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Category: Options Trading

Option trading has two main components – puts and calls. While the call option is used for the option of buying a certain futures contract, the put option is for the option of selling them. Another terminology used in options trading is strike price. This strike price is the price at which the underlying asset is confirmed to be bought or sold when the trader exercises the option.

There are a few other noteworthy items about option trading and each one is important. Take for example the expiration date of the option and the option style, so on and so forth. Once you understand the terminology, you will be able to understand options trading clearly.

One thing to remember about options is that they are comparatively less liquid than futures contracts. For those who analyze the markets thoroughly and regularly, options trading is just a great way of controlling risks. We at Cannon Trading help you understand options trading better and also provide you good advice on options trading. This category archive talks about a number of option trading blogs and articles to give you the most recent update on options.

Weekly Newsletter 1069: 25 Strategies for Trading Options + Levels for the Trading Week 10.04.2021

Posted on by Jenny Collins

Cannon Futures Weekly Letter Issue # 1069

Dear Traders,

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25 Strategies For Trading Options
Learn about the 25 Proven Strategies for trading options on CME Group Futures for FREE!
If you are currently trading options on futures or are interested in exploring them further, check out our newly updated trading guide, featuring 25 commonly used options strategies, including butterflies, straddles, strangles, backspread and conversions. Each strategy includes an illustration demonstrating the effect of time decay on the total option premium involved in the position.
Options on futures rank among our most versatile risk management tools, and are offered on most of our products. Whether you trade options for purposes of hedging or speculating, you can limit your risk to the amount you paid up-front for the option while maintaining your exposure to beneficial price movements. To learn more about CME Group options, you can also visit our Options page.

Trading 101: Free Course – An Introduction to Crude Oil

Good Trading

Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors.  You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. Opinions, market data, and recommendations are subject to change at any time when it comes to Futures Trading.

 

Futures Trading Levels

10-04.2021

10.04.2021 Support & Resistance Levels

 

Weekly Levels

10.04.2021 Weekly Support & Resistance Levels

 

Reports, First Notice (FN), Last trading (LT) Days for the Week:

https://mrci.com

Date Reports/Expiration Notice Dates

Better Trader Report 10.04.2021

This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell, but a current market view provided by Cannon Trading Inc. Any statement of facts here in contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable, but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. Readers are urged to exercise their own judgement in trading

Futures Insight – “The Market Keeps Hitting My Stop Orders!” & Support and Resistance Levels 9.23.2021

Posted on by Ilan

Dear Traders,

Get Real Time updates and more on our private FB group!
Separator

 “The Market Keeps Hitting My Stop Orders!”  by Mark O’Brien, Senior Broker:

This is a shared annoyance among futures traders, particularly for those trades where their initial stop orders are hit. Certainly, this condition can be approached by discussing any trade’s risk – in terms of actual dollars, or number of points or cents. But for purposes of this blog post, let’s approach the condition by discussing strategy. One strategy in particular that can be implemented in lieu of simply placing a stop order is regularly termed a back spread. It involves taking a position – long or short – in a futures contract, then entering a long, opposing option position. A simple example would be to take a long position in the E-mini S&P 500 futures contract and purchasing a put option. The selection of which option to purchase will determine the risk/reward parameters of the overall trade. Generally, the closer to the money, or the deeper in the money the purchased option’s strike price is, the less tolerant the back spread will be to adverse price movement, because as the futures contract incurs losses, so too will the purchased option incur gains. The delta of the option at the time of purchase will provide the initial amount of protection against an adverse price move, expressed as a percentage of a single futures contract (equal to 100%) and which will increase with adverse price movement. Conversely, the protection will decrease with a favorable price move. An important component to this position, of course, is the expiration date of the option. It will not only determine how long the insurance will be in place, but it will also determine in part the overall strategy’s ability to tolerate. An at-the-money option whose expiration date is within days will more effectively provide protection against an adverse price move than one whose expiration date is weeks away, but for a more limited amount of time. Everything considered, if you’re looking for an alternate strategy substitute to simply placing a stop order, a back spread could be considered.

 

Good Trading

Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors.  You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. Opinions, market data, and recommendations are subject to change at any time when it comes to Futures Trading.

 

Futures Trading Levels

9-23-2021

Support and Resistance Levels 9.23.2021

Economic Reports, source: 

 www.BetterTrader.co

BetterTrader Report 9.23.2021

This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell, but a current market view provided by Cannon Trading Inc. Any statement of facts here in contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable, but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. Readers are urged to exercise their own judgement in trading as well as options on futures.

