Is an iron condor always preferable to doing a simple credit spread

Asked by: Scott Stackiin

The iron condor will provide a larger credit but has the potential to lose in both directions. Either vertical spread used in the iron condor will have a lower credit and larger potential loss but can lose in only one direction.

Is iron condor same as credit spread?

What Is an Iron Condor? The construction of an iron condor involves the creation of two credit spreads. A credit spread involves the sale of an option (put or call), and the subsequent purchase of another that is farther out of the money.

What is better than an iron condor?

An iron condor is a lower risk, lower reward position. An iron butterfly is a higher risk, higher reward position. Since an iron butterfly’s short positions are set close to or at the asset’s current price it collects higher premiums than an iron condor can.

When should you use iron condor?

Establishing your Iron Condor position sometime in the range of 30 to 40 days until expiration is best. This will optimize the time decay feature of the options and still allow you enough time to get far from the market with the premiums.

Is iron condor always profitable?

The iron condor is a market-neutral strategy, meaning that it earns a profit when the market trades in a relatively narrow range. Market-neutral traders earn money from the passage of time—but only when rallies and declines do not generate a loss that is larger than the positive time decay.

Are iron condors better than credit spreads?

The iron condor will provide a larger credit but has the potential to lose in both directions. Either vertical spread used in the iron condor will have a lower credit and larger potential loss but can lose in only one direction.

Is iron condor a safe strategy?

Iron condors are a low-risk, yield-creating options strategy that can reliably net a quick profit.

What is the difference between a condor and an iron condor?


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What is the difference between a strangle and an iron condor?

When you sell a Strangle, typically you’re collecting more credit, giving you a higher profit potential. With an Iron Condor, you’re collecting less credit, so your profit potential is a little bit lower. Short Strangles traditionally have been only eligible in a margin account, and ineligible for IRAs.