About Condor Strategies
Condors are similar in design to an iron condor (4 legs, same expiration, and strikes equidistant apart) but the strategy is more in line with that of a butterfly.
Long condors are bought for a debit, and short condors are sold for a credit.
Short condor position (both call and put) has the outside strikes sold and the inside strikes purchased. A long condor position (both call and put) has the outside strikes purchased and the inside strikes sold.
At expiration, a condor will have its maximum value equivalent to the distance between the consecutive strike prices, when the underlying is at or anywhere between the inside strike prices. The condor will be worthless if the underlying settles above the highest strike or below the lowest strike.
Short Put Condor Option Screener
A short put condor is a consecutive bull put spread and a bear put spread combined.
- Short 1 September 95 Put
- Long 1 September 100 Put
- Long 1 September 105 Put
- Short 1 September 110 Put
Maximum Profit
The maximum profit for a short put condor is the credit received. Max profit is achieved if the underlying is trading below the lowest strike or above the highest strike at expiration.
Short Put Condor Example
Short 1 September 90 Put @ $1.00
Long 1 September 95 Put @ $2.00
Long 1 September 100 Put @ $5.00
Short 1 September 105 Put @ $8.00
Net Credit is $2.00. Net Credit = ( -Leg 1 Bid + Leg 2 Ask + Leg 3 Ask - Leg 4 Bid)
If the underlying is trading below $90 or over $105 at expiration, the entire credit is taken as the spread’s value is $0.00.
Maximum Risk
The maximum risk for the short put condor is the difference between the strike prices less the debit paid. This is achieved if the underlying is between the two inside strikes.
Break Even Calculations
Two break even prices:
- Lower break even = lowest strike price + net credit
- Upper break even = highest strike price – net credit
Short Put Condor Example
Short 1 September 90 Put @ $1.00
Long 1 September 95 Put @ $2.00
Long 1 September 100 Put @ $5.00
Short 1 September 105 Put @ $8.00
- Lower break even = $92.00 ($90 + $2)
- Upper break even= $103.00 ($105 – $2)
Probability
- Break Even Probability: Probability of the underling trading outside of the breakeven points at expiration.
- Max Risk Probability: Probability of the underlying expiring below the lowest strike price or above the highest strike price.
When you first access the page, we show screener results from a default set of filters that are in the "Set Filters" tab. You may use these default filters to fine-tune the screener, or you can open one of the screeners you've previously saved in your account using the "LOAD A SCREENER" drop-down.
The screener results are initially sorted by ascending "Probability of Loss."
The screener displays probability calculations based on the delayed stock price at the time the strategy is updated. Strikes that have not traded today are excluded from the results.
Options start updating for the new trading day at approximately 9:50a.m. ET. Options information is delayed approximately 25 to 30 minutes, and is updated approximately every 5-minutes through-out the trading day.
Note: Expired options are removed from the website Monday - Friday at 7:45pm ET.
Main features of the Screener include:
- Customizable filters, based on over 150 different data points, with hundreds of different combinations. In addition, you may screen on many of Barchart's most popular pages such as Top 100 Stocks, New Highs and Lows, New Recommendations, specific pages in the Investing section, and more. You may also screen based on one or more of your Watchlists or Portfolios. This short tutorial gets you started with using filters on screeners.
- Save a Screener: When you've defined filters that you want to use again, save the screener.
- Load a Saved Screener: Select a previously saved set of Screener filters to view today's results.
- Share Your Screener: Once you've saved a screener in your Barchart account, you can create a "share link" to send to your friends, associates, or any other interested parties. See details below.
- Barchart Screeners: On many of our screeners, you can select a sample screener provided by Barchart. You can modify the filters and save your new screener to your account.
- Save to Watchlist: You may save up to 1000 symbols from your Screener results to a new Watchlist, or append the results to an existing Watchlist.
- Custom Views: Once on the results page, you may change your view to the "Filter" view (showing you the fields you've screened for), or any of your saved Custom Views.
- View the Results using Flipcharts: Page through charts of the symbols on the results page.
- Download: Download up to 1000 screener results to a .csv file. The Download will include the data fields for the View you use.
- Automatic Screener Emails: This option is available for Barchart Premier Members only. When you save a screener, you can opt to receive the top results via email along with an optional .csv file of the top 1000 results. Emails can be sent at different times, based on the screener.
Note: When selecting the Filter View for your Screener email, a filter must identify a specific search value in order for it to be included in the email.
Filters
Barchart Premier subscribers can add or modify different filters on the screener to find calls on the most favorable stock options.
Reordering Filters
Once filters are added, you may drag and drop them in the SET FILTERS tab to reorder the way they appear on the RESULTS tab (when using the Filters View). Each filter you add has the "Order" icon which is used to reposition it.
Deleting Filters
To remove a filter from your screener, click the checkbox to the left of the filter name, then click the red "Delete Filters" button at the top of the column. You may also select all filters for deletion by clicking the checkbox at the top of the column, which selects ALL filters for deletion. You will be asked to confirm your decision to delete.
So you can focus on the best options, the screener starts by applying these default filters. Filter settings should be adjusted to match your trading requirements.
