This intensive webinar—originally recorded in December 2012—offers a deep dive into volatility trading and the practical application of option theory. While markets and products have evolved, the core principles discussed here remain unchanged: how to measure volatility, how to recognize when it is mispriced, and how to structure trades that put the odds in your favor. The focus is not on speculation alone, but on building a disciplined framework using implied volatility, expected return, and risk management. Over the course of nearly four hours, I walk through both strategy construction and fully developed trading systems—many of which remain directly applicable in today’s markets.
The full webinar video is available above for paid subscribers.
Webinar Outline
Foundations & Tools
Definitions, core concepts, and the structure of option markets
The essential tools: models, calculators, and analytical frameworks
Volatility as an Asset Class
Understanding volatility derivatives: VIX futures, options, and ETNs
How volatility products behave—and where opportunities arise
Hedged strategies designed to exploit distorted volatility structures
Trading Volatility with Equity Options
Using percentiles to identify extremes
Expected return as a decision-making framework
Risk management as the foundation of strategy selection
Core Option Strategies (Applied Through Volatility)
Covered call writing and overwriting
Naked put selling (including weekly options)
Credit spreads and calendar spreads
Straddles, ratio spreads, and backspreads
When Volatility Is Mispriced
How professionals identify and act on volatility discrepancies
The role of skew and distribution assumptions
Structuring trades to shift probabilities in your favor
Trading Systems & Repeatable Edges
Short-term systems: Previous Daily Range, “90% Days,” Fade the Dow
Sentiment-based signals: total put-call ratio and oscillators
Seasonal tendencies: October and January effects
Volatility-based systems including VXX/XIV approaches
Putting It All Together
Combining volatility, probability, and strategy selection
From theory to execution: building a repeatable process
Why disciplined structure—not prediction—is the real edge
