Synopses & Reviews
If you want to be a successful trader, you need to consistently improve your skills and never assume you know everything about the markets. That's why authors George Jabbour and Philip Budwick have returned with the second edition of
The Option Trader Handbook.
Following the same structure of the first edition, this updated guide delves deeper into the mechanics of option pricing and trade adjustments to provide you with a new perspective on the art and science of option trading. Designed for both intermediate and advanced traders, this book skillfully highlights numerous strategies for minimizing risk and volatility; discusses stock and option positions; and details the various types of trade adjustments that can be made, what situations are appropriate for each adjustment, and the best time to make those adjustments.
An unparalleled resource for today's volatile investment climate, this Second Edition features fresh material that will help you hedge or even boost profits, limit losses, and create risk-free trades. Page by page, it offers in-depth insights and expanded coverage on:
- The nature of Implied Volatility (IV) and how it can change with respect to the market as a whole and to individual stocks
- The "Greeks" and how they can be used to make better trading decisions and reduce risk
- Implementing more sophisticated option spreads and combinations
- Numerous charts and graphs that clearly demonstrate how each trade adjustment is done
With even more tools and tips to improve your understanding of how options work and how to make better trading decisions, The Option Trader Handbook, Second Edition will become one of the most valuable assets in any trader's portfolio.
Synopsis
Strategies, tools, and solutions for minimizing risk and volatility in option trading
An intermediate level trading book, The Option Trader Handbook, Second Edition provides serious traders with strategies for managing and adjusting their market positions. This Second Edition features new material on implied volatility; Delta and Theta, and how these measures can be used to make better trading decisions. The book presents the art of making trade adjustments in a logical sequence, starting with long and short stock positions; moving on to basic put and call positions; and finally discussing option spreads and combinations.
- Covers different types of underlying positions and discusses all the possible adjustments that can be made to that position
- Offers important insights into more complex option spreads and combinations
- A timely book for today's volatile markets
Intended for both stock and option traders, this book will help you improve your overall trading skills and performance.
Synopsis
Praise For The Option Trader Handbook Second Edition"The Option Trader Handbook by Dr. George Jabbour and Philip Budwick is an invaluable tool for portfolio managers, risk managers, and traders to navigate global markets. The authors intimate knowledge of the subject and focus on hedging strategies cater to every possible investment style and dispel the myth that volatility is a foe to portfolio management. The Option Trader Handbook is a very timely contribution to market professionals offering a plethora of short and long-term strategies to manage risks and incorporate views on market direction, systemic and specific volatility profiles, liquidity, currency, and credit risk. It should be an integral tool of every trading platform."
—Vasilis Katsikiotis, PhD, Managing Director, Global Markets & Investment Banking, Bank of America-Merrill Lynch
"Dr. Jabbour and Phil Budwick have again enhanced the investment world with this Second Edition of The Option Trader Handbook. Their documented insight and the additional knowledge presented herein is a true complement to what is already known in the option trading world.
Using this material, you will gain a much deeper understanding of the true complexities of options and all its variables. This is rich reference material, and this book is a priceless resource that can be used to complement the overall investment goals of generating 'Absolute Returns,' with minimized risk, along with skillful insights on the handling of market volatility."
—Craig B. Kendall, President, Financial Commodity Investments
About the Author
George M. Jabbour, PhD, is the Director of the Master of Science in Finance program at The George Washington University, as well as a professor of derivatives, financial engineering, and investments. Dr. Jabbour has published various articles in professional financial journals and regularly speaks at conferences in the United States and abroad regarding option pricing models, financial management, and risk management. He is also a managing director of Global Asset Investments, LLC, an asset management and derivatives consulting firm, and CEO of Global Finance Associates Inc., a financial training, consulting, and research company. Dr. Jabbour regularly conducts seminars in option trading and valuation, and is a very active equities and derivatives trader.
Philip H. Budwick, MsF, is the Director of the Capital Markets Trading Room at The George Washington University School of Business and frequently writes articles on option trading strategies and investments. Mr. Budwick is a Managing Director of Global Asset Investments, LLC, an asset management and derivatives consulting firm, and is an active option and stock trader. He has a law degree and a master of science in finance and teaches classes in portfolio management.
Table of Contents
Preface to the First Edition.Preface to the Second Edition.
CHAPTER 1 Trade and Risk Management.
Introduction.
The Philosophy of Risk.
Truth About Reward.
Risk Management.
Trade Management.
Trading as a Business.
SCORE—The Formula for Trading Success.
CHAPTER 2 Tools of the Trader.
Introduction.
Option Value.
Option Pricing.
Option Greeks and Risk Management.
Time Decay.
Delta/Gamma.
Implied Volatility.
Synthetic Positions.
Basic Strategies.
Basic Spreads and Combinations.
Advanced Spreads.
The Greeks and Spread Trades.
Valuable Derivative Traders Program.
Introduction to Trade Adjustments.
CHAPTER 3 Long Stock.
Introduction.
Protective Put.
Call Replacement.
Sell Covered Calls.
Collars.
Ratio Write.
Short Straddle/Short Strangle.
Call Ratio Spread.
Call Calendar Spread.
CHAPTER 4 Short Stock.
Introduction.
Protective Call—Insurance.
Put Replacement.
Covered Puts.
Short Collars.
Put Ratio Write.
Put Ratio Spread.
CHAPTER 5 Calls and Puts.
Introduction.
Long Call.
Short Call.
Long Put.
Short Put.
CHAPTER 6 Spreads.
Introduction.
Bull Call Spreads/Bear Put Spreads.
Bear Call Spreads/Bull Put Spreads.
Calendar Spreads.
CHAPTER 7 Combinations.
Introduction.
Long Straddle.
Long Strangle.
Short Straddle/Short Strangle.
Index.