
The CBOE S&P 500 PutWrite Index is a unique investment strategy that involves selling put options on the S&P 500 index. This approach allows investors to potentially earn premium income while also participating in the market's overall direction.
The index is designed to track the performance of a hypothetical portfolio that buys S&P 500 index options and sells S&P 500 index puts. This strategy is often referred to as a "putwrite" or "protective put" strategy.
By selling put options, investors are essentially taking on the obligation to buy the underlying index at a specified price if the put option is exercised. This can provide a hedge against potential losses in the underlying market.
Understanding Implied Volatility
Implied volatility is a crucial concept in understanding how the CBOE S&P 500 PutWrite Index works.
The Active Index-PutWrite strategy capitalizes on the relationship between implied volatility and realized volatility.
This means that the strategy can reduce equity volatility in a robust, repeatable way.
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The strategy secures an actively managed portfolio of written index put options with an underlying portfolio of short-term, high-quality cash securities.
By maintaining a cash collateral portfolio, the strategy can capture the benefits of equity investing while reducing risk.
If the underlying index rises, the premiums received from writing the index put options allow the strategy to participate in the return of the index, but generally not beyond the amount of premium received.
The written index put option generates a loss if the underlying index falls below the strike price, but this loss is partially offset by the premium received upfront.
Depending on the magnitude of decline in the underlying index relative to the put premium earned, this can result in a smaller loss, or slight gain, for the strategy relative to the index.
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Volatility Indices and Strategies
The CBOE S&P 500 PutWrite Index is designed to track the performance of a strategy that involves selling put options on the S&P 500 Index.
This strategy is known as a "put-write" strategy, which involves selling put options to investors who are looking to hedge against potential losses in the stock market.
The put-write strategy can be used to generate income in a variety of market conditions, including periods of high volatility.
By selling put options, investors can earn premium income from the sale of the options, regardless of whether the underlying stock price moves up or down.
The CBOE S&P 500 PutWrite Index is designed to track the performance of a hypothetical portfolio that implements this put-write strategy.
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Volatility Indices
The VIX Index is based on real-time prices of options on the S&P 500 Index and reflects investors' consensus view of future expected stock market volatility.
It's designed to estimate 30-day expected volatility, which can give us a sense of the market's overall anxiety level.
The Cboe 1-Day Volatility Index estimates expected volatility by aggregating the weighted prices of P.M.-settled S&P 500 Index puts and calls over a wide range of strike prices.
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This index provides a snapshot of the market's current volatility, which can be useful for making short-term trading decisions.
The Cboe 3-Month Volatility Index is designed to be a constant measure of 3-month implied volatility of the S&P 500 Index options.
This index can help us understand the market's expected volatility over a longer period, which can be useful for making investment decisions.
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Write Indices
The Cboe S&P 500 PutWrite Index (PUT) tracks the value of a hypothetical portfolio of securities that yields a buffered exposure to S&P 500 stock returns. This portfolio consists of one- and three-month Treasury bills and a short position in at-the-money put options on the S&P 500 Index.
The PUT portfolio is designed to ensure that its value does not become negative when rebalanced. The Cboe Validus S&P 500 Dynamic PutWrite Index (PUTD) is similar, but it uses a rule-based investment strategy with a basket of S&P 500 short put options and a money market account.
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Systematically selling cash-covered equity index put options has been found to be an attractive strategy. The CBOE S&P 500 PutWrite Index (PUT) outperformed the underlying S&P 500 Total Return Index on a gross, risk-adjusted basis during February 2006 through December 2015.
The CBOE S&P 500 One-Week PutWrite Index (WPUT) also outperformed the S&P 500 Total Return Index during the same period. This is based on a study by Oleg Bondarenko, which analyzed the performance of PUT and WPUT since their inception.
Here's a summary of the gross monthly performance statistics for PUT, WPUT, and the S&P 500 Total Return Index during February 2006 through December 2015:
The S&P 500 Total Return Index achieved the highest gross terminal value, but lagged PUT and WPUT during much of the sample period.
Writing Strategies Performance (2019)
In 2019, we analyzed the historical performance of two put-writing indices, the Cboe S&P 500 PutWrite Index (PUTSM Index) and the Cboe S&P 500 One-Week PutWrite Index.
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The PUTSM Index, for example, is a benchmark for put-writing strategies that involves selling put options on the S&P 500 index.
The Cboe S&P 500 One-Week PutWrite Index is another put-writing index that we looked at, which involves selling put options on the S&P 500 index on a weekly basis.
This index was created to provide a more dynamic and flexible approach to put-writing strategies.
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S&P 500 Index and Performance
The S&P 500 Index has been the benchmark for PUT and WPUT since the launch of these indexes.
The S&P 500 Total Return Index has achieved the highest gross terminal value among PUT, WPUT, and T-bills over the sample period. However, PUT and WPUT have outperformed the S&P 500 Total Return Index on a gross, risk-adjusted basis during certain periods.
