Trading Options at Expiration: Strategies and Models for Winning the Endgame (Hardcover)

by Jeff Augen (Author)

"Learn and profit from Jeff Augen's book: It clearly explains how to take advantage of market inefficiencies in collapsing implied volatility, effects of strike price, and time decay. A must-read for individuals who are options oriented." --Ralph J. Acampora, CMT, Director of Technical Analysis Studies, New York Institute of Finance "A fantastic, insightful book full of meticulously compiled statistics about anomalies that surround option expiration. Not only does Augen present a set of effective trading strategies to capitalize on these anomalies, he walks through the performance of each across several expirations. His advice is practical and readily applicable: He outlines common pitfalls, gives guidance on timing your executions, and even includes code that can be used to perform the same calculations he does in the text. A thoroughly enjoyable read that will give you a true edge in your option trading." --Alexis Goldstein, Vice President, Equity Derivatives Business Analyst "Mr. Augen makes a careful and systematic study of option prices at expiration. His translation of price behavior into trading strategy is intriguing work, and the level of detail is impressive." --Dr. Robert Jennings, Professor of Finance, Indiana University Kelly School of Business "This book fills a gap in the vast amount of literature on derivatives trading and stands out for being extremely well written, clear, concise, and very low on jargon--perfect for traders looking to evolve their equity option strategies." --Nazzaro Angelini, Principal, Spearpoint Capital "Instead of considering macro-time strategies that take weeks to unfold, Jeff Augen is thinking micro here--hours or days--specifically the days or hours right before expiration, and harnessing grinding, remorseless options decay for profit. He builds a compelling case for the strategy here. The concept of using ratio spreads plus risk management for as brief a period as one day--open to close--to capture expiring premium is worth the price of admission alone. A superb follow-up to his first book. Must-read for the serious options student." --John A. Sarkett, Option Wizard software Equity and index options expire on the third Friday of each month. As that moment approaches, unusual market forces create option price distortions, rarely understood by most investors. These distortions give rise to outstanding trading opportunities with enormous profit potential. In Trading Options at Expiration, leading options trader Jeff Augen explores this extraordinary opportunity with never-before published statistical models, minute-by-minute pricing analysis, and optimized trading strategies that regularly deliver returns of 40%-300% per trade. You'll learn how to structure positions that profit from end-of-contract price distortions with remarkably low risk. These strategies don't rely on your ability to pick stocks or predict market direction and they only require one or two days of market exposure per month. If you're looking for an innovative new way to reignite your returns no matter where the markets move, you've found it in Trading Options at Expiration. *Why traditional option pricing calculations always break down in the final days before expiration Three powerful end-of-cycle effects not comprehended by contemporary pricing models* Reducing your risk by reducing your market exposure Trading only one or two days each month and avoiding overnight exposure*Structuring trades that reflect true expiration-day behavior Leveraging the surprising power of expiration-day pricing dynamics

From the Back Cover

Equity and index options expire on the third Friday of each month. As that moment approaches, unusual market forces create option price distortions, rarely understood by most investors. These distortions give rise to outstanding trading opportunities with enormous profit potential. In Trading Options at Expiration, leading options trader Jeff Augen explores this extraordinary opportunity with never-before published statistical models, minute-by-minute pricing analysis, and optimized trading strategies that regularly deliver returns of 40%--300% per trade.

You’ll learn how to structure positions that profit from end-of-contract price distortions with remarkably low risk. These strategies don’t rely on your ability to pick stocks or predict market direction and they only require one or two days of market exposure per month.

If you’re looking for an innovative new way to reignite your returns no matter where the markets move, you’ve found it in Trading Options at Expiration.

• Why traditional option pricing calculations always break down in the final days before expiration
  Three powerful end-of-cycle effects not comprehended by contemporary pricing models
• Reducing your risk by reducing your market exposure
  Trading only one or two days each month and avoiding overnight exposure
• Structuring trades that reflect true expiration-day behavior
  Leveraging the surprising power of expiration-day pricing dynamics

Capture Enormous Profits from End-of-Contract Options Trading!

•  How to profit from option price distortions that occur near expiration
• New strategies that can return as much as 300% per trade!
• Direction-neutral techniques that reduce risk and limit market exposure

In the final days and hours before option contracts expire, their behavior veers wildly away from the predictions of standard pricing models. These last-minute price distortions offer immense profit opportunities to those who can recognize and trade them. In this book, Jeff Augen illumintes these opportunities with new statistical models, minute-by-minute pricing analysis, and optimized trading strategies. You’ll learn to exploit expiration pricing forces to structure trades that return from 40%--300% while limiting market exposure to just one or two days each month. Unlike other trading strategies that offer large profits in exchange for increased risk, expiration trading reduces risk by limiting market exposure to just two trading sessions per month.