Today’s complex world of options provides you with an abundance of option strategies. But how do you know which ones are right for you? According to Marc Allaire, well-known author and options expert, you have to determine the methods that suit your trading or investment style best. With the right strategies on hand, you will be able to maximize your returns in no time.

Join Allaire as he introduces you to a variety of powerful option techniques that you can put into use immediately. This hands-on presentation includes:

§ bull and bear spreads an alternative to naked long options
§ the benefits and pitfalls of calendar spreads
§ writing equity puts
§ leveraging stock purchase, and much more.

Ideal for the intermediate trader or investor, this cutting-edge video session takes you beyond the basics of options. Broaden your financial horizon and take your options knowledge to a higher level. In the end, optimal returns will no longer be wishful thinking. Watch y (more…)

Today’s complex world of options provides you with an abundance of option strategies. With the right methods on hand, you will be able to maximize your returns in no time. Join Allaire as he introduces you to a variety of powerful option techniques that you can put into use immediately. Ideal for the intermediate trader or investor, this cutting-edge video session takes you beyond the basics of options. In the end, optimal returns will no longer be wishful thinking. Watch your profits skyrocket as you start mastering these outstanding strategies!
Today’s complex world of options provides you with an abundance of option strategies. But how do you know which ones are right for you? According to Marc Allaire, well-known author and options expert, you have to determine the methods that suit your trading or investment style best. With the right strategies on hand, you will be able to maximize your returns in no time.

Join Allaire as he introduces you to a variety of power (more…)

Always use a sell stop: A sell stop is a sell order that is placed in advance, what happens is if the price of the stock hits a particular price which you determine in advance then it becomes a market order and you are out of the stock. The idea is to use this to protect you against buying something at high and then ridding it all the way down to the low. The biggest advantage that this has is you can set the sell stop at a particular point which could be a sign that the stock could be getting ready to go lower such as right below support (which is a major point that the stock stopped dropping previously and then reversed going higher). You can also adjust the sell stop upward to protect your profits and then when the stock does start to top out and go lower the sell stop will sell the stock leaving you in cash while it is going down, something that will help improve trading stock for dummies.

Buy after you see the follow through of a trend: A trend is when you see three consecutive points confirmed. What happens is many investors try to guess when the economy is going to turn around or if a company is going to beat their earnings based on what is happening in one quarter often leading to losses as they were just a little to early to get into the stock. What you want to do is see three consecutive quarters of better than expected numbers from a stock to confirm that they are in an earnings growth trend. When you are looking at any economic numbers you want to see three consecutive numbers in the same direction to confirm that a particular sector of the economy is expanding or contracting.

Clearly trading the markets during these challenging times can be very confusing for the beginning trader. To be able to successfully trade the volatile markets means that you must use tactics that will protect you as well as let you enter the stock at the right time such as: always use a sell stop and buy after you see the follow through of a trend will help you avoid the falling knifes, increasing your overall profits, helping you to be more successful at trading stock for dummies.

For two to four cents per contact, the researcher can now gather
market intelligence from both specialized vertical markets
(lawyers, doctors, etc.) or broad based horizontal markets (all
marketing executives across industry lines). In addition, these
same markets can now be tested in such confined geographical
areas as business executives in Hawaii or professionals in
Minneapolis.

Not only does the marketer overcome one of the traditional
problems in research…test sizes…he or she also reaps the
huge advantage of accurate measurability and accountability.
Since all responses can be directed right back to the research
organization, market feedback is both quick and accurate.

Many firms have difficulty in obtaining statistically
significant samplings through traditional channels because of
budget restrictions.

It’s not uncommon for important strategy decisions to be made on
the basis of sampling as few as 2,000 names out of a universe of
several million potential buyers. This is risky at best. It
could lead to marketing disaster based on serious sampling
error, or wrong conclusions drawn from insufficient data.

With direct response card packs, it is now possible to test or
survey as many as 100,000 potential buyers for as little as
$2,000 or less. For the research or direct marketing consultant
this results in meaningful figures which are both statistically
significant and forecastable.

Proper analysis of this larger sampling should result in
strategy decisions which are more accurate, more meaningful,
more valid and more profitable for the direct marketer.

The ability to order and conduct true A/B (or more) split run
tests of offers, prices, etc. has important implications for the
creative team.

The marketing intelligence gathered through card packs can be a
valuable road map to success. Critically important data,
discovered through card deck advertising, can determine the
answers to such questions as: Have we targeted to the correct
audience?

Is the audience responsive to the degree necessary to maximize
potential profitability?

Do we have the right combination of offer, price, copy,
graphics, headlines, terms, etc.?

Are the response/profit characteristics such that they justify
testing such other direct response media as direct mail, space
or broadcast advertising?

Is there potential for a variation of this product/service to be
marketed to a closely related audience?

What is the potential for back-end profits from related item
sales?

Are we barking up the wrong tree? Should we cut our losses now
and thank our luck stars that we were able to discover,
inexpensively, that we were wrong?

