Arbitrage Spreads

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What this video covers

  • What put-call parity (PCP) means for options on futures, and why a synthetic position built from a call and put must equal the real futures contract
  • How a synthetic long futures is created from a long call plus short put at the same strike and expiration
  • The exact construction of a conversion: long futures, long put, short call, and why it is used only when the call is relatively overpriced (options rich)
  • The exact construction of a reversal: short futures, long call, short put, and why it is used only when the call is relatively underpriced (options cheap)
  • Why each spread is hedged and near-riskless, with directional risk eliminated because the real leg and synthetic leg cancel each other
  • The memory aid "always trade against the mispriced call," and how to mechanically apply it under exam pressure
  • How the exam baits you with swapped legs or directional rationales, and why treating these as market-view trades misses the entire concept

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This video's complete written lesson is free to read in the CertFuel app, no signup wall. The complete Series 3 course also includes adaptive practice questions and spaced-repetition flashcards, free through the end of 2026.

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