applied. It all depends on a particular situation, underlying stock price movement, volatility changes, etc. Mathematically there is no significant difference between  net credit and net debit strategies (except the small interest that you earn on your credit balance). The difference is purely psychological and is not so important. In the real situation there is no simple solutions like that. Our mission is to help you put together all factors that determine your success.


Q.  Could you please explain the "average 1 day buy-call return"?  
A. You can find all entries and exits  in our Track Records.

One-day return for a "buy call" option pick is calculated in the following way:

Profit=actual sell price -actual buy price

Return = (profit/buy price)*100%

One-day return = return/(number of days this option was held)

Q. Do you send out exit  alerts on your previous picks?  
A.  Exit signals are not included in our Basic Service. All other services include exit alerts and auto-trading.  

Q. How long are options normally held for?
A. As you can see from our Track Records, the majority of our short-term "buy call" positions are kept open for 1-2 weeks, sometimes even for a few days. This is because we base our picks not on blind belief or other emotions (please open our  "18 Trading Rules" page) but on mathematical calculations, namely, on probability estimates derived from our numerous back tests.

Our findings show that reliable forecasts based on technical signals can be made for a period of up to two weeks. Beyond this time horizon the statistical reliability declines. Of course, you can keep believing that the trend will last  but  the back tests show that it becomes too questionable to bet on.

Let us take an example. A bullish technical signal takes place. We already know from our back tests that after this signal there is a 95% probability that the stock price will drop, let's say, no more than 5% during the next 10 days. We can consider the possibility to sell a front-month  "out-the-money" put option betting that the option would expire worthless. Is it reasonable? It also depends on its actual price. This price can be too low compared to the risk we take.

We are probably the only Internet site to publish option picks based on reliable technical signals. Our system is almost "mechanical" - no emotions, no attitude, nothing personal. Only strong mathematical computations. However, it is important to keep in mind that the room for risk remains anyway.
Q. Your service seems very impressive in its level of detail. I am primarily interested in the most aggressive and frequent options trading service you have.  How long has this service been in operation?
A. We offered paid services in late 2000 but free reports appeared in early 1999.
 
Our Track Records are based on actual trades executed by major brokerages
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