Cabot Options Institute Quant Trader – Alert (IWM)
iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM)
With the Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) trading for 184.87, I want to place a short-term iron condor going out 30 days. My intent is to take off the trade well before the December 16, 2022, expiration date.
IV: 29.31%
IV Rank: 33.2
Expected Move (Range): The expected move (range) for the December 16, 2022 expiration cycle is from 174 to 196.
Call Side:
Put Side:
The Trade
Simultaneously:
- Sell to Open IWM December 16, 2022, 200 call strikeBuy to Open IWM December 16, 2022, 205 call strike
- Sell to Open IWM December 16, 2022, 162 put strikeBuy to Open IWM December 16, 2022, 157 put strike…for a total of $0.75. (As always, the price of the spread can vary from the time of the alert, so please adjust accordingly if you wish to take on a position.)
*Our margin of error is roughly 8% to the upside and more than 12% to the downside over the next 30 days.
Delta of spread: -0.04
Probability of Profit: 87.74% (upside) – 90.39% (downside)
Probability of Touch: 24.66% (call side) – 18.93% (put side)
Total net credit: $0.75
Total risk per spread: $4.25
Max return: 17.6%
Risk Management
Since we know how much we stand to make and lose prior to order entry we can precisely define our position size on every trade we place. Position size is the most important factor when managing risk, so keeping each trade at a reasonable level (I use 1% to 5% per trade) allows not only the Law of Large Numbers to work in your favor … it also allows you to sleep well at night.
I tend to set a stop-loss that sits 1 to 2 times my original credit. Since I’m selling the 200/205 – 162/157 iron condor for roughly $0.75, if my iron condor reaches $1.50 to $2.25, I will exit the trade. As always, I will keep you updated on the status of the position as it progresses and send any necessary updates.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me at andy@cabotwealth.com.
