The Panthenon Investment Group

After ADP superby performance of 253K versus forecast of 181K, Wall Street and Main Street were anxiously awaiting NFP tonight.

Then again, there were many times when NFP surprised us all with a weaker number.

I decided to play my straddle to capture the market either way: –

Bought a EURUSD Put Option expiring Monday, June 5th; Spot 1.1215 and B/E 1.1189

Bought a USDJPY Put Option expiring Monday, June 5th; Spot 111.59 and B/E 111.26

As it turned out, the NFP number came in considerably weaker at 138K versus forecast of 181K and previous month was also adjusted lower.

The EUR strengthened agaisnt the USD, so my put option was useless.

However, the JPY strengthened against the USD and put my USDJPY put option into the money.

I decided to square the USDJPY put option at 110.57.  It was sufficient to offset the cost of both the options and left me with a decent 36 bps trading profit.