| Position Composition | Risk Profile @ Expiration |
Shown here, short contract is ATM, long is OTM. The reverse is also possible. | Long 1 back-month call, Short 1 front-month call
Both contracts have the same underlying, but different strikes and different expirations.
Time value of front-month call will decay faster than time value of back-month call. | | Max Loss: Total cost of the spread, which is the cost of the long call minus the credit from the short call. E.g., $2.00 - $1.50 = $0.50 Max Gain: Depends on the value of the back-month call when the front-month option expires. |
| Greeks-at-a-Glance | P&L caused by movement in stock price | It depends on where the stock price is relative to the strike prices, and how much time remains until expiration. | P&L corresponding to changes in implied volatility | It depends on the long and short strikes chosen, and the proximity of each strike to underlying asset price. | Time Decay C:RR ratio is explained in "Decision Making" | Positive C:RR unless time value of short leg is too minimal (due to being deep ITM, OTM or near expiry.) | |
| A diagonal spread is the combination of a calendar spread and a vertical spread. As such, the Greeks are indicative of both spreads. The combination creates too many permutations of the Greeks-at-a-Glance grid to display here. |