The Option Alpha Podcast

NEW Beta Site is Live: https://beta.optionalpha.comToday’s show is a massive announcement – we are officially announcing that we have our launch dates set for our new auto-trading platform. Today on the show, we’re going to answer some common questions that we've been getting around the new platform and we're also going to start going through some of the features that you are going to love about it.We have all the information you need right now about the platform and how to use its new features on https://beta.optionalpha.com.

Show notes: http://optionalpha.com/show188Ah, taxes, a dreaded but necessary part of investing and trading. And although you might be inclined to skip this week's show, I'd encourage you to dive in because, even for me personally, this discussion helped clarify and re-solidify concepts that were mildly opaque. After all, tax concepts and terminology can get complicated fast and our goal is to help educate and explain things so that it's useful to you moving forward. Plus, I brought in a special guest to help chat through the different sections and I know you're going to love this week's episode on taxes for options trading.

Show notes: http://optionalpha.com/show187We get a lot of questions around options expiration - hundreds and hundreds each week. Yet, the same vital few seem to float to the top consistently so we're pulling these 15 questions into this week's podcast episode to help you understand and effectively navigate options expiration. And in the off chance, we didn't answer your question during the show, you can always reach out to us anytime for help and support. If you're going to trade options, you can't avoid going through expiration. So, if you're going to trade options, you can't miss this week's podcast.

Show notes: http://optionalpha.com/show186Summer vacations are in full swing and as everyone rushes to their favorite social distancing hot spot, traders are often left wondering what to do with their positions and trades while away. And since we cannot build automated and trigger-based strategies yet, though it's coming soon from Option Alpha, we wanted to help with a simple but effective checklist you can use to square up your account before going off the grid. Make no mistake though, this checklist isn't just for when you go on vacation, it's also a great workflow to help you before a long business trip or busy week at home when you have limited time to manage your account.

Show notes: http://optionalpha.com/show185Filling option trades can often feel like pulling teeth. While some trades and orders get through easily and without issue, others are incredibly stubborn and hard to get filled. To add to your frustration, the entire order execution process appears to be just another confusing black box. There's seemingly no rhyme or reason why this trade got filled but that one didn't? So this week's show is dedicated to shining a light on order filling for option trades and helping to demystify what is otherwise a simple market process.

Show notes: http://optionalpha.com/show184Adjusting trades that move against you can be hard enough. Choosing how to adjust and when to pull the trigger complicates what otherwise was a simple trade to start with. Now, throw in an early assignment to the mix and you've got quite the convoluted option trade on your hands. Sounds daunting already doesn't it? But fear not. Complicated and complex trades like the one that happened to us in FXI the other month give you a great opportunity to learn and grow as a trader. On today's show, we'll walk through the entire FXI position from start to finish, including all the profit and loss calculations including adjustments and an early assignment. Lean into this show and don't skip it - your future self with thank you for taking the time now so that you don't have to freak out later when it happens to you.

Show notes: http://optionalpha.com/show183Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. This classic Buffett quote had echoed though the ranks of investors for decades. But does that data support the methodology? Does investor sentiment, which for many investors is widely considered a contrarian indicator, have enough predictive power to warrant our time and attention? In today's show, we'll explore investor sentiment from all angles and help discover which readings, if any, give predictive power to future stock market returns or trends.

Show notes: http://optionalpha.com/show182Greed, fear, FOMO, anxiety, panic, over-confident, stubbornness, impatience. These are just a few of the frequent emotional and mental states that traders find themselves in. And while we cannot avoid these emotions and thought processes, we can learn to manage them through emotional intelligence. This week's podcast was curated to help you learn how to more effectively recognize and manage the dozens of emotional and cognitive responses you'll come across in your trading career.

Show notes: http://optionalpha.com/show181There's an old saying in investing that a "rising tide lifts all boats." And while that might be true, when the tide goes out, all the boats sink and fall just as fast as they rose together. Still, you'll hear the pounding of drums in the name of classic diversification as the portfolio savior during these downturns. Our research suggests, however, that even a well-diversified portfolio can still completely blow up just when you need it to protect you most.

Show notes: http://optionalpha.com/show180You've got your prized covered call setup and it's working in your account - now what? How do you manage or adjust the position in different market scenarios? Lucky for you, we are going to review the best-covered call management techniques on today's podcast. And if you think this show is just for stock traders, you'd be wrong, because proper covered call management could be a lifesaver for options traders who get assigned and are forced to deal with stock.