Options for Volatile Markets

Book excerpt: Practical option strategies for the new post-crisis financialmarket Traditional buy-and-hold investing has been seriously challengedin the wake of the recent financial crisis. With economic andmarket uncertainty at a very high level, options are still the mosteffective tool available for managing volatility and downside risk,yet they remain widely underutilized by individuals and investmentmanagers. In Options for Volatile Markets, Richard Lehmanand Lawrence McMillan provide you with specific strategies to lowerportfolio volatility, bulletproof your portfolio against anycatastrophe, and tailor your investments to the precise level ofrisk you are comfortable with. While the core strategy of this new edition remains covered callwriting, the authors expand into more comprehensive optionstrategies that offer deeper downside protection or even allowinvestors to capitalize on market or individual stock volatility.In addition, they discuss new offerings like weekly expirations andoptions on ETFs. For investors who are looking to capitalize onglobal investment opportunities but are fearful of lurking "blackswans", this book shows how ETFs and options can be utilized toconstruct portfolios that are continuously protected againstunforeseen calamities. A complete guide to the increased control and lowered riskcovered call writing offers active investors and traders Addresses the changing investment environment and how to useoptions to succeed within it Explains how to use options with exchange-traded funds Understanding options is now more important than ever, and withOptions for Volatile Markets as your guide, you'll quicklylearn how to use them to protect your portfolio as well as improveits overall performance.