Selling Future Options Premium

Posted on by Ilan

Futures Options Writing

 

Have you ever wondered who sells the futures options that most people buy? These people are known as the option writers/sellers. Their sole objective is to collect the premium paid by the option buyer. Option writing can also be used for hedging purposes and reducing risk. An option writer has the exact opposite to gain as the option buyer. The writer has unlimited risk and a limited profit potential, which is the premium of the option minus commissions. When writing naked futures options your risk is unlimited, without the use of stops. This is why we recommend exiting positions once a market trades through an area you perceived as strong support or resistance. So why would anyone want to write an option? Here are a few reasons:

  1. Most futures options expire worthless and out of the money. Therefore, the option writer is collecting the premium the option buyer paid.

 

  1. There are three things that happen to the underlying price of the option: Price goes up, goes down or stays the same. If when the option expires, the market price was at or below your strike price you collect all the premium if two of those things happen Time decay is the option writer’s friend.

 

  1. The writer believes the futures contract will not reach a certain strike price by the expiration date of the option. This is known as naked option selling.

 

  • To hedge against a futures position. For example: someone who goes long cocoa at 850 can write a 900 strike price call option with about one month of time until option expiration. This allows you to collect the premium of the call option if cocoa settles below 900, based on option expiration. It also allows you to make a profit on the actual futures contract between 851 and 900. This strategy also lowers your margin on the trade, and should cocoa continue lower to 800, you at least collect some premium on the option you wrote. Risk lies if cocoa continues to decline, because you only collect a certain amount of premium and the futures contract has unlimited risk the lower it goes. So you should trade with a stop on the futures contract. You can read on different strategies using options on futures here:

 

https://www.cannontrading.com/tools/education-futures-options-trading-101

 

Cannon offers SPAN margins for options sellers.

Many brokers will restrict or increase the margins required for options sellers, or traders who like to “collect premium”, but here at Cannon we can find you the best set up utilizing the multiple clearing arrangements we have with more than a few FCMs.

How much margin is required to sell a futures option?

That is a question we get asked often. The exact number is an output of SPAN margins. SPAN deserves a post on its own, but what it stands for is: Standard Portfolio Analysis of Risk. The formula takes into consideration volatility, time value, distance of strike price from current underlying future, and more.

Outright options may be easier to “guesstimate” margin than more complex strategies and spreads, but our free platform, E-Futures Int’l (https://www.cannontrading.com/software/e-futures-international )has a margin calculator built in so you can calculate the margin you will need for different strategies.

Commission for selling options on futures?

Commissions will vary based on the following:

Are you trading online or with a broker?

Trading volume

Account size

Risk responsibility.

The rates for selling options will vary from as low as $0.25 per side + fees for HIGH VOLUME, institutional accounts to $30 per side + fees for retail, broker assisted accounts.

 

Selling options is NOT for newcomers as it involves higher risk than buying options.

However, selling options and trading option spreads may offer an edge if done with proper risk management. No guarantees are made here.

Our strength at Cannon is our ability to offer CUSTOMIZED trading solutions, so contact a broker at:

https://www.cannontrading.com/company/contact

and learn more about risks and opportunities in futures trading (https://www.cannontrading.com/riskopportunity), what software you can use, consult with a broker on margin, commissions and strategy questions and much more!

 

Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors.  You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. Opinions, market data, and recommendations are subject to change at any time.

Trading Crude Oil Futures

Posted on by Ilan

Tips for day trading NYMEX crude oil futures

By Ilan Levy-Mayer, VP Cannon Trading Co, Inc.

When it comes to day trading futures contracts, crude oil futures are assumed one of the leading positions as far as trading volume.

 

During the month of May 2018,  crude oil futures averaged around 1 Million contracts traded per day! That actually surpasses contracts like the ten-year notes, mini SP, mini Nasdaq and others who have traditionally been leaders’ in terms of volume.

 

Part of the growth in crude oil futures is attributed to day trader participation. Day traders, by definition, will enter and exit their positions during the same trading day. This adds volume to the market traded.

 

Some of the tips I am sharing below can be applied to most futures contracts as well as other financial products that are traded like stocks, forex, bonds and others. Some of the advice I am sharing is very specific to the crude oil futures trading field.

 

  1. Know the product you are trading:

 

  1. Just like a trader who trades a stock like Facebook knows what Facebook does, when its earning reports are due and other factors, so does a crude oil futures day trader needs to know a few facts about crude oil:

 

  • Contract Size: Crude Oil Futures consist of 1,000 barrels. For the trader this means that each full $1 move in crude futures = $1,000 against you or in your favor.

 

For example:  A move from 72.10 to 73.10 = $1,000 and a move from 72.10 to 72.11 = $10 (the minimum fluctuation size or the tick size). Be aware that the CME also offers the mini crude contract,  which is half the size.

 

  • Trading Hours: Crude oil futures trade on the Globex terminal between the hours of 5:00 PM CST the DAY BEFORE to 4:00 PM CST the following day. Which means 23 hours of straight trading. It is important to know that most of the volume will trade between the hours of 8:00 AM CST and 1:30 PM CST, as these hours correspond to the “pit session” of the old trading floor.

