Core Viewpoint - The earnings season is commencing with significant reports from major banks and tech companies, indicating a pivotal week for stock performance [1]. Earnings Reports - Key companies reporting this week include Bank of America (BAC), Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM), JP Morgan (JPM), Wells Fargo (WFC), Citigroup (C), Morgan Stanley (MS), Goldman Sachs (GS), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), and ASML Holdings (ASML) [1]. Implied Volatility - Prior to earnings announcements, implied volatility tends to be high due to market uncertainty, leading to increased demand for options [2]. - After earnings announcements, implied volatility typically decreases to normal levels [3]. Expected Price Movements - The expected price range for stocks can be estimated by summing the prices of at-the-money put and call options [3]. - Expected price movements for specific stocks are as follows: - Monday: FAST – 5.6% - Tuesday: C – 5.6%, GS – 5.6%, JNJ – 3.3%, JPM – 5.0%, WFC – 5.3% - Wednesday: ASML – 7.9%, BAC – 5.0%, MS – 5.1% - Thursday: IBKR – 6.5%, ISRG – 8.7%, SCHW – 5.7%, TSM – 6.8% - Friday: AXP – 5.3%, SLB – 5.5% [4]. Trading Strategies - Traders can utilize expected price movements to structure their trades, with bearish traders selling bear call spreads and bullish traders selling bull put spreads or using naked puts [5]. - Neutral traders may consider iron condors, ensuring short strikes remain outside the expected range [5]. Risk Management - It is advisable to employ risk-defined strategies and maintain small position sizes when trading options over earnings [6]. - A full loss from a trade should ideally not impact the portfolio by more than 1-3% [6]. High Implied Volatility Stocks - A stock screener can identify stocks with high implied volatility, using filters such as total call volume greater than 5,000, market cap over 40 billion, and IV rank above 60% [7].
Option Volatility And Earnings Report For October 13 – 17