QCLN Straddle Strategy
QCLN (First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Index Fund), in the Financial Services sector, (Asset Management industry), listed on NASDAQ.
The First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Index Fund is an exchange-traded index fund. The objective of the Fund is to seek investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield (before the Fund's fees and expenses) of an equity index called the Nasdaq Clean Edge Green Energy Index.
QCLN (First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Index Fund) trades in the Financial Services sector, specifically Asset Management, with a market capitalization of approximately $805.0M, a beta of 1.97 versus the broader market, a 52-week range of 29.57-63.3, average daily share volume of 136K, a public-listing history dating back to 2007. These structural characteristics shape how QCLN etf options price implied volatility around earnings windows, capital events, and macro-driven sector rotations.
A beta of 1.97 indicates QCLN has historically moved more than the broader market, amplifying both the directional payoff and the realized volatility relative to an index-equivalent position. QCLN pays a dividend, which adjusts put-call parity and shifts the ex-dividend pricing across the listed chain.
What is a straddle on QCLN?
A long straddle buys an ATM call and an ATM put at the same strike, profiting from a large move in either direction; max loss equals the combined debit when the underlying pins to the strike at expiration.
Current QCLN snapshot
As of May 15, 2026, spot at $61.59, ATM IV 35.90%, IV rank 26.86%, expected move 10.29%. The straddle on QCLN below is built from the same end-of-day chain, with strikes snapped to listed contracts and premiums pulled from the bid/ask midpoint at a 34-day expiry.
Why this straddle structure on QCLN specifically: QCLN IV at 35.90% is on the cheap side of its 1-year range, which favors premium-buying structures like a QCLN straddle, with a market-implied 1-standard-deviation move of approximately 10.29% (roughly $6.34 on the underlying). The 34-day window matched to the front-month expiry keeps theta exposure bounded while still capturing the post-snapshot move; longer-dated QCLN expiries trade a higher absolute premium for lower per-day decay. Position sizing on QCLN should anchor to the underlying notional of $61.59 per share and to the trader's directional view on QCLN etf.
QCLN straddle setup
The QCLN straddle below is built from the end-of-day chain, with each option leg priced at the bid/ask midpoint of its listed strike. With QCLN near $61.59, the first option leg uses a $60.00 strike; additional legs (when the strategy has them) anchor to spot-relative offsets. Premiums come from the bid/ask midpoint on the listed QCLN chain at a 34-day expiry; the cross-strike IV skew is reflected directly in the per-leg values rather than approximated. Quantity sizing assumes one contract per option leg (or 100 QCLN shares for the stock leg in covered calls and collars).
| Action | Type | Strike / Basis | Premium (est) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buy 1 | Call | $60.00 | $3.25 |
| Buy 1 | Put | $60.00 | $2.30 |
QCLN straddle risk and reward
- Net Premium / Debit
- -$555.00
- Max Profit (per contract)
- Unbounded
- Max Loss (per contract)
- -$550.24
- Breakeven(s)
- $54.45, $65.55
- Risk / Reward Ratio
- Unbounded
Upside max profit is unbounded; downside max profit is bounded at the strike minus the combined call plus put debit (reached at zero). Max loss equals the combined debit times 100 (reached when the underlying pins to the strike). Two breakevens at strike plus debit and strike minus debit.
QCLN straddle payoff curve
Modeled P&L at expiration across a range of underlying prices for the straddle on QCLN. Each row is one sampled price point from the computed payoff curve; the full curve uses 200 price points internally before being summarized into 10 rows here.
| Underlying Price | % From Spot | P&L at Expiration |
|---|---|---|
| $0.01 | -100.0% | +$5,444.00 |
| $13.63 | -77.9% | +$4,082.32 |
| $27.24 | -55.8% | +$2,720.64 |
| $40.86 | -33.7% | +$1,358.96 |
| $54.48 | -11.5% | -$2.71 |
| $68.09 | +10.6% | +$254.39 |
| $81.71 | +32.7% | +$1,616.07 |
| $95.33 | +54.8% | +$2,977.75 |
| $108.94 | +76.9% | +$4,339.43 |
| $122.56 | +99.0% | +$5,701.11 |
When traders use straddle on QCLN
Straddles on QCLN are pure-volatility plays that profit from large moves in either direction; traders typically buy QCLN straddles ahead of earnings, FDA decisions, or other catalysts where the realized move is expected to exceed the implied move priced into the chain.
QCLN thesis for this straddle
The market-implied 1-standard-deviation range for QCLN extends from approximately $55.25 on the downside to $67.93 on the upside. A QCLN long straddle is a pure-volatility play: it profits when the underlying moves far enough from the strike in either direction to overcome the combined call plus put debit, regardless of direction. Current QCLN IV rank near 26.86% sits in the lower third of its 1-year distribution, where IV often re-expands toward the mean; this favors premium-buying structures and disadvantages premium-selling structures on QCLN at 35.90%. As a Financial Services name, QCLN options can move on sector-level news flow (peer earnings, regulatory updates, industry-specific macro data) in addition to QCLN-specific events.
QCLN straddle positions are structurally neutral / high-volatility (long premium); the modeled P&L assumes European-style exercise at expiration and ignores early assignment, transaction costs, dividends paid before expiry on the stock leg (when present), and the bid-ask spread on the listed chain. QCLN positions also carry Financial Services sector concentration risk; news flow inside the sector (peer earnings, regulatory shifts, supply-chain headlines) can move QCLN alongside the broader basket even when QCLN-specific fundamentals are unchanged. Always rebuild the position from current QCLN chain quotes before placing a trade.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a straddle on QCLN?
- A straddle on QCLN is the straddle strategy applied to QCLN (etf). The strategy is structurally neutral / high-volatility (long premium): A long straddle buys an ATM call and an ATM put at the same strike, profiting from a large move in either direction; max loss equals the combined debit when the underlying pins to the strike at expiration. With QCLN etf trading near $61.59, the strikes shown on this page are snapped to the nearest listed QCLN chain strike and the premiums come straight from the end-of-day bid/ask midpoint.
- How are QCLN straddle max profit and max loss calculated?
- Upside max profit is unbounded; downside max profit is bounded at the strike minus the combined call plus put debit (reached at zero). Max loss equals the combined debit times 100 (reached when the underlying pins to the strike). Two breakevens at strike plus debit and strike minus debit. For the QCLN straddle priced from the end-of-day chain at a 30-day expiry (ATM IV 35.90%), the computed maximum profit is unbounded per contract and the computed maximum loss is -$550.24 per contract. Live intraday quotes will differ as the chain moves through the trading session.
- What is the breakeven for a QCLN straddle?
- The breakeven for the QCLN straddle priced on this page is roughly $54.45 and $65.55 at expiration, derived from end-of-day chain premiums. Breakeven is the underlying price at which the strategy's P&L crosses zero ignoring transaction costs and assignment risk. The current QCLN market-implied 1-standard-deviation expected move is approximately 10.29%; if the move sits well outside the breakeven distance, the structure's risk-reward becomes correspondingly tighter.
- When should you consider a straddle on QCLN?
- Straddles on QCLN are pure-volatility plays that profit from large moves in either direction; traders typically buy QCLN straddles ahead of earnings, FDA decisions, or other catalysts where the realized move is expected to exceed the implied move priced into the chain.
- How does current QCLN implied volatility affect this straddle?
- QCLN ATM IV is at 35.90% with IV rank near 26.86%, which is on the low end of its 1-year range. Premium-buying structures (long call, long put, debit spreads) are relatively cheap in this regime; premium-selling structures collect less credit per unit risk.