 

Another key aspect to remember is that crude oil is a deliverable commodity and the “front month” will change every 30 days or so. For example: since May 22nd 2018 we have been trading July crude oil.

 

  • Reports: There are more than a few reports that will affect crude oil future prices indirectly. These include monthly unemployment, the FOMC rate decision, and a few others.

 

However, there are two major reports that move crude oil futures and its by-products (unleaded gasoline and heating oil) sharply: The API report, which comes out at 3:30 PM CST every Tuesday, and the DOE (Dept. of Energy) inventory numbers, which come out almost every Wednesday at 9:30AM CST.

 

Take a look at this one-minute chart from Wednesday, May 16th right around the report time below to understand the volatility involved.

chart1

As you can see above, the market made a move of $700 per ONE contract in a matter of minutes, perhaps even seconds! That type of risk and opportunity is one of the factors attracting day-traders into the crude oil market.

 

  • Geo Political Events: Middle East tensions, the Iran nuclear deal, tensions between Iraq and its neighbors…these are all examples of events that affect crude oil prices. Not to mention OPEC meetings!

 

 

  1. Trading Personality:

 

In my opinion crude oil (like many other markets) will have one of the following 3 modes: trending, two-sided volatility, or Choppy/quiet/range bound trading.

 

My experience is that crude will more often fall into the first 2 categories:  strong trend or two-sided volatility.  This leads me to my next point below, different trading set-ups.

 

  1. Trading Set-Ups:

 

My preferred methods for trading crude are either breakout concept in an attempt to catch a strong move up or down once the market broke some key support or resistance levels, AND/OR counter trend methods to take advantage of when the market is oversold or overbought. Crude does seem to bring more fear and greed out of traders. So looking at RSI levels, for example, and using moving averages ON the RSI to try and get a feel for market reversals are methods worth exploring.

 

  1. Keep a journal:

 

Like with any other trading, keep a journal. Take notes on how the market reacted to certain reports, how the markets traded during certain times of the day, and action you took and emotions you had that either helped or hurt you while trading. These notes will help you going forward.

 

In summary, crude oil futures volume has increased significantly these past few years. The crude oil futures offer traders certain dynamics that other markets may not at certain times. Volatility, fear and greed are key traits for this market. Remember that trading crude oil futures specifically and futures and options in general carries a large degree of risk and is not suitable for all investors. Make sure you consult with a series 3 broker if you never traded this market before. As always, I wish you Good Trading!

 

Important: Trading commodity futures and options involves a substantial risk of loss.

The recommendations contained in this letter are of opinion only and do not guarantee any profits.

There is not an actual account trading these recommendations.

Past performances are not necessarily indicative of future results.

Grain Options Volatility Video! 2.01.2018

Posted on by Ilan

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Voted #1 Blog and #1 Brokerage Services on  TraderPlanet   for 2016!!

____________________________________________________________________

Front month for crude oil and Natural gas is March.

Front month for gold is now April.

Wishing all of you  EXCELLENT trading in February!

La Niña: Grain Options’ Implied Volatility Languishes

By Erik Norland, Senior Economist, CME Group

Video Highlights
  • Corn, Soybean options’ implied volatility languishes despite La Niña
  • La Niña can elevate grain volatility, has historically been bearish

Rise of non-U.S. grain producers could be limiting volatility.

Continue reading “Grain Options Volatility Video! 2.01.2018”

Futures Options 101 1-30-2018

Posted on by Ilan

____________________________________________________________________

Voted #1 Blog and #1 Brokerage Services on  TraderPlanet   for 2016!!

____________________________________________________________________

Front month for crude oil and Natural gas is March.

Front month for gold is now April.

Market Strategies using options

1. Bullish Market Strategies

Futures Options Trading
Spread Strategy		 Description Reason to Use When to Use
Buy a call Strongest bullish option position Loss limited to premium Undervalued option with volatility increasing
Sell a put Neutral bullish option position Profit limited to debt Small debit, bullish market
Vertical Bull Calls Buy call, sell call of higher strike price Loss limited to debt Small debit, bullish market
Vertical Bull Puts Buy put, sell put of higher strike price Loss limited to price difference Large credit, bullish market

2. Bearish Market Strategies

Futures Options Trading
Spread Strategy		 Description Reason to Use When to Use
Buy a put Strongest bearish option position Loss limited to premium Undervalued option with volatility increasing
Sell a call Neutral bearish option position Profit limited to premium Option overvalued, market flat, bearish
Vertical Bear Calls Buy at the money put, sell out of the money put Loss limited to debt Small debit, bearish market
Vertical Bear Puts Sell call, buy call of higher strike price Loss limited to stroke price difference minus credit Large credit, bearish market

Continue reading “Futures Options 101 1-30-2018”

Volatile Markets Require Professional Brokers! 12.01.2016

Posted on by Ilan

Connect with Us! Use Our Futures Trading Levels and Economic Reports RSS Feed.

