Short strangle

Sell an out-of-the-money put and call. Collect premium while nothing happens — and carry an undefined tail.

The view: Quiet, and quieter than the market is pricing.

Construction

LegQtyStrike at 100 spot
Short put190
Short call1110
Loading chart…
Max profit
+54
Max loss
Unlimited
Breakeven
89.46 / 110.54
Net cash
+54
Priced at 100 spot, 25% vol, 30 days left. Move the sliders.Open in the calculator

When it fits

When implied volatility looks expensive relative to what you expect to be realised. It wins most of the time, which is exactly what makes it dangerous.

What goes wrong

  • Losses are unbounded on the upside and very large on the downside.
  • A high win rate hides the shape: many small gains and occasional catastrophic ones.
  • Margin requirements expand as the position moves against you, forcing you out at the worst moment.

Try it properly

The chart above is the real pricing model, limited to three sliders. To change strikes, add legs, switch to futures, or price it against your own volatility assumption, open it in the options P&L calculator — the link under the chart carries this exact position across.

Education, not advice. Payoffs ignore commission, bid-ask spread, assignment risk and financing.

  • volatility
  • short premium
  • vega
  • margin
  • tail risk

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