Here are the gross monthly performance statistics for PUT, WPUT, and the S&P 500 Total Return Index during February 2006 through December 2015:
These statistics indicate that PUT and WPUT have performed better than the S&P 500 Total Return Index on a gross, risk-adjusted basis during the specified period.
S&P 500 Indices
The Cboe S&P 500 PutWrite Indices track the value of a passive investment strategy that consists of overlaying S&P 500 index options on a collateralized portfolio.
This strategy is based on the Cboe S&P 500 Collateralized Put Strategy, which is a key component of the PUT Index.
The PUT Index is a benchmark for evaluating the performance of put-write strategies, which involve selling put options on the S&P 500 index.
By tracking the PUT Index, investors can gain insight into the effectiveness of put-write strategies in different market conditions.
The PUT Index is a valuable tool for investors seeking to optimize their investment portfolios by incorporating options trading strategies.
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S&P 500 Protection Index
The Cboe S&P 500 Put Protection Indices are designed to help investors manage risk and protect their portfolios.
The Cboe S&P 500 Tail Risk Index (PPUT3M) tracks the performance of a hypothetical risk-management strategy that involves buying put options on the S&P 500 Index.
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This index is designed to provide a measure of the potential losses that could occur in the S&P 500 Index over a three-month period.
By tracking the performance of put options, the PPUT3M index provides investors with a way to gauge the potential risks associated with the S&P 500 Index.
The Cboe S&P 500 PutWrite Indices, on the other hand, are designed to track the value of a hypothetical portfolio that yields a buffered exposure to S&P 500 stock returns.
The Cboe S&P 500 PutWrite Index (PUT) is composed of one- and three-month Treasury bills and a short position in at-the-money put options on the S&P 500 Index.
This portfolio is designed to ensure that its value does not become negative when it is rebalanced.
The Cboe Validus S&P 500 Dynamic PutWrite Index (PUTD) tracks the value of a rule-based investment strategy that involves overlaying a basket of S&P 500 short put options over a money market account.
The Cboe Russell 2000 PutWrite Index (PUTR) tracks the value of a hypothetical portfolio that yields a buffered exposure to Russell 2000 Index stock returns.
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The PUTR portfolio is composed of an investment in one-month Treasury bills and a short position in an at-the-money put on the Russell 2000 Index.
The Cboe S&P 500 Put Protection Indices are designed to provide investors with a way to manage risk and protect their portfolios in a variety of market conditions.
Risk Management and Income
Risk management and income are closely tied. Generating income and managing risk can be achieved through cash-secured put writing, which involves selling a put option while holding an amount of cash sufficient to purchase the underlying stock should the option be exercised.
This strategy can provide a regular income stream and help protect against potential losses. Cash-secured put writing can be a useful tool for investors looking to balance their risk and return expectations.
The Cboe offers various indices that track the performance of risk management strategies, including the Cboe S&P 500 Put Protection Indices and the Cboe Zero-Cost Put Spread Collar Indices. These indices are designed to measure the performance of hypothetical strategies that use put options to manage risk.
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Write Index Performance
Writing Index Performance can be a complex topic, but let's break it down. The CBOE S&P 500 PutWrite Index (PUT) has outperformed the underlying S&P 500 Total Return Index on a gross, risk-adjusted basis since February 2006 through December 2015.
One key finding is that PUT outperformed the underlying index on a gross, risk-adjusted basis from July 1986 through December 2015. This is a significant period of time, indicating a consistent trend.
The PUT Index tracks a strategy of selling at-the-money S&P 500 Index options fully secured at sale by U.S. Treasury bills (T-bills) and holding to cash settlement at expiration. This approach has been found to be attractive in terms of gross risk-adjusted performance.
During February 2006 through December 2015, the PUT Index, the CBOE S&P 500 One-Week PutWrite Index (WPUT), and the S&P 500 Total Return Index had the following gross monthly performance statistics:
It's worth noting that the performance data is gross, not net, and that options generally have high trading frictions compared to stocks. This means that the actual performance of the PUT Index may be lower than reported due to these frictions.
Income and Risk Management
Generating income while managing risk is a key aspect of investing. This can be achieved through cash-secured put writing, a strategy that involves selling put options while holding an amount of cash sufficient to purchase the underlying stock should the option be exercised.
The Cboe S&P 500 PutWrite Index (PUT) tracks the value of a hypothetical portfolio of securities that yields a buffered exposure to S&P 500 stock returns.
By selling put options, investors can capture the premiums received from writing the options, which can result in a smaller loss or slight gain for the strategy relative to the index if the underlying index falls below the strike price of the put option.
Cash-secured put writing can be a flexible and disciplined approach to secured put writing, as seen in the Active Index-PutWrite strategy, which aims to outperform the Cboe S&P 500 PutWrite Index (PUT) over the long-term.
