332 Part Ill: Put Option Strategies 
so. Thus, the spread would have widened to 8 points. Call bear spreads often do not 
produce a similar result on a short-term downward movement. Since the call spread 
involves being short a call with a lower striking price, this call may actually pick up 
time value premium as the stock falls close to the lower strike. Thus, even though the 
call spread might have a similar profit at expiration, it often will not perform as well 
on a quick downward movement. 
For these two reasons - less chance of early exercise and better profits on a 
short-term movement - the put bear spread is superior to the call bear spread. Some 
investors still prefer to use the call spread, since it is established for a credit and thus 
does not require a cash investment. This is a rather weak reason to avoid the superi­
or put spread and should not be an overriding consideration. Note that the margin 
requirement for a call bear spread will result in a reduction of one's buying power by 
an amount approximately equal to the debit required for a similar put bear spread. 
(The margin required for a call bear spread is the difference between the striking 
prices less the credit received from the spread.) Thus, the only accounts that gain any 
substantial advantage from a credit spread are those that are near the minimum equi­
ty requirement to begin with. For most brokerage firms, the minimum equity 
requirement for spreads is $2,000. 
BULL SPREAD 
A bull spread can be established with put options by buying a put at a lower striking 
price and simultaneously selling a put with a higher striking price. This, again, is the 
same way a bull spread was constructed with calls: selling the higher strike and buy­
ing the lower strike. 
Example: The same prices can be used: 
XYZ common, 55; 
XYZ January 50 put, 2; and 
XYZ January 60 put, 7. 
The bull spread is constructed by buying the January 50 put and selling the January 
60 put. This is a credit spread. The credit is 5 points in this example. If the underly­
ing stock advances by January expiration and is anywhere above 60 at that time, the 
maximum profit potential of the spread will be realized. In that case, with XYZ any­
where above 60, both puts would expire worthless and the spreader would make a 
profit of the entire credit - 5 points in this example. Thus, the maximum profit poten­
tial is limited, and the maximum profit occurs if the underlying stock rises in price