butterfly spread

Butterfly spread

Applies to derivative products. Complex option strategy that involves buying a call option with a relatively low strike price; buying a call option with a relatively high strike price; and selling two call options with an intermediate strike price. Essentially, this is a bear call spread stacked on top of a bull call spread. One can also do this with puts. The investor buys a put with a low strike, buys a put at high strike and sells two puts at intermediate strike price. The payoff diagram resembles the shape of a butterfly.

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butterfly spread

A combination of two long and two short call options, all with the same expiration date. The two short options carry the same strike price, which is sandwiched between a higher and a lower strike price on the long options. A hypothetical example of a butterfly spread would be to sell two April GM $60 and buy an April GM $50 and an April GM $70. The butterfly spread is designed to be profitable if the price of the underlying asset remains within a narrow trading range.