Guide

Portfolio Wizard in 1.4

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:06:58 -0800

One of the challenges of writing a successful iPad App is making sure there is plenty of documentation. Then beyond that keeping it updated. I apologize that it has taken this long to get something posted for this great feature. This wizard allows you to create a basis for many basic spreads and also play around and adjust them. One of the amazing things about Optionsinsight App is that it lets you adjust these basic spreads for something more flexible. This wizard also provides you a starting point if your not familiar with spreads and even has sample input in the hints if you just want to start by testing some default values and follow the hints.
The first screen labeled “Portfolio Spread Wizard” thumbnails the spreads for selection. If your unsure where to start that is ok because its possible to leaf through the spreads on the next screen. Once you select one of the items in the table the “Portfolio Spread Wizard” displays a detail screen. At this screen you can swipe left and right, given by the red arrows above, to look through the explanations of each of the spread types. Once you find a the spread your looking for press the “Select” button at the top of the screen to move on to the data entry portion of the spread wizard.
The one thing to note about the spread wizard is that there are helpful hints for each of the entry values given in the “Get Hints” area at the bottom of the entry screen. The wizard will not let you continue until you’ve completed every field in the data entry section. The spread contents as you begin to build the spread will start to appear. The color of the rows in the “Spread Contents” will remain red until all values are filled in. Once data entry is complete the “Spread Contents” rows will then turn green and the “Create” button will now be enabled. Once you press create the spread is created and the program automatically takes you to the portfolio portion of the App so you can view your newly created or updated spread. It is possible to use the spread wizard to add to existing portfolios if you use the same name.

3D Graph View

Sun, 12 Sep 2010 16:47:09 -0700

Once the graph is rendered there are 3 modes.
1- Rotation Mode allows for the graph to be spun on axis to get a better view.

Tap twice.

2- This will freeze position and allow for movement of the strike price value indicator. Slide your finger back and forth to change the value here.

Tap twice.

3- This will switch over to the day indicator plane. Slide left to right here as well and the value of the day will change.

Tap twice

And its back to rotation mode, and so on and so forth. Notice the arrows indicating the changes above. The display in the top right hand corner show the changes.

As the value indicators are changed notice the intersection of the opex day and the strike price change to reveal the value of the spread at the intersection of the values.

Viewing Spread Options

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Selecting the spread and pressing the view indicator brings up the View Options Setting page. Here you have one last chance to change the output of the spreads before rendering.

Price Range (Max-Min) and Day Range (Max-Min) set the bounds for the graph. These values set the viewing range for the stock price and days left until opex.

Stock price and opex days are the values the view indicator plane starts at. Use these values if you have a price and day already in mind that you would like to know the value of a spread.

Interest rate and volatility are numbers in % to describe the environment of the options. These values weigh very heavily and can change very quickly changing the output of the model greatly. Make sure to monitor these closely and change them accordingly.

Ratio allows adjustment of the number of contracts in a spread. If the value of the spread is set at a minimal number then you can use this to adjust and find a quantity of options that matches your risk/reward tolerance.

Spread Data Entry

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From this screen you can enter your desired option spread. Understand that the program is a calculator and check with your local broker for valid option strike entries. Options are now not only weekly but extra strikes are added frequently. We figured it best to allow any entry, since the graphs are only models its best to allow any value for any situation.

Move through the spread by swiping from side to side as indicated on the first screen. The page indicator on the right has been enhanced. This shows the number of entries in the spread plus a blank if editing has begun.

Delete is to delete the option position at the current page, and will decrement the page count by 1.

Company name is the name of the company but is unused for rendering purposes.

Ticker symbol is the stock ticker but is also unused. Feel free to use the program to map futures and futures options such as emini’s and commodity contracts.

Asset type, enter the contract type here. It is worth noting when stock is chosen Expiration Days and Strike Price are removed since they have no relevance.

Strike price sets the strikes of the put and call contract in the spread.

Quantity is the number of contracts desired for the spread. Please note it might be advantageous to put in the smallest number of contracts here and use the ratio option before rendering the graph. That way the position can be adjusted to fit the desired risk reward just before rendering. Also use a negative number here for short contracts or short stock.

Expiration Days is the number of days on the option contract. Calendars are possible but understand that any value after the shortest expiration holds no relevance since the price of the spread is dependent on where the price of the stock was on the first expiration which can not be known until expiration.

Cost basis is the average price of the contracts or stock. Do not use the amount of the options or stock use the price. You can also use this to define a credit or debit with a plus or minus sign as well.

Spread Disclosure Indicator

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Pressing the disclosure indicator button on a spread will reveal its spread data entry screen. This screen is used to create each spread.

Deleting Spreads

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Swipe to the left on a spread entry and the delete button will show above. Pressing delete will remove the entry and its children. This will empty the spread data attached to this entry as well so make sure your ready to delete it when you delete.

Adding Portfolio Entries

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Press the button indicated by the arrow above on the Portfolio Spreads screen to add a new spread to the portfolio list. Type here any name to remember the name of the desired spread.

Display Preferences

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This section generally doesn’t need changed but in the case that you would like to change the appearance of the graph, use these settings to do so.

Graph Frame:
This setting tells the graph how to “connect the dots”. GL_TRIANGLE_STRIP is most common setting here which is the best performance to render a 3D graph with the area filled in. If your interested in knowing more about these settings visit http://www.opengl.org/.

Value Indicator Plane:
Here you can change the indicators that are used while the graph is rendered. Plane is the default and sets the stock price and opex day indicator to type plane. This means that as you move the indicator its displayed as a plane. Line the indicators are rendered as an outline, and none means turn off the indicators and just show the graph without any indicators at all.

Portfolio

Sun, 12 Sep 2010 11:21:54 -0700

This menu is where you setup different options spreads. These entries will be the sum of the spread of your choosing. The name of the spread is of your choosing and has no bearing on the output. Be sure to name each spread appropriately so that you can remember what spread your looking at.