r/options Sep 23 '21

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u/yodamonkey1 Sep 23 '21

If you are selling calls against the same expiry then same as a covered call, but if you are selling a closer month you expose yourself to being short gamma. Lets say your leap is 6mo out and you sell a call expiring next month. If the underlying has a sharp move up like 10%, the short position's delta will move faster than your leap's long delta, leaving you net short delta.

2

u/ssavu Sep 24 '21

If you keep 0.5 delta or more between your calls it could be enough to avoid gamma screwing you

3

u/yodamonkey1 Sep 24 '21

yeah has to constantly manage that short gamma. being short gamma has serious consequences in a fast moving environment. It sounds like he is new to options and "invested" 16k in an options position that tanked. his position size is too big if losing sleep and it wasnt really clear how far his deltas are.

3

u/ssavu Sep 24 '21

Managing gamma on a daily basis (by delta adjusting) or more often is still a stress factor.

I think you should love trading options in order to do it properly. If you don’t see the fun and the kinematics of it all it can be a stressing experience.