ZYME Straddle Strategy

ZYME (Zymeworks Inc.), in the Healthcare sector, (Biotechnology industry), listed on NASDAQ.

Zymeworks Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, discovers, develops, and commercializes biotherapeutics for the treatment of cancer. The company's lead product candidates include zanidatamab, a novel bispecific antibody that is in Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials for the treatment of biliary tract, gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas, breast, and colorectal cancer; and ZW49, a biparatopic anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) antibody-drug conjugate that is in Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of advanced or metastatic HER2-expressing tumors. The company has strategic partnerships with Merck Sharp & Dohme Research Ltd.; Eli Lilly and Company; Bristol-Myers Squibb company; GlaxoSmithKline Intellectual Property Development Ltd.; Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd.; Janssen Biotech, Inc.; BeiGene, Ltd.; and Exelixis, Inc. It also has licensing and research collaboration with LEO Pharma A/S to research, develop, and commercialize bispecific antibodies; and Iconic Therapeutics, Inc. Zymeworks Inc. was incorporated in 2003 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

ZYME (Zymeworks Inc.) trades in the Healthcare sector, specifically Biotechnology, with a market capitalization of approximately $1.81B, a beta of 1.19 versus the broader market, a 52-week range of 10.93-29.75, average daily share volume of 662K, a public-listing history dating back to 2017, approximately 299 full-time employees. These structural characteristics shape how ZYME stock options price implied volatility around earnings windows, capital events, and macro-driven sector rotations.

A beta of 1.19 places ZYME roughly in line with broader market moves, so the strategy payoff and realized volatility track the index-equivalent baseline.

What is a straddle on ZYME?

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 ZYME snapshot

As of May 15, 2026, spot at $23.70, ATM IV 43.70%, IV rank 2.60%, expected move 12.53%. The straddle on ZYME 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 ZYME specifically: ZYME IV at 43.70% is on the cheap side of its 1-year range, which favors premium-buying structures like a ZYME straddle, with a market-implied 1-standard-deviation move of approximately 12.53% (roughly $2.97 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 ZYME expiries trade a higher absolute premium for lower per-day decay. Position sizing on ZYME should anchor to the underlying notional of $23.70 per share and to the trader's directional view on ZYME stock.

ZYME straddle setup

The ZYME 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 ZYME near $23.70, the first option leg uses a $23.70 strike; additional legs (when the strategy has them) anchor to spot-relative offsets. Premiums come from the bid/ask midpoint on the listed ZYME 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 ZYME shares for the stock leg in covered calls and collars).

ActionTypeStrike / BasisPremium (est)
Buy 1Call$23.70N/A
Buy 1Put$23.70N/A

ZYME straddle risk and reward

Net Premium / Debit
N/A
Max Profit (per contract)
Unbounded
Max Loss (per contract)
Unbounded
Breakeven(s)
None on modeled curve
Risk / Reward Ratio
N/A

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.

ZYME straddle payoff curve

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

When traders use straddle on ZYME

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

ZYME thesis for this straddle

The market-implied 1-standard-deviation range for ZYME extends from approximately $20.73 on the downside to $26.67 on the upside. A ZYME 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 ZYME IV rank near 2.60% 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 ZYME at 43.70%. As a Healthcare name, ZYME options can move on sector-level news flow (peer earnings, regulatory updates, industry-specific macro data) in addition to ZYME-specific events.

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

Frequently asked questions

What is a straddle on ZYME?
A straddle on ZYME is the straddle strategy applied to ZYME (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 ZYME stock trading near $23.70, the strikes shown on this page are snapped to the nearest listed ZYME chain strike and the premiums come straight from the end-of-day bid/ask midpoint.
How are ZYME 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 ZYME straddle priced from the end-of-day chain at a 30-day expiry (ATM IV 43.70%), the computed maximum profit is unbounded per contract and the computed maximum loss is unbounded per contract. Live intraday quotes will differ as the chain moves through the trading session.
What is the breakeven for a ZYME straddle?
The breakeven for the ZYME straddle priced on this page is no defined breakeven on the modeled curve 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 ZYME market-implied 1-standard-deviation expected move is approximately 12.53%; if the move sits well outside the breakeven distance, the structure's risk-reward becomes correspondingly tighter.
When should you consider a straddle on ZYME?
Straddles on ZYME are pure-volatility plays that profit from large moves in either direction; traders typically buy ZYME 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 ZYME implied volatility affect this straddle?
ZYME ATM IV is at 43.70% with IV rank near 2.60%, 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.

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