While the advantage of card decks as a market research tool
outweigh the disadvantages, there are some restrictions you need
to be aware of:

1. The card itself is small (about 3″x5″) and as such restricts
your ability to test such things as long copy and multiple
option offers. Some decks provide larger format sizes with the
ability to do fold-over inserts which provide more space, but
these options are at a substantial premium in price. The small
space can work to your advantage because it forces you to limit
your testing to those factors that have the most profound affect
on response and profitability…i.e. offer and price, for
example.

2. Color reproduction, if it is important to your product, is
not always the best. The conventional .007 Hi Bulk paper stock
normally used in card decks is not the best choice for color
printing. Most deck publishers, however, offer a coated stock
option and you may find it useful.

3. Response rates are,on the average, lower in card decks (1/4th
of one percent to 1 percent) than they might be in a free
standing direct mail package. On the surface this may appear to
be a disadvantage. In fact it is not. Your goal in market
research/testing is to obtain statistically significant data
across the broadest sampling possible…consistent with
budgetary limits.

Card decks allow you to achieve this goal, precisely. It’s much
better to have a 1/4th of 1% response from a 100,000 name
universe (250 responses) than to have a 12.5% (250 responses)
from a small 2,000 name test cell. Although the total numbers
are the same, the former example gives you a truer picture of
market conditions and possible product/service acceptance.

In summation, we have found that direct response card decks, if
used properly, can be ideal market research tools. Card decks
are inexpensive to use. They give quick accurate and projectable
results. They reduce the risk of sampling error, and the
resulting data is both statistically significant and inherently
more valid.

There’s only one way to know for sure…test it!

Investment approaches will evolve from excessive speculative buying into strategies with improved stability and market demand. Long term investments and buy-to-let ventures are expected to be the strongest growth areas, with fewer risks involved and excellent gains potential due to the exceptionally low priced investment options available in both emerging and established markets.

In order to fully understand the position of world real estate markets and the outlook for 2010, it is necessary to understand issues relating to the lead up to the world real estate market downturn. How these issues have affected the market will assist in understanding the coming year’s ideal investment strategies and selections most suitable for optimum returns.

The Mortgage Market

The mortgage market and loan financing has largely contributed to the sharp downturn in many world real estate markets. The lack of control in the sector resulted in excessive lending and often an absence of credit checks. This caused many mortgage holders to default on payments when the economy became strained.

The extent of the effects the mortgage market has contributed to the downturn in the real estate sector can be seen when comparing countries with traditionally strict lending practices against those where financing was readily and easily obtainable. Controlled markets have resisted severe downturns viewing recovery potential during 2010, while lenient markets continue their struggle to maintain stability.

Responding to the need for financing to assist with the turnaround in the real estate sector, central banks have reduced interest rates, expected to remain at record low levels until sometime in mid 2010. While the ability to finance properties has enabled an optimum moment to enter the real estate market, restrictions on lending criteria has become widespread, leaving many potential buyers unable to qualify for mortgage financing.

Supply and Demand

A slowdown of new construction projects in various locations around the world has been designed to assist in bridging the gap of excessive supply against demand. Locations with an excessive supply of housing for sale on the market are expected to take longer to recuperate from the downturn, as less competition is available for bringing up property prices.

While the prices in these areas remain low, investors searching for long term return potential may be able to find some optimum bargain opportunities, yet the long term growth is likely to be considerably less compared with areas where the supply and demand of properties is ideally balanced.

‘Buyers Market’ Benefits

2010 will continue to be an optimum buyer’s market, where those in a position to purchase will continue to receive and negotiate optimum deals. A sharp turnaround from the seller’s market environment of the recent past, equity enabled investors are facing the ideal market conditions to access the best deals expected to be available for many years. If investing for long term benefits, these buyers may also be in positions to once again benefit from a future turnaround into ‘seller’s market’ conditions.

Long Term Investment Returns

Investments based on long term return scenarios will be the most viable for 2010 in both emerging and established markets. As the real estate market in very few regions are expected to show any significant growth patterns during 2010, short term investment options are unlikely to prove successful.

As the real estate sector emerges from its present turmoil over the coming years, long term investments will provide the most significant growth potential. Long term investments also provide the least risk, an important consideration in the current market situation.

Expanding Buy-to-Let Interest

Investor interest to enter the buy-to-let market is expected to significantly increase during 2010 as the situation of the real estate market has provided ideal foundations for successful buy-to-let investments. As resources have become increasingly limited for many wishing to enter the real estate market, long term letting properties are increasing in demand.

Properties ideally situated for short term lettings will also provide investors with sought after yield returns due to the increasing demand for self catering accommodation. The expected growth in the buy-to-let market is predicted to increase competition in the market, therefore optimising properties for letting and correct advertising will further the potential in each local market.

