Breakout Sessions
- Beginner Intermediate Advanced View All
Intro to Equity Options
Skill Level: Beginner
Joseph Cusick
Join us for a 75-minute introduction to listed options. This class will define calls and puts plus view profit and loss graphs for these derivative instruments. We will also explain the overall risks and benefits of trading options.
Trading Psychology
Skill Level: Beginner
ISE, Steve Meizinger
Options are about risk and reward. To be a successful trader, you must know your goals and risk tolerances. This session, taught by Steve Meizinger Director of Education at the the International Securities Exchange, will help you consider learning to trade in your own "correct" risk/reward balances - not someone else's. Some of the topics include determining an appropriate time period, taking probability into consideration and remembering your initial forecast. You'll discuss how to actively manage your trades when things are going well - and, when they're not.
Diagonal Spreads vs. Covered Calls...Which Strategy is Best for You?
Skill Level: Intermediate
Joseph Cusick
Leverage has its advantages and disadvantages. In this workshop, you will have an opportunity to learn about a way that you can leverage yourself if you like to trade covered calls as well as see how you can help guage if you are over leveraged if you are a diagonal spread trader. We will go over how time decay can work against you for each strategy.
How to Plan for New Potential Stock & Options Trading Opportunities in the Current Market
Skill Level: Intermediate
BigTrends, Price Headley
Price Headley will build on the lessons from his earlier session to help show you how to choose from over 3100 optionable stocks via scans and filters. This allows you to focus on fewer select opportunities that have greater potential.
Identifying Potential Opportunities in the Futures Markets: 2008
Skill Level: Intermediate
CME, Dan Gramza
Join trader and educator Dan Gramza as he provides insight into the market activity we have seen so far in 2008. Dan will identify the trading opportunities that many may have missed and others that are potentially available, utilizing up to 18 futures markets. As someone who has been involved in these markets for over 20 years, Dan brings a unique perspective that potentially allows him to identify longer-term trends and the significant changes occurring in the marketplace. Understanding that traders vary by trading style and time horizon, Dan will discuss strategies that may be applied in multiple markets and timeframes.
Learn to Speak Greek Using FX Options
Skill Level: Intermediate
ISE, Steve Meizinger
Learn to speak Greek! How can these risk gauges (Delta, Gamma, Theta, & Vega) help you manage your expectations in the foreign exchange market. FX Options allow you to trade your views on the strength or weakness of the U.S. dollar relative to foreign currencies.
My Top 3 Indicators to Find the Best Trends in Stocks & Options
Skill Level: Intermediate
BigTrends, Price Headley
Join Price Headley as he shares his unique indicators and how to manage the trade as the trend evolves.
Re-Pricing Risk: What does it mean for my trading?
Skill Level: Intermediate
ISE, Steve Meizinger
What are the implications of repricing risk? How does it affect your forex trading strategies? FX Options allow you to trade your views on the strength or weakness of the U.S. dollar relative to foreign currencies.
Using Volatility to Help Choose Strike Prices
Skill Level: Intermediate
CBOE, Marty Kearney
Initiating Credit Spreads, Condors, etc. Maybe understanding a little more about volatility might point you to the "right" strike price.
A Seasoned Trader's Guide to Futures Trading
Skill Level: Advanced
CME, Dan Gramza
In this session, trader and educator Dan Gramza walks you through the critical trading parameters you may need to know when setting up a futures trade, whether it's your first or your 100th trade. Learn how to apply modern risk-management and execution techniques used by many veteran traders to help optimize their trading returns. Gain insight on how to potentially recognize market conditions, where/when to place risk-management stops, how to calculate a trade's profit and loss, and ways to help identify when a trade has become productive or started to fail.
Cross Index Spreads — Opportunities and Risks
Skill Level: Advanced
CBOE, Marty Kearney
Few indexes are highly correlated (similar changes in percentage terms). Two Indexes are very highly correlated, and they have active options volume. The option prices on these 2 indexes sometimes create trading opportunities. Come see what they are and if this strategy works for you.
Intro to Spreads
Skill Level: Advanced
Joseph Cusick
"Spread" is a loosely used term that can describe any multi-part strategy. In this breakout, we will introduce you to the Bull Call Spread, Bear Call Spread and Diagonal Spreads. This event aims to provide you a better understanding of spreads and how they may be an alternative to trading options speculatively.
Portfolio Margining
Skill Level: Advanced
Gary Morton
New portfolio margin rules for equity options, stock index options and other positions are now in effect. These new guidelines typically offer more leverage and allow eligible investors to base margin requirements on the net risks of highly correlated holdings held in an account. Unlike current strategy-based margin requirements, portfolio margin establishes a margin requirement equal to the greatest loss that, theoretically, could result if a gain or loss is calculated on the portfolio as a whole-at set increments on the upside and downside. The portfolio margin method is a more accurate assessment of risk. Because of the leverage that portfolio margin allows customers to utilize, guidelines require $100,000 in minimum account value. Join us for a discussion on how these new portfolio margining rules may work for you.
Taking Advantage of Opportunities Presented in Volatile Markets
Skill Level: Advanced
CME, Dan Gramza
There are critical and often overlooked features of the futures and options on futures markets that may provide the individual trader with the ability to participate in volatile markets. Recent price swings may provide multiple opportunities in a day, but may require a more conservative approach. Strategies that utilize combinations of options and futures may be designed to match the characteristics of the market. Leveraging over 20+ years of experience, Dan will explore how to apply these strategies from the perspectives of a day trader, swing trader and position trader in a way that aims to limit risk while attempting to increase probability of success.
VIX Futures and Options - Unique Characteristics for a Unique Trading Vehicle
Skill Level: Advanced
CBOE, Marty Kearney
VIX futures and options volume has skyrocketed over the last year. These are advanced products. Find out what makes them so special and why they could be useful tools to you.