The performance of the CBOE PutWrite Indexes, such as the CBOE S&P 500 PutWrite Index (PUT) and the CBOE S&P 500 One-Week PutWrite Index (WPUT), indicates that systematically selling cash-covered put options on the S&P 500 Index has attractive gross risk-adjusted performance compared to the underlying index.
The following table summarizes gross monthly performance statistics for PUT, WPUT, and the S&P 500 Total Return Index during February 2006 through December 2015:
Note: The Sharpe Ratio is a measure of risk-adjusted return, with higher values indicating better performance.
CBOE and US Options Market
The CBOE U.S. Options Current Market Statistics provide a snapshot of the options market at specific times of the day. The numbers are staggering, with over 1.5 million puts and 1.1 million calls being traded at 9:30 AM.
The put/call ratio is a key metric to watch, and at 9:30 AM, it's 0.74. This means that for every 74 puts traded, there are 100 calls traded. I've seen this ratio fluctuate throughout the day, often in response to market news and events.
The CBOE indexes represent a portfolio that maintains a short position in a 30-day, at-the-money put option on the respective underlying index, rolled monthly. This strategy can be a useful tool for investors looking to hedge their portfolios or generate income.
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Cboe US Options Market Stats
Cboe US Options Market Stats are a crucial indicator of market trends. The Cboe indexes represent a portfolio that maintains a short position in a 30-day, at-the-money put option on the respective underlying index, rolled monthly.
The Cboe U.S. Options Current Market Statistics provide a snapshot of the market's activity. At 09:00 AM, the total number of puts traded was 913242.
The put-to-call ratio, also known as the P/C ratio, is an important metric. At 09:00 AM, the P/C ratio was 0.72.
As the day progresses, the statistics change. At 09:30 AM, the total number of puts traded increased to 1543566.
The P/C ratio also changes throughout the day. At 09:30 AM, the P/C ratio was 0.74.
By 10:00 AM, the total number of puts traded was 2087021.
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Award for Innovation
The CBOE S&P 500 PutWrite Index won the annual award for the Most Innovative Benchmark Index at the Twelfth Annual Super Bowl of Indexing Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona on December 3, 2007.
This award was one of only three product awards granted as part of the William F. Sharpe Indexing Achievement Awards.
The PUT Index received this prestigious award for its innovative approach to benchmarking.
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Bxm and Conundrum: Catherine Shalen Introduction
The CBOE and US Options Market is a complex landscape, but let's start with the basics. The BXM and PUT Conundrum is a great place to begin, as it highlights the intricacies of options trading.
The BXM index writes an at-the-money call over a put option, which seems equivalent to the PUT index that buys an at-the-money put option. Intuitively, these two strategies should have the same return, but they don't.
The underlying strategies of the BXM and PUT indices are indeed equivalent, but their performance is not. This discrepancy is what makes the BXM and PUT Conundrum so puzzling.
The CBOE, as a leading options exchange, plays a crucial role in facilitating the trading of these indices. The BXM and PUT indices are just two of the many options-based products available on the CBOE.
The BXM index's strategy of writing an at-the-money call over a put option is a common hedging technique used by investors. However, its performance is not as straightforward as one might expect.
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The PUT index, on the other hand, buys an at-the-money put option, which is a more straightforward strategy. Despite this, its performance is not identical to the BXM index.
The CBOE's options market is a vast and complex system, with many moving parts. The BXM and PUT Conundrum is just one example of the intricacies that can arise in this market.
The CBOE's role in facilitating options trading is critical, and the BXM and PUT Conundrum highlights the importance of understanding the underlying strategies of these indices.
Studies and Research
Studies and Research have shown that the PUT Index outperforms other benchmark indexes, including the S&P 500 Index. The PUT Index had annualized returns of 10.32% during the period analyzed, significantly higher than the S&P 500's 8.77%.
The PUT Index has a lower volatility compared to the S&P 500, with an annualized standard deviation of returns of 9.91%, which is 36% less than the S&P 500's 15.39%. This lower volatility makes the PUT Index a more stable investment option.
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The PUT Index tends to outperform the S&P 500 in quiet and falling markets, and underperform in months when stock prices rise sharply. In months with large negative returns for the S&P 500, the average monthly returns were negative 5.38% for the S&P 500 and negative 2.93% for the PUT Index.
Selling at-the-money put options each month earned a premium of 1.65% of the notional value of the index, which averaged 19.8% per year. This high income return exceeds the total return of 10.3%, making the PUT Index an attractive investment option.
The PUT Index has a higher Sharpe ratio, higher Sortino Ratio, and more negative skewness than the S&P 500 Index, indicating a more efficient and stable investment strategy. The PUT Index's excess returns are largely due to the fact that index options tend to trade at prices above their fair value.
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