Creating Neutral Portfolios – The Option Greeks

March 5, 2019 15564 Views

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The option sensitivity measures familiar to most option traders are often referred to as the Greeks: delta, gamma, vega, lambda, rho, and theta. Delta is the price sensitivity of an option with respect to changes in the price of the underlying asset. It represents a first-order sensitivity measure analogous to duration in fixed income markets. Gamma is the sensitivity of an option’s delta to changes in the price of the underlying asset, and represents a second-order price sensitivity analogous to convexity in fixed income markets. Vega is the price sensitivity of an option with respect to changes in the volatility of the underlying asset. See Pricing and Analyzing Equity Derivatives or the Glossary for other definitions.

The Greeks of a particular option are a function of the model used to price the option. However, given enough different options to work with, a trader can construct a portfolio with any desired values for its greeks. For example, to insulate the value of an option portfolio from small changes in the price of the underlying asset, one trader might construct an option portfolio whose delta is zero. Such a portfolio is then said to be “delta neutral.” Another trader may want to protect an option portfolio from larger changes in the price of the underlying asset, and so might construct a portfolio whose delta and gamma are both zero. Such a portfolio is both delta and gamma neutral. A third trader may want to construct a portfolio insulated from small changes in the volatility of the underlying asset in addition to delta and gamma neutrality. Such a portfolio is then delta, gamma, and vega neutral.

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