Practical option strategies for the new post-crisis financial market Traditional buy-and-hold investing has been seriously challenged in the wake of the recent financial crisis. With economic and market uncertainty at a very high level, options are still the most effective tool available for managing volatility and downside risk, yet they remain widely underutilized by individuals and investment managers. In Options for Volatile Markets, Richard Lehman and Lawrence McMillan provide you with specific strategies to lower portfolio volatility, bulletproof your portfolio against any catastrophe, and tailor your investments to the precise level of risk you are comfortable with. While the core strategy of this new edition remains covered call writing, the authors expand into more comprehensive option strategies that offer deeper downside protection or even allow investors to capitalize on market or individual stock volatility. In addition, they discuss new offerings like weekly expirations and options on ETFs. For investors who are looking to capitalize on global investment opportunities but are fearful of lurking "black swans", this book shows how ETFs and options can be utilized to construct portfolios that are continuously protected against unforeseen calamities. A complete guide to the increased control and lowered risk covered call writing offers active investors and traders Addresses the changing investment environment and how to use options to succeed within it Explains how to use options with exchange-traded funds Understanding options is now more important than ever, and with Options for Volatile Markets as your guide, you'll quickly learn how to use them to protect your portfolio as well as improve its overall performance.

Markets are more volatile than ever. That terrifies many investors, but it shouldn’t terrify you. Smart investors know how to feast on volatility. That’s because they’ve learned proven trading strategies designed specifically to profit from rapid market shifts. In Volatile Markets Made Easy: Trading Stocks and Options for Increased Profits, investing expert Guy Cohen teaches you how to earn big returns by systematically cherry picking the best trades while minimizing risk, and execute a simple trading plan that leverages your profits in volatile markets. "Volatile Markets Made Easy is not just a book; it is a full course of instruction. This is an incredible piece of work." —Ned W. Bennett, CEO/Cofounder, optionsXpress, Inc. "I highly recommend Guy Cohen’s Volatile Markets Made Easy, which introduces to the world his simple approach utilizing flag chart patterns to capitalize on trending stocks. Guy’s combination of clear explanations and lavishly detailed follow-throughs of trade examples cogently demonstrates how to deploy several simple, option-based strategies to make consistent money with one of the most reliable stock chart patterns—while strictly limiting risk with sound money management techniques. Add this one to your shelf." —John Brasher, CallWriter.com

How to collect big profits from a volatile options market Over the past decade, the concept of volatility has drawn attention from traders in all markets across the globe. Unfortunately, this scrutiny has also created a proliferation of myths about what volatility means and how it works. Options Volatility Trading deconstructs some of the common misunderstandings about volatility trading and shows you how to successfully manage an options trading account and investment portfolio with expertise. This reliable guidebook provides an in-depth look at the volatility index (VIX) and demonstrates how to use it in conjunction with other analytical tools to determine an accurate measure of investor sentiment. However, recognizing a trend isn’t enough. In order to give you everything you need to profit in the options market, Options Volatility Trading also features: Detailed analysis of historical volatility patterns in the context of trading activity Insights into the behavioral psychology of trading volatility Revealing examinations of market noise that distorts exploitable anomalies Author Adam Warner, a recognized trading strategist and financial writer, sheds light on the required mathematics by thoroughly covering options Greeks and building a solid foundation for more advanced options and volatility concepts. He explains how to diversify your investment choices using the latest trading vehicles on the market, including exchange traded funds (ETFs), which offer exceptional money-earning potential for volatility traders. Applying the conceptual lessons in this in-depth book, you will be able to identify, collect, and process the abundance of data available every day in order to time the markets like a pro, as well as develop your own toolbox of best practices and time-tested strategies for locking in big profits from dramatic shifts in investor sentiment. Most importantly, Options Volatility Trading provides you with a go-to resource of dependable guidelines that will help you become a successful volatility trader in options and any other market.

This book will show you how with inexpensive tools you can begin with a limited amount of capital and make it grow impressively. I describe how the Welles-Wilder Indicator, a relative strength indicator, with equations included, can be used to decide when to open index options, stock options, futures options and currency positions. I have selected the best commodity futures options to trade for short-term profits. A currency trading expert from Madrid showed me the great leverage of one's capital is the outstanding advantage of currency trading. I also describe my self-adaptive trading software, giving you all the equations and algorithms used so you can create your own software at home. I first learned options trading in Brest, France, from the sponsor of my oldest son's 40' racing catamaran. Bob was making $2 million per month trading options in New York. He explained his strategy of selling index-option Calls two standard deviations (sigma) above the market and selling Puts two sigma below the market-the probability of the market rising above the Call or dropping below the Put was less than 10%, meaning you profit 90% of the time. This two-sigma strategy has been adapted to credit covered spreads for generating a regular monthly income.

As an active trader in today’s market, you are faced with unprecedented challenges. Dramatic price swings in equity, debt, and currency have made it tougher than ever to manage and trade risk. But with great risk, of course, comes great opportunity—and Advanced Options Trading delivers a detailed system for successfully trading options in a highly volatile and unpredictable global market. Noted options educator and owner of his own brokerage house, Kevin M. Kraus explains the best practices for using options to capture premium, reduce equity purchase prices, manage the costs of buying options, and control portfolio risk—critical skills for finding steady profits in our ever-shifting economic landscape. He offers a close examination of the nature of volatility and what it means for investors, whether they’re just getting started or are veterans of the options market. Advanced Options Trading covers: The critical nature of forward-looking implied volatility Ways to level the volatility playing field with options Techniques for adding value to a portfolio while managing risk The functions of price hedging—and how to do it effectively Interest rate options and which factors drive debt markets Options analysis techniques Options are among the most valuable tools for hedging and risk management, and they also function as profitable investment vehicles, allowing you to make bearish trades through radical market shifts. Advanced Options Trading provides a solid foundation on the options market, along with the necessary skills for trading and managing risk in today’s constantly expanding and contracting market.

In Volatility Trading, Sinclair offers you a quantitative model for measuring volatility in order to gain an edge in your everyday option trading endeavors. With an accessible, straightforward approach. He guides traders through the basics of option pricing, volatility measurement, hedging, money management, and trade evaluation. In addition, Sinclair explains the often-overlooked psychological aspects of trading, revealing both how behavioral psychology can create market conditions traders can take advantage of-and how it can lead them astray. Psychological biases, he asserts, are probably the drivers behind most sources of edge available to a volatility trader. Your goal, Sinclair explains, must be clearly defined and easily expressed-if you cannot explain it in one sentence, you probably aren't completely clear about what it is. The same applies to your statistical edge. If you do not know exactly what your edge is, you shouldn't trade. He shows how, in addition to the numerical evaluation of a potential trade, you should be able to identify and evaluate the reason why implied volatility is priced where it is, that is, why an edge exists. This means it is also necessary to be on top of recent news stories, sector trends, and behavioral psychology. Finally, Sinclair underscores why trades need to be sized correctly, which means that each trade is evaluated according to its projected return and risk in the overall context of your goals. As the author concludes, while we also need to pay attention to seemingly mundane things like having good execution software, a comfortable office, and getting enough sleep, it is knowledge that is the ultimate source of edge. So, all else being equal, the trader with the greater knowledge will be the more successful. This book, and its companion CD-ROM, will provide that knowledge. The CD-ROM includes spreadsheets designed to help you forecast volatility and evaluate trades together with simulation engines.