Question

In: Finance

Volatility skew/smile and gamma are both volatility-oriented strategies. Compare and contrast the two trading strategies.

Volatility skew/smile and gamma are both volatility-oriented strategies. Compare and contrast the two trading strategies.

Solutions

Expert Solution

A volatility smile results from plotting the strike price and implied volatility of a group of options with same expiration date. The more the option is in the money or out of the money, the greater its implied volatility becomes.

In Gamma trading you can take two positions : Long gamma and short gamma. In long gamma, you make profit when realized volatility is greater than implied volatiltiy of the purchased option and in short gamma , profit is made when realized volatility is less than implied volatility of purchased option.

A Volatility trader profits from rise in VEGA (measures sensitivity of stock price to change in implied volatility) through delta neutral positions on long term options.

A gamma trader trades the directional volatility of the underlying while the volatility trader trades the volatility of implied volatility of the underlying.

Volatility smile is used for number of investments, it cannot be observed in over the counter foreign exchange markets though investors can use at the money call volatility and risk data to create a volatility smile and gamma traders mostly trade short dated options whereas volatility traders mostly trade longer dated options.


Related Solutions

Compare and contrast country risk analysis with exchange rate volatility.
Compare and contrast country risk analysis with exchange rate volatility.
Compare and contrast these two nursing roles. There are similarities in both education and practice of...
Compare and contrast these two nursing roles. There are similarities in both education and practice of the DNP and the PhD prepared nurse, but there are also differences. I believe continuing education of any kind is valuable, but the guided focus of a doctoral program is an exceptional way to build on experience and education and leads to respected credentials
Compare and contrast the two MAIN generic business level strategies used by two different mobile phone...
Compare and contrast the two MAIN generic business level strategies used by two different mobile phone producers to gain and sustain competitive advantage, using two specific companies of your choice.
Compare and contrast the various types of secondary market trading structures.
Compare and contrast the various types of secondary market trading structures.
What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research sampling strategies? Compare and contrast the strategies...
What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research sampling strategies? Compare and contrast the strategies and describe some of the advantages and disadvantages of each.
What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research sampling strategies? Compare and contrast the strategies...
What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research sampling strategies? Compare and contrast the strategies and describe some of the advantages and disadvantages of each.
What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research sampling strategies? Compare and contrast the strategies...
What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research sampling strategies? Compare and contrast the strategies and describe some of the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Compare and contrast replication strategies of (-) ssRNA and ssRNA-RT viruses.
Compare and contrast replication strategies of (-) ssRNA and ssRNA-RT viruses.
Compare and contrast the strategies of index matching (or indexing) and of immunisation for managing a...
Compare and contrast the strategies of index matching (or indexing) and of immunisation for managing a bond portfolio. Provide examples for who would use such strategies under what circumstances.
A. Compare and contrast the tradition organization chart for an organization against the modern customer-oriented organization...
A. Compare and contrast the tradition organization chart for an organization against the modern customer-oriented organization Chart    B. Using a Japanese automobile TOYOTA, how the company create its value proposition explain your answer based on what you have learned in chapter five C. Explain how does a company build customer value, satisfaction and loyalty give examples to support your
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT