Think of the straddle strategy like the MacGyver-like tool in your trading toolkit that you never knew you needed. It’s versatile, handy in a variety of market scenarios, and packs a serious profit punch.

This Straddle Strategy: How It Works shines in a shaky market where your Spidey sense may be tingling about price swings but you can’t quite decide which way they’re going to go. This is especially true when you’ve spotted an impending catalyst (like surging trading volumes, earnings results, or a big news announcement) that could send the stock soaring or plummeting.

To trade a straddle, buy an equal number of call and put options with the same strike price and expiration date. Choose a close-to-the-money strike price to maximize your odds of profitable movement and avoid paying too much in premiums.

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As the straddle approaches expiration, keep an eye on implied volatility, as this can significantly affect both options’ resale values. If implied volatility rises, the options’ resale values will be higher as well, and you can close out the straddle for a profit.

Conversely, if implied volatility declines, the options’ resale value will be lower, and you can expect to lose the entire premium paid for the straddle. To reduce the risk of losing too much, always use stop-losses on the total position to limit full losses to a predetermined threshold if your movement expectations fail. And be sure to diversify your position by trading a straddle with different stocks or sectors, so that if one fails, the impact is lessened.