23. Butterfly Spreads

The standard butterfly spread trade is typically a cheap trade with low risk and lots of leverage. The drawback of the standard butterfly trade is that it focuses on a narrow range of profitability. The trade can be arranged to have a wider profit range, but then it becomes considerably more expensive.

These spreads can be used in various ways. The most common strategy utilizes a butterfly trade to target a strike price toward which a stock or ETF is trending. They can also be traded with adjustments; although, this usually adds additional risk to the trade.

There are modified versions of the standard butterfly trade that frequently can be established for a credit or at least a break-even net cost. These modified butterfly ...

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