Like us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterView our profile on LinkedInFind us on Google+Cannon Trading Futures Trading Resistance & Support Levels and Economic ReportsFind us on Yelp

Big moves in the markets today as we anticipated yesterday. Crude oil up over $4 along with it’s products heating oil and unleaded gas.

Gold down another $15, bonds resumed the downward trend with close to two full points down and stocks showed the first sign of weakness in a few days….

The volatility in some of the markets encouraged me to remind you about the weekly options available for markets like mini SP, gold, Crude, Bonds and others.

While options have their advantages and disadvantages…when the markets are so volatile they present an alternative to trading with out the need to use stops that have higher chances of getting hit when markets move like they did today…..

Read more about weekly options here and ALWAYS feel free to pick up the phone and chat with any of our experienced, series 3 brokers about options, markets, trading and more!

Have a great December!!

Dont forget to vote for us!! It takes 8 seconds….vote here! 

Continue reading “Volatile Markets Require Professional Brokers! 12.01.2016”

Getting Stopped Out on the Highs and Lows? Read This Article….11-18-2016

Posted on by Ilan

Connect with Us! Use Our Futures Trading Levels and Economic Reports RSS Feed.

Like us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterView our profile on LinkedInFind us on Google+Cannon Trading Futures Trading Resistance & Support Levels and Economic ReportsFind us on Yelp

1. Market Commentary
2. Futures Support and Resistance Levels – S&P, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Russell 2000, Dollar Index
3. Commodities Support and Resistance Levels – Gold, Euro, Crude Oil, T-Bonds
4. Commodities Support and Resistance Levels – Corn, Wheat, Beans, Silver
5. Futures Economic Reports for Friday November 18, 2016

Greetings!

Dear Traders,

Many of you shared with me how frustrated you get when you get stopped out only to see the market goes back to where you wanted it to or positioned for….

This article by my colleague John Thorpe, talks about using weekly mini SP 500 options and can be applied to  gold, bonds, crude oil and other markets that have weekly options.  Must read.

Weekly Mini S&P option contracts

There are 100’s of indicators available to traders to assist with decision making that can be applied to technical analysis, which is precisely the reason to utilize a sound and inexpensive weekly ES strategy to compliment a day trading strategy.

There are two main uses for the Weekly options
  1. As a hedge, no need for stops
  2. As a pure speculation. A relatively inexpensive way to speculate on market direction in a time frame that can be for minutes, hours or a few days without the need to use stops.

Read the full article!

Continue reading “Getting Stopped Out on the Highs and Lows? Read This Article….11-18-2016”

Video Center, Futures Options 101

Posted on by Ilan

Connect with Us! Use Our Futures Trading Levels and Economic Reports RSS Feed.

Like us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterView our profile on LinkedInFind us on Google+Cannon Trading Futures Trading Resistance & Support Levels and Economic ReportsFind us on Yelp

1. Market Commentary
2. Futures Support and Resistance Levels – S&P, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Russell 2000, Dollar Index
3. Commodities Support and Resistance Levels – Gold, Euro, Crude Oil, T-Bonds
4. Commodities Support and Resistance Levels – Corn, Wheat, Beans, Silver
5. Futures Economic Reports for Tuesday October 18, 2016

Greetings!

Check out our Top Performing Trading Systems!

A couple of new videos on our video center , including a recording of a Options 101 webinar!

Continue reading “Video Center, Futures Options 101”

Trading Weekly Futures Options 8.18.2016

Posted on by Ilan

Connect with Us! Use Our Futures Trading Levels and Economic Reports RSS Feed.

Like us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterView our profile on LinkedInFind us on Google+Cannon Trading Futures Trading Resistance & Support Levels and Economic ReportsFind us on Yelp

1. Market Commentary
2. Futures Support and Resistance Levels – S&P, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Russell 2000, Dollar Index
3. Commodities Support and Resistance Levels – Gold, Euro, Crude Oil, T-Bonds
4. Commodities Support and Resistance Levels – Corn, Wheat, Beans, Silver
5. Futures Economic Reports for Thursday August 18, 2016

Hello Traders,

Greetings!

 I promised yesterday a full article about weekly options, so here it is written by my colleague John Thorpe.

While this specific article focuses on mini SP500 weekly options, keep in mind that the information is relevant to other weekly options such as gold, crude oil, bonds, currencies and more!

Continue reading “Trading Weekly Futures Options 8.18.2016”

RISK DISCLOSURE: Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results. The risk of loss in futures trading can be substantial, carefully consider the inherent risks of such an investment in light of your financial condition.