Futures Options - Part 3

Judging by my site stats since starting on futures options, it doesn't seem like there is a lot of interest in them. That's a bit of a shame in my opinion, because there are some great opportunities to trade in the futures/commodities markets.

While there is nothing at all wrong with stock options and I will continue to trade them, commodity options can be far more suitable for some investors/traders, particularly if you like writing options.

The seasonal tendencies in commodity markets offer some unique opportunities, not just for speculating on direction via direct futures and/or long options and option spreads, but I think the most reliably profitable trades are the so-called "non-seasonal" option write as described in Stuart Johnston's "Trading Options to Win".

This is basically writing options on the opposite side of a seasonal tendency, or even just a seasonal non-tendency. This is a trade that has history and statistics on it's side and with discipline, is an excellent way to trade.

One of these to follow in the near future that I have alludes to already on the blog, is the seasonal bull in gold which begins around the 9th of Sept and continues to the first week in October.

I'll wrap up this "difference between stock and futures options" theme with a couple more points and then it's DYOR.

Tick Size

Each commodity future has its own minimum tick size that will relates to the price per bushel/tonne/bale/whatever and they are all different. As an example, the grain complex is quotes in cents per bushel (contract size is 5,000 bushels) with a minimum tick size of 1/4 of a cent. This means each cent movement on a contact of , say corn, is worth $50.00, while the minimum tick size is $12.50.

One would think the options would be quoted the same way. Nope. Grain options have a minimum tick size of 1/8 of a cent, not 1/4 cent. No big deal, but something to be aware of and something to research at the relevant exchange's site before trading them.

Margin

If you like writing options, you can leave Reg T behind with futures option. Futures options margins are calculated using a ludicrously complex algorithm called SPAN, which is short for

Standard Portfolio ANalysis of Risk and better known to stock option traders as portfolio margin.

As a general guide, short option premiums on ATM or OTM options will generally be less than their corresponding futures margins, which is quite generous.

There's enough there for folks to be aware that there are significant differences between stock and futures options and my best advice is to aways refer to the exchanges website to be sure of contract specs and expiry.