The Calendar Spread is an option cash-flow technique that is loved by both pro option traders as well as the retail crowd to create a consistent monthly income.

The calendar spread performs best and kicks off income due to the nature of the trade. This is a theta trade – an option strategy that takes advantage of options decaying value. As the days tick by heading towards expiration day – the time premium in the options lose their value. This in turn is what creates the profit for the calendar spread trader.

These trades can be built from call options as well as put options. In order to create a calendar spread trade, the option trader sells a near month strike on an underlying vehicle – and then buys a later month at the identical strike. Profit can be made from this trade because what happens over time is that the time premium in the closer month option decays at a much faster speed than the later month option. What is left over at expiration day is the difference of the two – which is what gives the trader profit.

Here is a hypothetical example of a calendar spread trade: Sell 5 Nov 60 call. Buy 5 Dec 60 call.

Now while in the example above the calendar position was created using joined together months, calendar spreads can also be created with a gap between the months.

For example, rather than constructing a calendar spread using Aug and Sept month options, it could be created using a Aug month option and an Oct month option – or a Aug month option an a Nov month option.

Ideally the the calendar technique is used with stocks or options that are trading in a range without a lot of movement. However, they can also be profitably traded in trending markets as long as the strikes who were bought and sold are near where the underlying ends up trading at expiration.

When you talk with some option traders, some will tell you they prefer the iron condor and calendar spread strategy because they believe they are easier to manage than some of the other strategies like the iron condor, credit spread, or the butterfly spread. Regardless, the calendar spread is a great strategy to learn and have ready to use in your ‘option trading toolbox’.

To watch more about the calendar spread technique, click over to this training website for gobs of free trading videos, illustrations, and reports on how to properly enter, close, handle and adjust the calendar spread strategy to produce a steady monthly source of income.