- Days to Expiration (monthly expirations only) is between 1 and 60 days.
- Security Type is only Stocks.
- Options Volume for Leg1, Leg2, Leg3 and Leg 4: for US market, must be greater than or equal to 100. For Canadian market, must be greater than or equal to 1.
- Open Interest for Leg1, Leg2, Leg3 and Leg 4: for US market, must be greater than or equal to 0.
- Bid Price Leg 1 and Leg 4 is greater than 0.05.
- Ask Price Leg 2 and Leg 3 is greater than 0.05.
- Moneyness Leg 2 is less than or equal to 0.0%
- Moneyness Leg 3 is greater than or equal to 0.0%
- Net Delta is between -0.10 to 0.10
- Probability of Loss must be less than 50%
In addition:
- The stock price must be greater or equal to 1.00.
- The option must not be a "restricted" option (the option cannot be based on a split stock).
- Strikes that have not traded today are excluded from the results.
Note: Non-standard or "restricted" options (options quotes marked with an asterisk * after the strike price, and found on an individual symbol's options page) are automatically removed from the screener. A "restricted option" is typically created after spin-offs or mergers, and is not tradeable.
Views
The Results page contains three standard views. You may switch the view using the links at the top of the screener results table. The Main View shows the Volume and Open Interest for each option, while the Dividend & Earnings View can be used to highlight strategies with upcoming dividends and earnings. The Filter view shows you the data contained in the field(s) you've added to the screener.
The Results page also includes a checkbox labeled "Flag Earnings." When checked, a column is added at the right of the results. A green "E" icon will display, flagging options where the underlying's next reported earnings date falls on or before the expiration date. Mouse over the "E" to display the next earnings date and expected release time.
Main View
- Stock Symbol - the underlying equity. Clicking on the symbol will take you to the current quote page.
- Price~ - the last price of the underlying symbol
- Exp Date - the expiration date (and days to expiration) of the option
- Leg1 Strike (Short) - the strike price of the leg1 option
- Leg1 Bid - the bid price of the leg1 option
- Leg2 Strike (Long) - the strike price of the leg2 option
- Leg2 Ask - the ask price of the leg2 option
- Leg 3 Strike (Long) - the strike price of the leg3 option
- Leg3 Ask - the ask price of the leg3 option
- Leg4 Strike (Short) - the strike price of the leg4 option
- Leg4 Bid - the bid price of the leg4 option
- BE+ - the upper limit for the price to break through, necessary for the strategy to break even. (Leg4 Strike - Net Credit)
- BE- - the lower limit for the price to break through, necessary for the strategy to break even. (Leg1 Strike + Net Credit)
- Max Profit - Max Profit = Net Credit, which is the premium received to enter the trade.
- Max Loss - Max Loss = Outer Strike Differential - Net Credit (Max Profit)
- Risk/Reward Ratio - the Max Loss to Max Profit ratio
- IV Rank - The ATM average implied volatility relative to the highest and lowest values over the past 1-year. If IV Rank is 100% this means the IV is at its highest level over the past 1-year
- Probability of Loss - the likelihood of the strategy losing money
Dividend & Earnings View
- Dividend - the dividend the equity pays on the Ex-Dividend Date. On the morning of the Dividend Ex-Date, the stock's price is lowered by the amount of the dividend that was just paid.
- Dividend Ex-Date - the first day on which the stock trades without the dividend. If you wish to receive the dividend, you must own the stock by the close of market on the day before the Dividend Ex-Date. Many times, a covered call is exercised early so the buyer can own the stock and collect the dividend. This typically happens to ITM options the day before the Dividend Ex-Date.
- Earnings Date - The date on which a company is expected to release their next earnings report. The prices are more volatile, which tends to inflate the prices of the near-the-money strikes. During a contract period when there is an earnings report due, the earnings announcement can dramatically shift the range in which the stock has been trading.
Delete Screener
Once you save a screener in your Barchart account, you may delete it from the Results tab. Just click the "Delete Screener" button. You may also manage and delete your screeners by clicking the "Organize My Screeners" button.
Share Screener
Once you save a screener to your account, you may share either the details of the screener (including all your filters) or just the results of your screener with anyone you send the link to.
First, save your screener, making sure the view and sort you select in the saved screener modal is the one you want to share. You may share any of our "Standard" views (Main, Technical, Performance, etc.) or the Filter view. Shared screeners saved using one of your Custom views will only share the Filter view, as the Custom view is specific to your Barchart account.
Next, click the "share" link found on the Results tab. You will be asked what to share:
- Share Screener with Filters - the people you share the link with will be able to save the same screener in their Barchart account and view/modify the filters you used.
- Only Share the Results - the people you share the link with will not be able to save this screener in their Barchart account or view the filters you used to create the screener. This option would be used if you wish to keep your screener filters proprietary.
The share link is copied to your clipboard, and you are now free to send that link to anyone. Any further changes you save to your screener are automatically updated on the "share link" you initially generated.
Furthermore, if the end-user bookmarks the shared link (regardless of whether filters were shared or not) they will always see new results each time they open the link.