Nifty Volatility Using Neutral Strategies

Abstract

This research analyzes derivative strategies that have been applied on the Nifty IT index, which is one of the sectoral indexes under Nifty. It involves the application of derivative strategies on five years of historical data of the Nifty IT index and determines their profitability. Two strategies have been used for this purpose: long straddle and short straddle. The success rates of the two neutral option strategies have been computed. The research aims to identify the strategy that can be consistently applied on the Nifty IT index in the future to generate profits. Payoff graphs for the most recent months have also been generated to complement the findings of this analysis. The results suggest that the success percentage of a long straddle strategy has been around 40% and that of short straddle around 60%. The authors conclude that the market is more bearish on volatility for the Nifty IT index. The short straddle strategy was more successful than the long straddle strategy for the period studied. Therefore, of the two strategies, the short straddle seems to offer the best prospects for neutral trading on the Nifty IT index in the future.

TOPICS: Security analysis and valuation, mutual funds/passive investing/indexing, options, performance measurement