Can you just keep rolling out losing positions endlessly?

Discussion in 'Options' started by IronFist, Mar 24, 2021.

  1. Pekelo

    Pekelo

    The answer according to Karen, the Supertrader is YES! :)

    But seriously, no. A roll is a new trade and you already took a loss.

    To use a very non-PC analogy, it is like asking: If my first kid is a moron, can I just keep making babies until one of my kid is going to be normal? Yes you can keep making babies (you can keep rolling) but no, there is no guarantee that not all of them (or most of them) are going to be morons. (losses)
     
    #11     Mar 25, 2021
  2. Contrary to the notion of "let profits run, cut losses short".
     
    #12     Mar 25, 2021
  3. qlai

    qlai

    I thought the idea is to only roll for a credit, so that you don’t put any more money into the trade but give yourself some more time. But if the option moves too much into the money, it becomes impossible to roll for credit?
     
    #13     Mar 25, 2021
  4. ZBZB

    ZBZB

    The opposite of rolling down and out is the wheel strategy where you take delivery on your short put and then sell a call. It depends if you think markets trend or mean revert.
     
    #14     Mar 25, 2021
    Flynrider likes this.
  5. taowave

    taowave

    It works when there is no heat and you are trading one lots..Make it meaningful,and see how you feel when vol explodes and Senor Gamma is squeezing your nuts while your P and L is a sea of red ink...


     
    #15     Mar 25, 2021
    Justrade likes this.
  6. Is it still rolling if you don't make money on it?

    You sold $20 worth of puts. Now they're worth $40. So you buy them back for $40 and sell more for $40. Your net is still $20 without commissions.
     
    #16     Mar 25, 2021

  7. Not sure what this would be called but I will explain how you could make money. Say a stock's price is going down. You sell out of the money puts and at the same time buy in the money puts. If the stock continues to fall you would make money till the price of the stock equals the value of the out of the money puts.
     
    #17     Mar 25, 2021
  8. So, what if you roll for same price? That's not adding funds, just extending the duration.
     
    #18     Mar 25, 2021
  9. Like if price falls too hugely, the cost of a covered call won't even make sense.

    If you lose like 30% on the puts and take assignment, the cost of the covered calls will either 1) be too far away that the level you need to make a profit won't even be for sale, or 2) likely be too far out in the future, like if you need a 40% gain on the stock to make money, there might not be any calls for sale at that price unless you go huuuuuuuuuuugely into the future.
     
    #19     Mar 25, 2021
    qlai likes this.