How are IONS 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 IONS straddle priced from the August 14, 2026 end-of-day chain at a 30-day expiry (ATM IV 44.20%), the computed maximum profit is unbounded per contract and the computed maximum loss is -$596.23 per contract. Live intraday quotes will differ as the chain moves through the trading session.

What is the breakeven for a IONS straddle?

The breakeven for the IONS straddle priced on this page is roughly $51.28 and $63.73 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 IONS market-implied 1-standard-deviation expected move in the same options snapshot is approximately 12.67%; if the move sits well outside the breakeven distance, the structure's risk-reward becomes correspondingly tighter.

How does current IONS implied volatility affect this straddle?

IONS ATM IV is at 44.20% with IV rank near 9.07%, 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.

IONS Straddle Strategy

IONS (Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), in the Healthcare sector, (Biotechnology industry), listed on NASDAQ.

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in Carlsbad, California, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the discovery and development of RNA-targeted therapies within the United States. Its commercial portfolio includes three key medications: SPINRAZA, prescribed for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in both children and adults; TEGSEDI, an injectable treatment targeting polyneuropathy associated with hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis in adult patients; and WAYLIVRA, which addresses familial chylomicronemia syndrome and familial partial lipodystrophy. Ionis also maintains a robust pipeline, with several drug candidates currently in Phase 3 clinical trials. These include Eplontersen, a monthly self-administered subcutaneous injection designed for all forms of TTR amyloidosis; Olezarsen, intended for individuals with severe hypertriglyceridemia (SHTG); Donidalorsen, for patients suffering from hereditary angioedema; ION363, aimed at amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); Pelacarsen, developed for those with established cardiovascular disease and elevated lipoprotein(a); and Tofersen, which works by inhibiting the production of superoxide dismutase 1. Beyond these late-stage assets, the company is actively researching treatments for metabolic, infectious, renal, and ophthalmic diseases, as well as various types of cancer. The firm engages in significant collaborations, notably a strategic partnership with Biogen Inc.

IONS (Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) trades in the Healthcare sector, specifically Biotechnology, with a market capitalization of approximately $9.39B, a beta of 0.40 versus the broader market, a 52-week range of 41.71-86.74, average daily share volume of 2.5M, a public-listing history dating back to 1991, approximately 1K full-time employees. These structural characteristics shape how IONS stock options price implied volatility around earnings windows, capital events, and macro-driven sector rotations.

A beta of 0.40 indicates IONS has historically moved less than the broader market, dampening realized volatility and producing tighter expected-move bands per unit of dollar exposure.

What is a straddle on IONS?

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.

IONS snapshot

As of August 14, 2026, spot at $56.90, ATM IV 44.20%, IV rank 9.07%, expected move 12.67%. The straddle on IONS 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 35-day expiry.

Why this straddle structure on IONS specifically: IONS IV at 44.20% is on the cheap side of its 1-year range, which favors premium-buying structures like a IONS straddle, with a market-implied 1-standard-deviation move of approximately 12.67% (roughly $7.21 on the underlying). The 35-day window matched to the front-month expiry keeps theta exposure bounded while still capturing the post-snapshot move; longer-dated IONS expiries trade a higher absolute premium for lower per-day decay. Position sizing on IONS should anchor to the underlying notional of $56.90 per share and to the trader's directional view on IONS stock.

IONS straddle setup

The IONS 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 IONS at $56.90 on that close, the first option leg uses a $57.50 strike; additional legs (when the strategy has them) anchor to spot-relative offsets. Premiums come from the bid/ask midpoint on the listed IONS chain at a 35-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 IONS shares for the stock leg in covered calls and collars).

Action	Type	Strike / Basis	Premium (est)
Buy 1	Call	$57.50	$2.98
Buy 1	Put	$57.50	$3.25

IONS straddle risk and reward

Net Premium / Debit: -$622.50
Max Profit (per contract): Unbounded
Max Loss (per contract): -$596.23
Breakeven(s): $51.28, $63.73
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.

IONS straddle payoff curve

Modeled P&L at expiration across a range of underlying prices for the straddle on IONS. 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	-100.0%	+$5,126.50
$12.59	-77.9%	+$3,868.52
$25.17	-55.8%	+$2,610.54
$37.75	-33.7%	+$1,352.56
$50.33	-11.5%	+$94.58
$62.91	+10.6%	-$81.60
$75.49	+32.7%	+$1,176.38
$88.07	+54.8%	+$2,434.36
$100.65	+76.9%	+$3,692.34
$113.23	+99.0%	+$4,950.32

When traders use straddle on IONS

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

IONS thesis for this straddle

The market-implied 1-standard-deviation range for IONS extends from approximately $49.69 on the downside to $64.11 on the upside. A IONS 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 IONS IV rank near 9.07% 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 IONS at 44.20%. As a Healthcare name, IONS options can move on sector-level news flow (peer earnings, regulatory updates, industry-specific macro data) in addition to IONS-specific events.

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

Frequently asked questions

What is a straddle on IONS?: A straddle on IONS is the straddle strategy applied to IONS (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 IONS stock at $56.90 on the August 14, 2026 close, the strikes shown on this page are snapped to the nearest listed IONS chain strike and the premiums come straight from that session's bid/ask midpoint.
How are IONS 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 IONS straddle priced from the August 14, 2026 end-of-day chain at a 30-day expiry (ATM IV 44.20%), the computed maximum profit is unbounded per contract and the computed maximum loss is -$596.23 per contract. Live intraday quotes will differ as the chain moves through the trading session.
What is the breakeven for a IONS straddle?: The breakeven for the IONS straddle priced on this page is roughly $51.28 and $63.73 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 IONS market-implied 1-standard-deviation expected move in the same options snapshot is approximately 12.67%; if the move sits well outside the breakeven distance, the structure's risk-reward becomes correspondingly tighter.
When should you consider a straddle on IONS?: Straddles on IONS are pure-volatility plays that profit from large moves in either direction; traders typically buy IONS 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 IONS implied volatility affect this straddle?: IONS ATM IV is at 44.20% with IV rank near 9.07%, 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.