Home/Options strategies/Scenario Lab · Synthetic Short Stock

Bearish strategy · Scenario Lab

Test a Synthetic Short Stock across possible paths

Market outlook Bearish

Short call and long put at same strike mimic short stock. Use the lab to see how the position responds before committing to a single forecast.

Scenario Lab

See how the position changes

Move the underlying, clock, and implied volatility independently. Values before expiration use a Black–Scholes estimate; expiration values use intrinsic payoff.

Sell call 1
Buy put 2

The catalog’s default strikes and premiums are illustrative. No ticker lookup or market data is used.

Selected scenario
Estimated P/L before expiration by underlying move and time remaining
UnderlyingToday30 days14 days7 daysExpiration
-15%
-10%
-5%
0%
+5%
+10%
+20%
IV lens

At expiration

Intrinsic payoff checkpoints

Time value has gone to zero. IV no longer changes the result.

Profit or loss at expiration
UnderlyingMoveP/L
-15%
-10%
-5%
0%
+5%
+10%
+20%

Model boundary: theoretical estimates use dividend-adjusted Black–Scholes for European exercise or a 100-step binomial estimate for American exercise. Fees, spreads, discrete dividend dates, early assignment behavior, and liquidity effects are excluded. Calculation, not advice.

Why this structure behaves this way

Synthetic Short Stock is shaped by negative delta and short vega exposure

Delta tracks the stock near -1:1, mimicking a short share position. The short call's theta and long put's decay largely offset near the money, leaving small residual decay and mildly negative vega.

This page uses the catalog’s illustrative default legs so you can compare direction, time, and volatility effects in one place. Edit the assumptions above to test a different starting point.