334 Part Ill: Put Option Strategies 
In a neutral calendar spread, one sets up the spread with the idea of closing the 
spread when the near-term call or put expires. In this type of spread, the maximum 
profit will be realized if the stock is exactly at the striking price at expiration. The 
spreader is merely attempting to capitalize on the fact that the time value premium 
disappears more rapidly from a near-term option than it does from a longer-term one. 
Example: XYZ is at 50 and a January 50 put is selling for 2 points while an April 50 
put is selling for 3 points. A neutral calendar spread can be established for a 1-point 
debit by selling the January 50 put and buying the April 50 put. The investment 
required for this position is the amount of the net debit, and it must be paid for in 
full. If XYZ is exactly at 50 at January expiration, the January 50 put will expire worth­
less and the April 50 put will be worth about 2 points, assuming other factors are the 
same. The neutral spreader would then sell the April 50 put for 2 points and take his 
profit. The spreader's profit in this case would be one point before commissions, 
because he originally paid a 1-point debit to set up the spread and then liquidates the 
position by selling the April 50 put for 2 points. Since commission costs can cut into 
available profits substantially, spreads should be established in a large enough quan­
tity to minimize the percentage cost of commissions. This means that at least 10 
spreads should be set up initially. 
In any type of calendar spread, the risk is limited to the amount of the net debit. 
This maximum loss would be realized if the underlying stock moved substantially far 
away from the striking price by the time the near-term option expired. If this hap­
pened, both options would trade at nearly the same price and the differential would 
shrink to practically nothing, the worst case for the calendar spreader. For example, 
if the underlying stock drops substantially, say to 20, both the near-term and the long­
term put would trade at nearly 30 points. On the other hand, if the underlying stock 
rose substantially, say to 80, both puts would trade at a very low price, say 1/15 or 1/s, 
and again the spread would shrink to nearly zero. 
Neutral call calendar spreads are generally superior to neutral put calendar 
spreads. Since the amount of time value premium is usually greater in a call option 
(unless the underlying stock pays a large dividend), the spreader who is interested in 
selling time value would be better off utilizing call options. 
The second philosophy of calendar spreading is a more aggressive one. With put 
options, a bearish strategy can be constructed using a calendar spread. In this case, 
one would establish the spread with out-of-the-money puts. 
Example: With XYZ at 55, one would sell the January 50 put for 1 point and buy the 
April 50 put for 1 ½ points. He would then like the underlying stock to remain above 
the striking price until the near-term January put expires. If this happens, he would