Logo
Home  >  Glossary  >  Options arbitrage

Options Arbitrage

Options arbitrage is a trading strategy that seeks to profit from price discrepancies in the options market. Arbitrage opportunities arise when mispricing occurs between related options, allowing traders to simultaneously buy and sell options to lock in a risk-free profit. Common forms of options arbitrage include the “box spread” and “conversion and reversal” strategies, which involve buying and selling combinations of call and put options.

Example

A trader spots a mispricing between call and put options of the same underlying asset and strikes, executing a box spread to exploit the difference for a risk-free profit.

Key points

A strategy to profit from price discrepancies in the options market.

Involves simultaneously buying and selling options to lock in a risk-free profit.

Common strategies include the box spread and conversion/reversal.

Quick Answers to Curious Questions

The goal is to exploit price discrepancies in the options market to generate risk-free profits through simultaneous trades.

A box spread involves buying and selling combinations of calls and puts at different strike prices to create a risk-free position.

While arbitrage seeks risk-free profits, execution risks or sudden market changes can affect the profitability of the strategy.
scroll top

Register to our Newsletter to always be updated of our latest news!