How can I use index options to hedge my portfolio?

Transcription

1 10 Common Options Questions Series: # 6 How can I use index options to hedge my portfolio? ( KJ)

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3 Important information Options carry a high level of risk and are not suitable for all investors. Certain requirements must be met to trade options through Schwab. With long options, investors may lose 100% of funds invested. Covered calls provide downside protection only to the extent of the premium received and limit upside potential to the strike price plus premium received. Spread trading must be done in a margin account. Please read the Options Disclosure Document titled "Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options" before considering any option transaction. Call Schwab at for a current copy. Supporting documentation for any claims or statistical information is available upon request. Investing involves risks, including loss of principal. Hedging and protective strategies generally involve additional costs and do not assure a profit or guarantee against loss. The information provided here is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered an individualized recommendation or personalized investment advice. The investment strategies mentioned here may not be suitable for everyone. Each investor should review an investment strategy in the context of his or her personal situation before making any investment decision. All corporate names and market data shown above are for illustrative purposes only and are not a recommendation, offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security. Supporting documentation for any claims or statistical information is available upon request. For the sake of simplicity, the examples in this presentation do not take into consideration commission and other transaction fees, tax considerations, or margin requirements, which are factors that may significantly affect the economic consequences of strategies displayed. Please contact a tax advisor for the tax implications involved in these strategies. Stock and option symbols, and price and volume data shown are for illustrative purposes only. Schwab Trading Services includes access to StreetSmart trading platforms, the Schwab Trading Community, and Schwab trading specialists (a Schwab brokerage account is required). There are no fees to use Schwab Trading Services. Other account fees, optional data fees, fund expenses, and brokerage commissions may apply. Schwab reserves the right to restrict or modify access at any time. Schwab brokerage account online applications that have the Schwab Trading Services box checked will automatically be enrolled. For questions, call to speak to a Schwab Trading Services representative Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. ("Schwab") (Member SIPC). All rights reserved. ( KJ) 3

4 Agenda 01 Portfolio Hedging Strategy 02 Portfolio Hedging Characteristics 03 Index Hedging 04 Index Hedging Example

5 01 Portfolio Hedging Strategy 5

6 01 Portfolio Hedging Strategy Hedging Defined In financial terms, hedging is a strategy designed to reduce the risk of adverse price movements for a given asset Examples: liquidate (reduce exposure); utilize inversely correlated financial products; utilize protective option strategies (protective puts/collars)* There are various hedging techniques that can be employed Cost is driven by both the level of protection desired and the length of time that the protection is in place Today s discussion will focus on protecting a portfolio against a significant market correction (i.e. systemic risk) *Certain offsetting transactions may carry tax implications, be sure to contact your tax advisor if you aren t clear on the impact of establishing such positions. 6

7 01 Portfolio Hedging Strategy Why consider a portfolio hedging strategy? Protect unrealized profits on existing positions without selling holdings Reduce downside risk of adverse price movements on existing positions Mitigate market risk without eliminating potential upside gains 7

8 02 Portfolio Hedging Considerations 8

9 02 Portfolio Hedging Characteristics Portfolio Hedging Considerations Finding a product that is highly correlated to an individual portfolio can be difficult: A well-diversified portfolio consists of multiple asset classes with multiple positions so that the weight of any security is small Individual portfolios vary Hedging each position can be difficult to manage: Establishing a hedge on each individual position requires monitoring and extensive position management around expiration. This also can be costly and time consuming. Selling may be a viable option but this potentially presents issues: Are you ok with the tax liability? When/where do you reinvest the cash? What practical portfolio hedging techniques are available? 9

10 02 Portfolio Hedging Characteristics The Most Important Hedging Characteristics Effectiveness: what level of protection will I get? Effective hedge can largely offset the losses of the primary assets Cost: how much will it cost to establish the hedge? Typically has a cost, but evaluating both the potential benefit as well as the associated cost is critical in investing! Time: how long do I need the protection in place? Could be for upcoming news announcement or geopolitical event with potential market ramifications. Important questions to ask are, How might the hedge help me, how much am I willing to pay for it, and for how long? 10

11 03 Portfolio Hedging with Index Puts 11

12 Index Puts How do they hedge portfolios? 01 Index options track larger indexes such as the S&P 500, Nasdaq, & Russell 02 Index puts increase in value when overall markets decline and also when volatility increases 03 Since stocks tend to correlate, investors can buy Index put options to hedge a diversified stock portfolio Index options track larger stock indexes such as S&P, Nasdaq, or Russell 12

