Risk Parameters Configuration
Fine-tune the platform to match your trading style, risk tolerance, and return objectives.
What Are Risk Parameters?
Risk parameters are filters and thresholds that control which opportunities the platform shows you.
By configuring these settings, you ensure that only opportunities matching your specific criteria appear
in your dashboard, saving time and reducing decision fatigue.
Key Concept: Risk parameters act as a pre-filter on the scan results.
Opportunities that don't meet your criteria are excluded before you even see them.
Available Parameters
Minimum Liquidity
What it controls: The minimum average daily volume for the option contract
Why it matters: Low liquidity means wider bid-ask spreads and difficulty entering/exiting positions
Recommended values:
- Conservative: 200+ contracts/day (tight spreads, easy execution)
- Balanced: 100-200 contracts/day (reasonable liquidity)
- Aggressive: 50-100 contracts/day (accept wider spreads for more opportunities)
Maximum Risk Score
What it controls: The highest risk rating (0-100) you're willing to accept
Why it matters: Higher risk scores indicate greater volatility, uncertainty, or adverse Greeks
Recommended values:
- Conservative: 30-40 (low risk, stable opportunities)
- Balanced: 50-60 (moderate risk, good risk/reward)
- Aggressive: 70-80 (higher risk, potential for larger returns)
Minimum Expected Return %
What it controls: The lowest percentage return you'll consider
Why it matters: Filters out low-reward opportunities, focusing on meaningful profit potential
Recommended values:
- Conservative: 5-8% (realistic returns with lower risk)
- Balanced: 10-15% (solid returns with balanced risk)
- Aggressive: 20%+ (high returns, typically higher risk)
Maximum Days to Expiry
What it controls: The furthest expiration date you'll consider
Why it matters: Longer expirations give more time to be right but cost more premium; shorter expirations decay faster
Recommended values:
- Short-term Traders: 7-14 days (quick moves, high theta decay)
- Swing Traders: 30-45 days (balanced time/decay trade-off)
- Position Traders: 60-90 days (more time for thesis to play out)
Minimum Probability ITM
What it controls: The minimum likelihood the option finishes in-the-money
Why it matters: Higher probabilities are safer but offer lower returns; lower probabilities are riskier
Recommended values:
- High Probability: 50-70% (safer but lower returns, similar to credit spreads)
- Medium Probability: 30-50% (balanced risk/reward sweet spot)
- Low Probability: 15-30% (speculative, lottery-ticket style)
Pre-Configured Profiles
Use these profiles as starting points, then customize to your preferences:
Conservative
| Min Liquidity | 200 |
| Max Risk | 40 |
| Min Return | 8% |
| Max Days | 45 |
| Min Prob ITM | 40% |
Best for: Risk-averse traders, retirement accounts, learning phase
Balanced
| Min Liquidity | 100 |
| Max Risk | 60 |
| Min Return | 12% |
| Max Days | 60 |
| Min Prob ITM | 30% |
Best for: Experienced traders, growth-oriented strategies
Aggressive
| Min Liquidity | 50 |
| Max Risk | 75 |
| Min Return | 20% |
| Max Days | 30 |
| Min Prob ITM | 20% |
Best for: Speculative accounts, small position sizes, high risk tolerance
How to Update Parameters
- Navigate to your Dashboard
- Locate the Risk Parameters section
- Adjust sliders or enter values for each parameter
- Click Save Risk Parameters
- The opportunities table refreshes automatically with new filters
Instant Updates: Changes to risk parameters take effect immediately on existing scan results.
However, new scans (every 5 minutes) will use the updated criteria to identify fresh opportunities.
Common Scenarios
Scenario: "I'm seeing too few opportunities"
Solution: Your parameters may be too restrictive. Try these adjustments:
- Lower Min Liquidity from 200 to 100
- Increase Max Risk from 40 to 55
- Decrease Min Return from 15% to 10%
- Increase Max Days to Expiry from 30 to 45
- Lower Min Probability ITM from 40% to 30%
Scenario: "I'm seeing too many opportunities"
Solution: Make your criteria more selective:
- Increase Min Liquidity to 150 or 200
- Decrease Max Risk from 60 to 45
- Increase Min Return to 15% or 20%
- Use dashboard filters to narrow by specific symbols
- Reduce your monitored symbols list to focus on favorites
Scenario: "I want high-probability credit spread candidates"
Recommended settings:
- Min Probability ITM: 60-70%
- Max Risk: 30-40
- Min Return: 5-10% (credit spreads have lower returns)
- Max Days to Expiry: 30-45
- Min Liquidity: 150+ (critical for spreads)
Scenario: "I want speculative lottery tickets"
Recommended settings:
- Min Probability ITM: 10-20%
- Max Risk: 70-90
- Min Return: 50%+ (go big or go home)
- Max Days to Expiry: 7-14 (short-term bets)
- Min Liquidity: Can be lower (50-100)
Understanding the Impact
How parameters interact with opportunity discovery:
| When You... |
Result |
Trade-off |
| Increase Min Return |
Fewer opportunities, higher potential profits |
May miss solid lower-return trades |
| Decrease Max Risk |
Safer opportunities, lower volatility |
Lower return potential on average |
| Increase Min Liquidity |
Easier execution, tighter spreads |
Miss opportunities in less liquid options |
| Decrease Max Days |
Faster trades, higher theta decay |
Less time for thesis to work out |
| Increase Min Prob ITM |
Higher success rate |
Lower returns (risk/reward relationship) |
Best Practices
Important Guidelines
- Start Broad: Begin with relaxed parameters to see what's available, then tighten
- Match Your Account: Aggressive parameters inappropriate for retirement accounts
- Regular Review: Adjust parameters monthly based on market conditions
- Document Changes: Keep notes on which settings work best for your style
- Test and Iterate: No perfect settings—adapt based on results
- Market Conditions Matter: Tighten in volatile markets, relax in stable conditions
Advanced Tips
Pro Strategies
- Two-Profile Approach: Save conservative settings for your main account, aggressive for speculative account
- Seasonal Adjustments: Tighten max risk during earnings season or high volatility periods
- Symbol-Specific: Use tighter parameters for unknown stocks, relaxed for familiar favorites
- Return Targeting: Set Min Return based on your annual goal (e.g., 100% annual = ~8% per trade)
- Liquidity First: Never compromise on liquidity—tight spreads save more than higher returns cost
Next Steps