How are CMC 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 CMC straddle priced from the end-of-day chain at a 30-day expiry (ATM IV 43.00%), the computed maximum profit is unbounded per contract and the computed maximum loss is -$758.67 per contract. Live intraday quotes will differ as the chain moves through the trading session.

What is the breakeven for a CMC straddle?

The breakeven for the CMC straddle priced on this page is roughly $64.80 and $80.20 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 CMC market-implied 1-standard-deviation expected move is approximately 12.33%; if the move sits well outside the breakeven distance, the structure's risk-reward becomes correspondingly tighter.

How does current CMC implied volatility affect this straddle?

CMC ATM IV is at 43.00% with IV rank near 19.82%, 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.

CMC Straddle Strategy

CMC (Commercial Metals Company), in the Basic Materials sector, (Steel industry), listed on NYSE.

Commercial Metals Company manufactures, recycles, and fabricates steel and metal products, and related materials and services in the United States, Poland, China, and internationally. The company processes and sells ferrous and nonferrous scrap metals to steel mills and foundries, aluminum sheet and ingot manufacturers, brass and bronze ingot makers, copper refineries and mills, secondary lead smelters, specialty steel mills, high temperature alloy manufacturers, and other consumers. It also manufactures and sells finished long steel products, including rebar, merchant bar, light structural, and other special sections, as well as semi-finished billets for re-rolling and forging applications. In addition, the company provides fabricated steel products used to reinforce concrete primarily in the construction of commercial and non-commercial buildings, hospitals, convention centers, industrial plants, power plants, highways, bridges, arenas, stadiums, and dams; sells and rents construction-related products and equipment to concrete installers and other businesses; and manufactures and sells strength bars for the truck trailer industry, special bar steels for the energy market, and armor plates for military vehicles. Further, it manufactures rebars, merchant bars, and wire rods; and sells fabricated rebars, wire meshes, fabricated meshes, assembled rebar cages, and other fabricated rebar by-products to fabricators, manufacturers, distributors, and construction companies. The company was founded in 1915 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas.

CMC (Commercial Metals Company) trades in the Basic Materials sector, specifically Steel, with a market capitalization of approximately $7.80B, a trailing P/E of 15.45, a beta of 1.49 versus the broader market, a 52-week range of 45.5-84.87, average daily share volume of 1.2M, a public-listing history dating back to 1980, approximately 13K full-time employees. These structural characteristics shape how CMC stock options price implied volatility around earnings windows, capital events, and macro-driven sector rotations.

A beta of 1.49 indicates CMC has historically moved more than the broader market, amplifying both the directional payoff and the realized volatility relative to an index-equivalent position. CMC pays a dividend, which adjusts put-call parity and shifts the ex-dividend pricing across the listed chain.

What is a straddle on CMC?

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 CMC snapshot

As of May 15, 2026, spot at $71.53, ATM IV 43.00%, IV rank 19.82%, expected move 12.33%. The straddle on CMC 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 CMC specifically: CMC IV at 43.00% is on the cheap side of its 1-year range, which favors premium-buying structures like a CMC straddle, with a market-implied 1-standard-deviation move of approximately 12.33% (roughly $8.82 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 CMC expiries trade a higher absolute premium for lower per-day decay. Position sizing on CMC should anchor to the underlying notional of $71.53 per share and to the trader's directional view on CMC stock.

CMC straddle setup

The CMC 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 CMC near $71.53, the first option leg uses a $72.50 strike; additional legs (when the strategy has them) anchor to spot-relative offsets. Premiums come from the bid/ask midpoint on the listed CMC 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 CMC shares for the stock leg in covered calls and collars).

Action	Type	Strike / Basis	Premium (est)
Buy 1	Call	$72.50	$3.35
Buy 1	Put	$72.50	$4.35

CMC straddle risk and reward

Net Premium / Debit: -$770.00
Max Profit (per contract): Unbounded
Max Loss (per contract): -$758.67
Breakeven(s): $64.80, $80.20
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.

CMC straddle payoff curve

Modeled P&L at expiration across a range of underlying prices for the straddle on CMC. 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%	+$6,479.00
$15.82	-77.9%	+$4,897.54
$31.64	-55.8%	+$3,316.09
$47.45	-33.7%	+$1,734.63
$63.27	-11.5%	+$153.17
$79.08	+10.6%	-$111.71
$94.90	+32.7%	+$1,469.74
$110.71	+54.8%	+$3,051.20
$126.53	+76.9%	+$4,632.66
$142.34	+99.0%	+$6,214.12

When traders use straddle on CMC

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

CMC thesis for this straddle

The market-implied 1-standard-deviation range for CMC extends from approximately $62.71 on the downside to $80.35 on the upside. A CMC 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 CMC IV rank near 19.82% 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 CMC at 43.00%. As a Basic Materials name, CMC options can move on sector-level news flow (peer earnings, regulatory updates, industry-specific macro data) in addition to CMC-specific events.

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

Frequently asked questions

What is a straddle on CMC?: A straddle on CMC is the straddle strategy applied to CMC (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 CMC stock trading near $71.53, the strikes shown on this page are snapped to the nearest listed CMC chain strike and the premiums come straight from the end-of-day bid/ask midpoint.
How are CMC 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 CMC straddle priced from the end-of-day chain at a 30-day expiry (ATM IV 43.00%), the computed maximum profit is unbounded per contract and the computed maximum loss is -$758.67 per contract. Live intraday quotes will differ as the chain moves through the trading session.
What is the breakeven for a CMC straddle?: The breakeven for the CMC straddle priced on this page is roughly $64.80 and $80.20 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 CMC market-implied 1-standard-deviation expected move is approximately 12.33%; if the move sits well outside the breakeven distance, the structure's risk-reward becomes correspondingly tighter.
When should you consider a straddle on CMC?: Straddles on CMC are pure-volatility plays that profit from large moves in either direction; traders typically buy CMC 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 CMC implied volatility affect this straddle?: CMC ATM IV is at 43.00% with IV rank near 19.82%, 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.