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Long Call Vs Short Call Butterfly Options Trading Strategy Comparison

Compare Long Call and Short Call Butterfly options trading strategies. Find similarities and differences between Long Call and Short Call Butterfly strategies. Find the best options trading strategy for your trading needs.

Long Call Vs Short Call Butterfly

  Long Call Short Call Butterfly
Long Call Logo Short Call Butterfly Logo
About Strategy A Long Call Option trading strategy is one of the basic strategies. In this strategy, a trader is Bullish in his market view and expects the market to rise in near future. The strategy involves taking a single position of buying a Call Option (either ITM, ATM or OTM). This strategy has limited risk (max loss is premium paid) and unlimited profit potential. When the trader goes long on call, the trader buys a Call Option and later sells it to earn profits if the price of the underlying asset goes up. When the trader buys a call, he pays the option premium in exchange for the right (but not the obligation) to buy share or index at a fixed price by a certain expiry date. This premium is the only amount at-the-risk for trader in case the mark... Read More Short Call Butterfly (or Short Butterfly) is a neutral strategy similar to Long Butterfly but bullish on the volatility. This strategy is a limited risk and limited profit strategy. This strategy consists of two long calls at a middle strike (or ATM) and one short call each at a lower and upper strike. All the options must have the same expiration date. Also, the upper and lower strikes (or wings) must both be equidistant from the middle strike (or body). In simple terms, it involves Sell 1 ITM Call, Buy 2 ATM Calls and Sell 1 OTM Call. The strike prices of all Options should be at equal distance from the current price as shown in the example below. The usual Short Butterfly strategy looks like as below for NIFTY current index value as 1... Read More
Market View Bullish Neutral
Strategy Level Beginners Advance
Options Type Call Call
Number of Positions 1 4
Risk Profile Limited Limited
Reward Profile Unlimited Limited
Breakeven Point Strike Price + Premium 2 Break-even Points

When and how to use Long Call and Short Call Butterfly?

  Long Call Short Call Butterfly
When to use?

A long call Option strategy works well when you expect the underlying instrument to move positively in the recent future.

If you expect XYZ company to do well in near future then you can buy Call Options of the company. You will earn the profit if the price of the company shares closes above the Strike Price on the expiry date. However, if underlying shares don't do well and move downwards on expiry date you will incur losses (i.e. lose premium paid).

This strategy is meant for special scenarios where you foresee a lot of volatility in the market due to election results, budget, policy change, annual result announcements etc.

Market View Bullish

When you're expecting a rise in the price of the underlying and increase in volatility.

Neutral

When you are unsure about the direction in the movement in the price of the underlying but are expecting high volatility in it in the near future.

Action
  • Buy Call Option

A long call strategy involves buying a call option only. So if you expect Reliance to do well in near future then you can buy Call Options of Reliance. You will earn a profit if the price of Reliance shares closes above the Strike price on the expiry date. However, if Reliance shares don't move up within the expiry date you will incur losses.

  • Buy 2 ATM Call
  • Sell 1 ITM Call
  • Sell 1 OTM Call

Breakeven Point Strike Price + Premium

The break-even point for Long Call strategy is the sum of the strike price and premium paid. Traders earn profits if the price of the underlying asset moves above the break-even point. Traders loose premium if the price of the underlying asset falls below the break-even point.

2 Break-even Points

There are 2 break even points in this strategy.

  1. Lower Break-even = Lower Strike Price + Net Premium
  2. Upper Break-even = Higher Strike Price - Net Premium

Compare Risks and Rewards (Long Call Vs Short Call Butterfly)

  Long Call Short Call Butterfly
Risks Limited

The risk is limited to the premium paid for the call option irrespective of the price of the underlying on the expiration date.

Max Loss = Premium Paid

Limited

The maximum risk is limited.

Maximum Risk = Higher strike price- Lower Strike Price - Net Premium

Rewards Unlimited

There is no limit to maximum profit attainable in the long call option strategy. The trade gets profitable when price of the underlying is greater than strike price plus premium.

Profit = Price of Underlying - (Strike Price + Premium Paid)

Limited

The profit is limited to the net premium received. This happens when the price of the underlying is trading beyond the range of strike prices at expiration date.

Maximum Profit Scenario

Underlying closes above the strike price on expiry.

All Options exercised or not exercised

Maximum Loss Scenario

Underlying closes below the strike price on expiry.

Only ITM Call exercised

Pros & Cons or Long Call and Short Call Butterfly

  Long Call Short Call Butterfly
Advantages

Buying a Call Option instead of the underlying allows you to gain more profits by investing less and limiting your losses to minimum.

This strategy requires no investment as net premium is positive and received. It allows you to benefit from high volatile market scenarios without the need to speculate on the direction of price movement.

Disadvantage

Call options have a limited lifespan. So, in case the price of your underlying stock is not higher than the strike price before the expiry date, the call option will expire worthlessly and you will lose the premium paid.

Profitability depends on significant movement in the price of the underlying.

Simillar Strategies Protective Put, Covered Put/Married Put, Bull Call Spread Long Straddle, Long Call Butterfly

1 Comments

1. Justin Gilead   I Like It. |Report Abuse|  Link|August 16, 2022 8:47:47 PMReply
You partially get it wrong! The max loss will be the equivalent of the call premium paid for a single call position, indeed ; for a synthetic call options, it will be likened to the call options premium that you actually haven't paid as the call position has just been replicated along with the help of a long put and a long underlying though. For instance, if you purchase an ITM put, in addition to the long underlying, then the overall cost will be quite high, but the max risk entailed in the position will be the equivalent of the cheap OTM call options (only time value) that stands on the other side and on the same strike. In short, you may pay more to risk less with a synthetic options ; it definitely does the trick for hedging purposes then.