Conflicting signals on the economy resulted in mixed trading in the markets today. Oil and commodities prices fell and worried investors that worldwide demand was not recovering; on the other hand, the S&P 500 bounced off its 200 day moving average on increased trading volume. The Russell 2000 Index (RUT) closed down about $3 to $494.03. This volatile, chaotic, largely sideways movement in the markets is actually nearly ideal for our delta neutral trades. But the volatility makes it a bit unnerving.

Our July iron butterfly stands at +$3,160, position delta = +$67, and theta = +$192. Our theta/delta ratio remains strong; I am beginning to look at the optimum closing for this trade sometime between now and this Friday (one week before expiration). However, I am in a class all day tomorrow and will probably only have a few moments to check on this position. Assuming no severe market moves tomorrow, I will be closing this position later this week.

Our August iron condor stands at +$660, position delta = +$14, and position theta = +$74. Since I still have 45 days left, I am beginning to consider closing the 570/580 call spreads and rolling that position down. The advantage is locking in about $1,000 of gain; the disadvantage is the loss of safety margin if this market rebounds - and there is no predicting this market; actually, all of our attempts to predict the market may be a bit futile, but the effort makes us feel better.