13 03 Portfolio Hedging with Index Puts The Case for Using Broad-Based Index Put Options as a Hedge 1. Favorable Tax Treatment: Many broad-based index options are considered 1256 contracts and are taxed at a 60% long-term/40% shortterm rate. Note: 1256 contracts must be marked to market at year end 2. Cash Settlement: Index options are cash settled (potentially easier to manage around expiration) and indices that are European-Style Options eliminate early assignment risk. 3. Leverage: Leveraged products, such as options, hold the potential to increase much more (on a % basis) vs. the underlying. This characteristic is desirable when attempting to establish a cost efficient, effective hedge. Note: leverage is a double-edged sword which can work significantly against you just as easily as it can work in your favor. 13

14 03 Portfolio Hedging with Index Puts Brief Summary of Beta Beta: a measure of the volatility of a security or portfolio relative to the market as a whole If portfolio has Beta less than 1.0, this indicates portfolio has moved up or down less than the overall market ex. SPX -5%, Portfolio -4%, then portfolio Beta = 0.8 If a portfolio has Beta equal to 1.0, this indicates portfolio has moved up or down the same % as the overall market ex. SPX -5%, Portfolio -5%, then portfolio Beta = 1.0 If a portfolio has Beta more than 1.0, this indicates the portfolio has moved up or down more than the overall market ex. SPX -5%, Portfolio -8%, then portfolio Beta =

15 03 Portfolio Hedging with Index Puts Some Important Considerations When Selecting a Broad-Based Index as a Hedging Instrument 1. There are several broad-based indices that have options: $SPX, $DJI, $NDX, $RUT etc. 2. It s important to understand the correlation between your portfolio and a specific index. For example, calculate how much your portfolio was up/down over a year and compare that % to how much a given index was up/down during that same time frame. You can also perform calculations on multiple years to get a better gauge of the correlation. 3. If you decide to use broad-based index options to hedge your portfolio, consider selecting an index which is closely correlated to your individual portfolio (i.e. has a Beta of ~1.0). The higher the Beta of your portfolio vs. an index the less effective that index may be as a hedging instrument. 15

16 03 Portfolio Hedging with Index Puts Steps to Index Put Hedging Determine Notional Value of portfolio what is the current dollar value of the portfolio Choose the Index that best correlates to your portfolio for the purpose of hedging Calculate number of shares the portfolio equates to in Index terms and determine number of puts to purchase Decide how long you want the hedge, at what level, or strike, and how much you are willing to pay 16

17 04 Index Hedging Example 17

18 04 Index Hedging Example Portfolio Hedging Example Assume: 1. You own a $850,000 portfolio of diversified equities 2. The portfolio is highly correlated to the SPX The Beta of the overall portfolio (relative to the SPX) is You are concerned that the SPX may sell off substantially over the next 2-3 months (and don t want to liquidate your equity positions) 4. You are willing to sustain a 10% market sell-off but no more than that 5. You would like to evaluate the cost and effectiveness of using SPX put options to provide downside portfolio protection The example is hypothetical and provided for illustrative purposes only. Please Note: In this example we are using SPX put options as our hedging instrument but please remember that there are other broad-based index options to select from which may have a higher correlation to your individual portfolio 18

19 04 Index Hedging Example Portfolio Hedging Example (-10% details) Date: August 15th, 2018 SPX = 2,800 VIX = 16 10% decline in SPX = 2,520 (-280 points) 1 SPX 2,520 October 19 th put (65 days away) = $12.30 or $1,230 1 SPX contract represents roughly $280,000 (2,800 x 100) 3 SPX contracts provides $840,000 equivalent protection (2,800 x 3 x 100) Action: Buy to Open 3 SPX 2,520 puts at a cost of $3,690 (12.30 x 3 x 100) or 0.43% of $850,000 portfolio 19

20 03 Index Hedging Example Expiration Scenarios for 2520 puts SPX % Change SPX Value Value of three SPX 2520 Puts Portfolio Value w/o Puts Portfolio Value w/puts Unhedged Portfolio % Change Hedged Portfolio % Change +5% 2940 $0.00 $892,500 $888, % +4.57% 0% 2800 $0.00 $850,000 $846,310 0% -0.43% -5% 2660 $0.00 $807,500 $803, % -5.43% -10% 2520 $0.00 $765,000 $761, % % -20% 2240 $84,000 $680,000 $760, % % -30% 1960 $168,000 $595,000 $759, % %

21 Let s review what we ve learned Protect unrealized profits without selling holdings by purchasing index puts Choose the index that best correlates to your portfolio Decide how long you want the hedge, at what level, or strike, and how much you are willing to pay Calculate number of puts to purchase based on your portfolio value vs. index notional value 21

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