Ideal Investment Locations

Buyers are increasingly looking into particular areas for investment strategies that suit their personal preferences, with fewer looking into markets purely for its investment potential. This has followed the sharp downturn in many of the emerging markets that were previously popular for short term investment strategies.

As benefits abound across all regions in the current market position, considerations relating to the preferential investment strategy will assist in deciding whether the selected location is ideal for investing during 2010. Research is essential for ensuring the correct location for investments, taking into consideration the local demand, supply and letting market saturation.

Looking into the market’s previous peak levels in comparison with the current downturn levels will provide some information relating to the length of time the investment will take to recuperate previous peaks in a stabilised market. Considering the loan availability and arranging a fixed rate loan for the longest time period possible will enable an excellent financing option to combine with the low priced properties. Taking advantage of the excellent financing options currently available will further benefit with optimising the potential gains obtainable due to the current market conditions.

As it is difficult to pin-point one particular location for providing optimum investment scenarios during 2010, observing conditions relating to the stability and growth potential, along with the supply and demand of the chosen regions will assist in selecting a suitable investment location. These conditions should include the overall stability of the real estate sector, the strength of the country’s economy and the government’s encouragement towards both foreign investment and tourism. Locations that have been hardest hit by the economic and real estate downturn are predicted to require the longest recovery periods, creating less potential investment growth over a similar timeframe in comparison to more stable markets.

There are several strategies and ways to exit a trade and you must decide which way (or ways) suits you. It is infinitely more difficult to decide when to exit a trade than when to enter it because it is at this time that you will either be making a profit or taking a loss! You will be faced with a myriad of different emotions while you are in a trade, most notably fear and greed. Fear appears in several different forms, fear of losing a profit already made, fear of getting out too early, fear of taking a loss and facing a mistaken trade. Greed also rears its ugly head by encouraging you to stay too long in a winning trade and possibly giving back some or all of your gains. There is an old adage on Wall Street that says ?Bulls can make money, bears can make money but pigs always get slaughtered.?

As I mentioned you must determine what suits you when it comes to deciding how much of a loss you can handle and how much of a profit you want to take. This is a direct reflection of your risk to reward ratio. For example, I often say ?I never feel bad when taking a profit?. I like to take profits when I see them and I generally have a fixed dollar figure or percentage in mind. Unless there is no good reason to exit the trade I will take my profits and if the trade keeps going in my direction after I have exited it doesn?t bother me. Conversely I always have a fixed % loss I will accept. Some people would not be able to handle leaving money ?on the table? so they may prefer to let their trades run, but then they may need larger stop losses as well. When trading options stop losses need to be much larger than when you trade stocks because options are so much more volatile. For example if you set a 10% stop loss it could easily get triggered during a normal intraday move. Bear in mind that there is not as much at risk when trading options as opposed to trading stocks. The capital investment is much smaller so a larger stop loss will not impact your account as much.

Some good rules of thumb are: First if there is profit on the table and the underlying stock breaks down or crosses below its 7 day moving average, take the profit. It is very painful to watch a profitable trade lose value while you wait for it to reverse. Don’t let that happen. However if market conditions have not changed and your technical analysis supports staying in the trade make sure you do not exit too early. Often the most outstanding profits are made by patient traders. Second, always exit the trade if you are at a 50% loss. Chances are if you are in a trade that is losing 50% it will keep going that way. It is imperative you preserve your capital in order to trade again. Third, always exit a trade if there is 30 days or less before expiration. During the month before expiration time decay can rob you blind of the value of your option.

I trust this has given you some things to consider when deciding to exit your trades, stay tuned for next week?s installment where we will discuss how to put together a complete trading plan.

US Government required disclaimer: Options involve risk and are not suitable for all investors. Prior to buying or selling an option, a person must receive a copy of the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options. Copies of this document may be obtained from your broker, from any exchange on which options are traded or by contacting The Options Clearing Corporation, One North Wacker Dr., Suite 500 Chicago, IL 60606 (1-800-678-4667).

Gamma: Gamma is derived from Delta is the odds of a change in Delta. It also informs in advance if the Delta could be changing. Gammas are positive for both the call and put. When options are deep in the money of deep out of the money the Gammas will be near zero as the probability of a change in Delta are very low. Likewise at strike price the Gamma would likely to e the highest.

Theta: Time decay is reflected in the option position as Theta. Options bought have negative Theta, which means that each day you do not sell that option, the time value is declining because of the time decay. In this case, time decay is making it worse for the buyer of the option. When you sell options, Theta is positive, meaning that time decay is good for the option seller.

Vega: How volatility affects the option pricing is reflected in the in Vega. In other words, its sensitivity to volatility. Options tend to have price increases when the underlying asset’s volatility increases. In this case, volatility is good for the buyer of an option and bad for the seller of an option. Vega is positive for long option and negative for short option.

Rho: Rho is how interest rates affect the pricing of the the option. When interest rates are high and it is good for the position, Rho will be positive. If interest rates are high but bad for the option position, Rho will be negative.