Triple Witching Explained: Dates, Strategies, Impacts & How to Profit

Arbitrageurs try to exploit such abnormal price action, yet doing so can likewise be very risky. As a result of increased market volatility, triple witching events can sometimes create opportunities for vigilant investors and traders. But due to heightened volatility, triple witching events are also arguably riskier than other expirations.

Is Triple Witching bullish or bearish?

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On Triple Witching Day, stock options, index options, and index futures expire simultaneously, creating a unique trading environment. Each instrument follows its own expiration cycle, but on this day, their timelines align. Exchanges like the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) and CME Group set the contract specifications, including expiration dates, settlement procedures, and final trading hours. Triple-witching is of greatest concern to active traders whose derivatives are expiring.

The last hour of the session, the triple-witching hour, brings a flurry of activity that can affect liquidity. Sometimes the dynamics of triple-witching result in a less liquid market for a certain security, which increases spreads and creates opportunities for arbitrage, in which a trader exploits price differentials between markets. Because multiple derivatives (futures and options) are connected to a similar underlying asset class, volume spikes and the above-average trading volume can create unpredictable price action. To avoid this, the contract owner closes the contract by selling it before the expiration. After closing the expiring contract, exposure to the S&P 500 index can be continued by buying a new contract in a forward month.

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  • As such, market participants should be aware of triple witching to ensure they are prepared for possible high-magnitude moves, and manage their portfolios accordingly.
  • Triple witching refers to the third Friday of March, June, September, and December when three kinds of securities—stock market index futures, stock market index options, and stock options—expire on the same day.
  • Triple witching occurs on the third Friday of March, June, September, and December, and it can have a profound influence on trading activity, particularly in the final hour of the trading day.
  • Delta hedging adjustments by options market makers also contribute to price swings.

A solid options edcuation can be an invaluable resource when developing and executing your triple witching trading strategies. Our programs provide skill, strategies and trading systems to help you make informed decisions. Whether you’re exploring different strategies, analysing potential risks, or tracking market movements, OptionPundit has you covered. The triple witching day of September 18, 2020, occurred in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, a time of extreme uncertainty and market volatility. The S&P 500 experienced a wild ride, initially surging over 1% before reversing course and closing down 0.5%.

What happens to stocks on triple witching day?

This dramatic intraday swing demonstrated the heightened sensitivity of the market during times of crisis. Due to the convergence of several expirations, and increased trading volume and volatility, triple witching can be a challenging environment to trade. Large funds execute trades during this period to minimize market impact, but the sheer volume of orders can create temporary price distortions. Stocks with high index fund ownership may experience exaggerated movements as fund managers adjust holdings to match benchmark weightings.

But for the majority of long-term buy-and-hold investors, the volatility exhibited on triple-witching days shouldn’t be ominous. Unusual price movements are often short-lived and, because investors know triple-witching is happening, turbulence is unlikely to materially change market sentiment. Triple-witching days often coincide, as is the case Friday, with S&P index rebalancing, which generates additional trading volume and can contribute to volatility. Palantir (PLTR) and Dell (DELL) will join the benchmark S&P 500 after Friday’s close; so will insurance company Erie Indemnity (ERIE). Those stocks and the ones they’re replacing—American Air Lines (AAL), Etsy (ETSY), and Bio-Rad Laboratories (BIO)—could see high volume on Friday as funds tracking the index buy and sell shares. Start your day with a live daily market analysis, a carefully selected watch list, early access to the Morning Memo, and exclusive Market Clubhouse price levels, providing precise support and resistance indicators.

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Triple witching is the simultaneous expiration of stock options, stock index futures, and stock index options contracts, all on the same trading day. This happens four times a year, on the third Friday of March, June, September, and December. The expected expiration date for the three might increase trading volume and cause unusual price changes in the underlying assets. Stock index futures obligate the purchase or sale forex trading platforms of a financial index at a predetermined future date and price.

Triple witching How to buy google stock hour, typically, is referred to the last hour of trade on that day. While triple witching days may see some market volatility, not all trades occur in the last hour. Short-term traders should adapt their strategies to these conditions, avoid trading, or reduce their position size if they notice their performance deteriorates during this time.

What Is the Witching Hour?

  • Triple witching is the simultaneous expiration of stock options, stock index futures, and stock index options contracts, all on the same trading day.
  • One such event is triple witching, which refers to the simultaneous expiration of three different types of financial instruments on the same day.
  • The expected expiration date for the three might increase trading volume and cause unusual price changes in the underlying assets.

A arbitrageur is a trader who searches for price failures in a security and afterward looks to create a gain by buying and selling it simultaneously. Triple Witching is a significant event in the financial markets that occurs on the third Friday of certain months, typically March, June, September, and December. During Triple Witching, three types of financial derivatives contracts—stock options, stock index futures, and stock index options—all reach their expiration on the same day. Traders and investors must therefore make decisions about their options and futures positions, which can lead to potential shifts (and opportunities) in the markets. Since traders will try to close or roll over their positions, trading volume is generally better than expected on triple witching, which can lead to greater volatility. Pinning a strike forces pin risk for options traders, wherein they become dubious with regards to whether they ought to exercise their long options that have expired in the money or extremely close to it.

This event foreshadowed the turmoil that would soon engulf the global financial system. Investors and traders new to triple witching may therefore want to keep the following tips and considerations in mind. Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.

For the week leading into the triple-witching Friday, the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) were up 2.9%, 3.8%, and 1.6%, respectively. However, it seems much of the gains happened before the triple-witching Friday because the S&P 500 and DJIA increased only 0.50% and hitbtc exchange review 0.54%, respectively, that day.

Still, the event was in the past known for causing sudden price moves as contracts disappear and traders roll over their existing positions. The expiration of derivatives is a key event in financial markets, particularly during triple witching. Examining how different derivatives expire offers insight into their impact on market behavior.

As expiration approaches, traders often engage in index arbitrage, simultaneously buying and selling stocks and futures to exploit price discrepancies. Additionally, traders may need to settle open positions by delivering index components or rolling over contracts to avoid physical delivery. Since futures are marked to market daily, margin requirements may shift, adding to market volatility as traders adjust their positions.

This is not particularly bullish or bearish day, but it is a day full of unpredictable events such as trading volume surge, volatility increase, price distortions, liquidity crunch, etc. making it a very uncertain day. First, stock options on individual stocks and ETFs with a September 20, 2024 expiration date come to the end of their contract life. Investors and traders holding these options must therefore determine whether to close these positions, let them expire, or roll them to a different contract month. On the expiration date, futures and options (if exercised), must be settled which means either the underlying asset needs to be delivered or the settlement is made using cash. Stock index futures and options are typically cash-settled, whereas you need to deliver the stock in case of single stock options.

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