How are RS 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 RS straddle priced from the end-of-day chain at a 30-day expiry (ATM IV 27.80%), the computed maximum profit is unbounded per contract and the computed maximum loss is -$1,716.76 per contract. Live intraday quotes will differ as the chain moves through the trading session.

What is the breakeven for a RS straddle?

The breakeven for the RS straddle priced on this page is roughly $352.05 and $387.95 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 RS market-implied 1-standard-deviation expected move is approximately 7.97%; if the move sits well outside the breakeven distance, the structure's risk-reward becomes correspondingly tighter.

How does current RS implied volatility affect this straddle?

RS ATM IV is at 27.80% with IV rank near 39.38%, which is mid-range against its 1-year history. Strategy selection depends more on directional thesis and expected move than on a strong IV signal.

RS Straddle Strategy

RS (Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co.), in the Basic Materials sector, (Steel industry), listed on NYSE.

Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. (RS) operates as a premier diversified metal solutions provider and a leading metal service center, serving clients across the United States, Canada, and globally. The company provides an extensive inventory of approximately 100,000 metal products, including alloys, aluminum, brass, copper, carbon steel, stainless steel, titanium, and various specialty steels. Beyond distribution, it offers comprehensive metal processing services to diverse sectors such as general manufacturing, non-residential construction, transportation, aerospace, energy, electronics and semiconductor fabrication, and heavy industries. Additionally, RS supplies non-ferrous metals and tubular building products, while also manufacturing bespoke extruded metals, fabricated components, and welded parts. As of December 31, 2021, its network comprised about 315 facilities spread across 40 U.S. states and 13 other countries. The company directly sells its offerings to original equipment manufacturers, largely catering to small machine shops and fabricators.

RS (Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co.) trades in the Basic Materials sector, specifically Steel, with a market capitalization of approximately $19.69B, a trailing P/E of 24.71, a beta of 0.96 versus the broader market, a 52-week range of 260.31-419.83, average daily share volume of 330K, a public-listing history dating back to 1994, approximately 16K full-time employees. These structural characteristics shape how RS stock options price implied volatility around earnings windows, capital events, and macro-driven sector rotations.

A beta of 0.96 places RS roughly in line with broader market moves, so the strategy payoff and realized volatility track the index-equivalent baseline. RS pays a dividend, which adjusts put-call parity and shifts the ex-dividend pricing across the listed chain.

What is a straddle on RS?

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 RS snapshot

As of June 30, 2026, spot at $372.65, ATM IV 27.80%, IV rank 39.38%, expected move 7.97%. The straddle on RS 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 17-day expiry.

Why this straddle structure on RS specifically: RS IV at 27.80% is mid-range versus its 1-year history, so strategy selection should anchor more to the directional thesis than to the IV regime, with a market-implied 1-standard-deviation move of approximately 7.97% (roughly $29.70 on the underlying). The 17-day window matched to the front-month expiry keeps theta exposure bounded while still capturing the post-snapshot move; longer-dated RS expiries trade a higher absolute premium for lower per-day decay. Position sizing on RS should anchor to the underlying notional of $372.65 per share and to the trader's directional view on RS stock.

RS straddle setup

The RS 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 RS near $372.65, the first option leg uses a $370.00 strike; additional legs (when the strategy has them) anchor to spot-relative offsets. Premiums come from the bid/ask midpoint on the listed RS chain at a 17-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 RS shares for the stock leg in covered calls and collars).

Action	Type	Strike / Basis	Premium (est)
Buy 1	Call	$370.00	$10.90
Buy 1	Put	$370.00	$7.05

RS straddle risk and reward

Net Premium / Debit: -$1,795.00
Max Profit (per contract): Unbounded
Max Loss (per contract): -$1,716.76
Breakeven(s): $352.05, $387.95
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.

RS straddle payoff curve

Modeled P&L at expiration across a range of underlying prices for the straddle on RS. 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%	+$35,204.00
$82.40	-77.9%	+$26,964.61
$164.80	-55.8%	+$18,725.23
$247.19	-33.7%	+$10,485.84
$329.59	-11.6%	+$2,246.45
$411.98	+10.6%	+$2,402.93
$494.37	+32.7%	+$10,642.32
$576.77	+54.8%	+$18,881.71
$659.16	+76.9%	+$27,121.10
$741.55	+99.0%	+$35,360.48

When traders use straddle on RS

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

RS thesis for this straddle

The market-implied 1-standard-deviation range for RS extends from approximately $342.95 on the downside to $402.35 on the upside. A RS 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 RS IV rank near 39.38% is mid-range against its 1-year distribution, so the IV signal is neutral; the straddle thesis on RS should anchor more to the directional view and the expected-move geometry. As a Basic Materials name, RS options can move on sector-level news flow (peer earnings, regulatory updates, industry-specific macro data) in addition to RS-specific events.

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

Frequently asked questions

What is a straddle on RS?: A straddle on RS is the straddle strategy applied to RS (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 RS stock trading near $372.65, the strikes shown on this page are snapped to the nearest listed RS chain strike and the premiums come straight from the end-of-day bid/ask midpoint.
How are RS 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 RS straddle priced from the end-of-day chain at a 30-day expiry (ATM IV 27.80%), the computed maximum profit is unbounded per contract and the computed maximum loss is -$1,716.76 per contract. Live intraday quotes will differ as the chain moves through the trading session.
What is the breakeven for a RS straddle?: The breakeven for the RS straddle priced on this page is roughly $352.05 and $387.95 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 RS market-implied 1-standard-deviation expected move is approximately 7.97%; if the move sits well outside the breakeven distance, the structure's risk-reward becomes correspondingly tighter.
When should you consider a straddle on RS?: Straddles on RS are pure-volatility plays that profit from large moves in either direction; traders typically buy RS 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 RS implied volatility affect this straddle?: RS ATM IV is at 27.80% with IV rank near 39.38%, which is mid-range against its 1-year history. Strategy selection depends more on directional thesis and expected move than on a strong IV signal.