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In finance, a spread trade (also known as a relative value trade) is the simultaneous purchase of one security and sale of a related security, called legs, as a unit.Spread trades are usually executed with options or futures contracts as the legs, but other securities are sometimes used.
In finance, a spread option is a type of option where the payoff is based on the difference in price between two underlying assets. For example, the two assets could be crude oil and heating oil; trading such an option might be of interest to oil refineries, whose profits are a function of the difference between these two prices.
The bid–ask spread (also bid–offer or bid/ask and buy/sell in the case of a market maker) is the difference between the prices quoted (either by a single market maker or in a limit order book) for an immediate sale and an immediate purchase for stocks, futures contracts, options, or currency pairs in some auction scenario.
The trader may also forecast how high the stock price may go and the time frame in which the rally may occur in order to select the optimum trading strategy for buying a bullish option. The most bullish of options trading strategies, used by most options traders, is simply buying a call option. The market is always moving.
For example, a bull spread constructed from calls (e.g., long a 50 call, short a 60 call) combined with a bear spread constructed from puts (e.g., long a 60 put, short a 50 put) has a constant payoff of the difference in exercise prices (e.g. 10) assuming that the underlying stock does not go ex-dividend before the expiration of the options.
This spread can be created with either calls or puts, and therefore can be a bullish or bearish strategy. The trader wants to see the short-dated option decay at a faster rate than the longer-dated option. When trading this strategy here are a few key points: Can be traded as either a bullish or bearish strategy; Generates profit as time decays
Information leakage is minimised because the trading is done anonymously using the DMA provider's identity as a cover. DMA systems are also generally shielded from other trading desks within the provider's organisation by a Chinese wall. Direct market access allows a user to 'Trade the Spread' of a stock.
It is necessary to assess how high the stock price can go and the time frame in which the rally will occur in order to select the optimum trading strategy. Moderately bullish options traders usually set a target price for the bull run and utilize bull spreads to reduce cost. (It does not reduce risk because the options can still expire worthless.)