A Short Strangle is a slight modification to the Short Straddle. It tries to improve the profitability of the trade for the Seller of the options by widening the breakeven points so that there is a much greater movement required in the underlying stock / index, for the Call and Put option to be worth exercising. This strategy involves the simultaneous selling of a slightly out-of-the-money (OTM) put and a slightly out-of-the-money (OTM) call of the same underlying stock and expiration date. This typically means that since OTM call and put are sold, the net credit received by the seller is less as compared to a Short Straddle, but the break even points are also widened. The underlying stock has to move significantly for the Call and the Put to be worth exercising. If the underlying stock does not show much of a movement, the seller of the Strangle gets to keep the Premium.

When to Use: This options trading strategy is taken when the options investor thinks that the underlying stock will experience little volatility in the near term.

Risk: Unlimited

Reward: Limited to the premium received

Breakeven:

· Upper Breakeven Point = Strike Price of Short Call + Net Premium Received

· Lower Breakeven Point = Strike Price of Short Put – Net Premium Received

Example Suppose Nifty is at 4500 in May. An investor, Mr. A, executes a Short Strangle by selling a Rs. 4300 Nifty Put for a premium of Rs. 23 and a Rs. 4700 Nifty Call for Rs 43. The net credit is Rs. 66, which is also his maximum possible gain.