Jittery Over Japan? Make Money on Volatility with this Strategy

The financial fallout from the devastation in Japan has more than a few investors rushing to the sidelines, for fear of making a move in the wrong direction. However, options traders should have no fear -- there's a plethora of strategies out there that allow you to profit from price swings in either direction, without having to gamble a ton of greenbacks.

One such strategy is the long strangle, which is typically implemented by purchasing an equal amount of slightly out-of-the-money calls and puts with the same expiration date, resulting in a net debit.

The strangle will generate a profit as long as the underlying equity breaches one of two breakeven rails before expiration: the put strike less the net debit on the downside, or the call strike plus the net debit on the upside. In either case, the intrinsic value of the in-the-money option is meant to exceed the loss incurred from the losing option, resulting in a boost to your bottom line.

But what if the stock remains stagnant through options expiration? One of the primary appeals of the long strangle is that your risk is limited, with the initial premium paid for the options representing the maximum potential loss on the play (excluding brokerage fees).

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