We’re back after a refreshing one-week break! Here in Denver we packed the house with visitors, the kitchen with delicacies, the slopes with our skis, and our bellies with generally excessive consumption. Good thing reality returns with a bite soon!

Remember that Redford flick from the 1970s, Three Days of the Condor? It’s a thriller about high-level conspiracy. In volatility trading, an Iron Condor is not conspiratorial, just an income trade. You sell two puts and buy two calls, with the spread between both always giving you an initial credit in your account (your highest possible return). If the underlying issue, say an individual stock or the S&P 500 Index, the SPX, trades between your puts and calls, your options expire and you keep one or both credit spreads. It’s a popular thing to do in sideways markets.

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