NEUTRAL
Long Call Butterfly Strategy Lab
What is a long call butterfly?
A neutral strategy using three different strike prices.
You buy one lower strike call, sell two middle strike calls, and buy one higher strike call. Max profit is achieved if the stock price is exactly at the middle strike at expiration.
Execution Legs:
1
Buy 1 ITM Call (Strike A)
2
Sell 2 ATM Calls (Strike B)
3
Buy 1 OTM Call (Strike C)
NeutralLimited ProfitLimited Loss
Institutional Playbook & Ideal Timing
🎯 Ideal Timing & Volatility Environment:
Low IV regime (IV Rank < 25%) where options are cheap. Ideal 2–3 weeks before earnings announcements, expected breakout beyond Put/Call walls, or major macro volatility events.
🎯 Strike & DTE Target:
30 to 45 DTE. Sell ATM or 20-delta strikes outside the 1σ expected move cone.
🛡️ Exit & Risk Rules:
Take profit at 50% of max profit (for credit/neutral) or 100%–200% ROI (for debit). Cut losses at 100% of debit paid (or 2x credit collected). Close before expiration if delta expands beyond 70.
Greeks Sensitivity & Mechanics
⚡ +Vega (Long Vol)
Benefits from IV expansion. Hurt by post-earnings IV crush.
⏳ −Theta (Decay Cost)
Loses premium value every day; needs swift price displacement.
🚀 +Gamma (Convexity)
Profit accelerates as underlying moves further in your direction.
Directional Bias (Δ)
Delta-Neutral (Δ ≈ 0): Directionless; relies on vol or decay.
Interactive Payoff Simulator
Expiration Payoff
Interactive Parameters
Stock Price ($)
$100.00
Days to Expiry (DTE)
30 Days
Lower Strike A ($)
$90.00
Higher Strike B ($)
$110.00
Max Profit
$1000.00
Max Loss
$1000.00
Breakeven
$100.00
Risk / Reward
1 : 1.50
Net Delta (Δ)
+0.05
Net Gamma (Γ)
+0.015
Net Theta (Θ)
+2.45
Net Vega (ν)
+3.50