How are CLF 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 CLF straddle priced from the August 14, 2026 end-of-day chain at a 30-day expiry (ATM IV 54.81%), the computed maximum profit is unbounded per contract and the computed maximum loss is -$142.00 per contract. Live intraday quotes will differ as the chain moves through the trading session.

What is the breakeven for a CLF straddle?

The breakeven for the CLF straddle priced on this page is roughly $10.57 and $13.44 at expiration, derived from the August 14, 2026 end-of-day chain's premiums. Breakeven is the underlying price at which the strategy's P&L crosses zero ignoring transaction costs and assignment risk. The CLF market-implied 1-standard-deviation expected move in the same options snapshot is approximately 15.71%; if the move sits well outside the breakeven distance, the structure's risk-reward becomes correspondingly tighter.

How does current CLF implied volatility affect this straddle?

CLF ATM IV is at 54.81% with IV rank near 8.55%, 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.

CLF Straddle Strategy

CLF (Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.), in the Basic Materials sector, (Steel industry), listed on NYSE.

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. stands as a prominent North American manufacturer specializing in flat-rolled steel. The company's diverse product portfolio encompasses a wide array of carbon steel forms, including hot-rolled, cold-rolled, electrogalvanized, hot-dip galvanized, hot-dip galvannealed, aluminized, enameling, and advanced high-strength steel. Additionally, they supply stainless steel, various steel plates, and specialized electrical steels (both grain-oriented and non-oriented). Beyond these core offerings, Cleveland-Cliffs produces tubular components, fabricated from carbon steel, stainless steel, and via electric resistance welding. Their tinplate division manufactures electrolytic tin-coated and chrome-coated sheets, alongside other tin mill products. The company also provides essential raw materials, ingots, rolled and cast blooms, hot-briquetted iron, and services like tooling and sampling.

CLF (Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.) trades in the Basic Materials sector, specifically Steel, with a market capitalization of approximately $6.99B, a beta of 2.12 versus the broader market, a 52-week range of 7.73-16.7, average daily share volume of 20.1M, a public-listing history dating back to 1987, approximately 25K full-time employees. These structural characteristics shape how CLF stock options price implied volatility around earnings windows, capital events, and macro-driven sector rotations.

A beta of 2.12 indicates CLF has historically moved more than the broader market, amplifying both the directional payoff and the realized volatility relative to an index-equivalent position. CLF pays a dividend, which adjusts put-call parity and shifts the ex-dividend pricing across the listed chain.

What is a straddle on CLF?

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.

CLF snapshot

As of August 14, 2026, spot at $11.95, ATM IV 54.81%, IV rank 8.55%, expected move 15.71%. The straddle on CLF below is built from the August 14, 2026 end-of-day chain, with strikes snapped to listed contracts and premiums pulled from the bid/ask midpoint at a 28-day expiry.

Why this straddle structure on CLF specifically: CLF IV at 54.81% is on the cheap side of its 1-year range, which favors premium-buying structures like a CLF straddle, with a market-implied 1-standard-deviation move of approximately 15.71% (roughly $1.88 on the underlying). The 28-day window matched to the front-month expiry keeps theta exposure bounded while still capturing the post-snapshot move; longer-dated CLF expiries trade a higher absolute premium for lower per-day decay. Position sizing on CLF should anchor to the underlying notional of $11.95 per share and to the trader's directional view on CLF stock.

CLF straddle setup

The CLF straddle below is built from the August 14, 2026 end-of-day chain, with each option leg priced at the bid/ask midpoint of its listed strike. With CLF at $11.95 on that close, the first option leg uses a $12.00 strike; additional legs (when the strategy has them) anchor to spot-relative offsets. Premiums come from the bid/ask midpoint on the listed CLF chain at a 28-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 CLF shares for the stock leg in covered calls and collars).

Action	Type	Strike / Basis	Premium (est)
Buy 1	Call	$12.00	$0.70
Buy 1	Put	$12.00	$0.74

CLF straddle risk and reward

Net Premium / Debit: -$143.50
Max Profit (per contract): Unbounded
Max Loss (per contract): -$142.00
Breakeven(s): $10.57, $13.44
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.

CLF straddle payoff curve

Modeled P&L at expiration across a range of underlying prices for the straddle on CLF. 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.

P&L at expiration across the modeled underlying-price range. Green shading marks profitable regions, red shading marks loss regions. Dotted purple verticals mark breakevens; the solid dark vertical marks current spot.

Underlying Price	% From Spot	P&L at Expiration
$0.01	-99.9%	+$1,055.50
$2.65	-77.8%	+$791.39
$5.29	-55.7%	+$527.28
$7.93	-33.6%	+$263.17
$10.57	-11.5%	-$0.94
$13.22	+10.6%	-$21.95
$15.86	+32.7%	+$242.16
$18.50	+54.8%	+$506.27
$21.14	+76.9%	+$770.38
$23.78	+99.0%	+$1,034.49

When traders use straddle on CLF

Straddles on CLF are pure-volatility plays that profit from large moves in either direction; traders typically buy CLF straddles ahead of earnings, FDA decisions, or other catalysts where the realized move is expected to exceed the implied move priced into the chain.

CLF thesis for this straddle

The market-implied 1-standard-deviation range for CLF extends from approximately $10.07 on the downside to $13.83 on the upside. A CLF 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 CLF IV rank near 8.55% 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 CLF at 54.81%. As a Basic Materials name, CLF options can move on sector-level news flow (peer earnings, regulatory updates, industry-specific macro data) in addition to CLF-specific events.

CLF 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. CLF positions also carry Basic Materials sector concentration risk; news flow inside the sector (peer earnings, regulatory shifts, supply-chain headlines) can move CLF alongside the broader basket even when CLF-specific fundamentals are unchanged. Always rebuild the position from current CLF chain quotes before placing a trade.

Frequently asked questions

What is a straddle on CLF?: A straddle on CLF is the straddle strategy applied to CLF (stock). 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 CLF stock at $11.95 on the August 14, 2026 close, the strikes shown on this page are snapped to the nearest listed CLF chain strike and the premiums come straight from that session's bid/ask midpoint.
How are CLF 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 CLF straddle priced from the August 14, 2026 end-of-day chain at a 30-day expiry (ATM IV 54.81%), the computed maximum profit is unbounded per contract and the computed maximum loss is -$142.00 per contract. Live intraday quotes will differ as the chain moves through the trading session.
What is the breakeven for a CLF straddle?: The breakeven for the CLF straddle priced on this page is roughly $10.57 and $13.44 at expiration, derived from the August 14, 2026 end-of-day chain's premiums. Breakeven is the underlying price at which the strategy's P&L crosses zero ignoring transaction costs and assignment risk. The CLF market-implied 1-standard-deviation expected move in the same options snapshot is approximately 15.71%; if the move sits well outside the breakeven distance, the structure's risk-reward becomes correspondingly tighter.
When should you consider a straddle on CLF?: Straddles on CLF are pure-volatility plays that profit from large moves in either direction; traders typically buy CLF 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 CLF implied volatility affect this straddle?: CLF ATM IV is at 54.81% with IV rank near 8.55%, 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.