
# Option Workshop, version 17.6.1515

In this update, we’ve added several improvements:

- Changes in the **Positions manager**:

  - Copying a strategy with all fills
  - A new **Mnns** (moneyness) column that shows the option status: in the money, at the money, out of the money
  - A new **Risks** tab. Now the tab shows only the total number of underlying contracts to be settled if in the money options expire right now.
    In the next updates, we plan to add more useful information about strategy in this tab

- Changes in the **Charts** form:

  - The ability to bind the **Charts** form with the active (selected) strategy in the **Positions manager**.
    The form will show a chart for the currently selected strategy in the Position manager
  - The ability to display the **P&L** chart taking the commission for the fills into account

- In the **Option Desk**, the bid and ask cells are now highlighted if the best bid/ask price is higher/lower than the theoretical price.
- In the new version, you can add contracts to the market maker by dragging a position or a strategy into the market maker setting form.

You can read more about these and other changes in this article.

:::cut:::

## Changes in the Position Manager

### Mnns column

In the Positions table, we’ve added an **Mnns** column (option moneyness) that shows the option state:

- `I` – in the money,
- `A` – at the money,
- `O` – out of the money.

![](MNSS.png){.thumb}
Figure: Mnns column

### Risks tab

We’ve added the **Risks** tab in the Position manager.
Now the tab displays only one parameter – the total number of underlying contracts to be settled if options in the money are expired right now.
In the future, we plan to add several strategy parameters: maximum possible profit and loss,
probabilities of profit or loss, and other useful parameters.

![](risks.png){.thumb}
Figure: Risks tab

### An alternative way to copy a strategy

Prior to this update, when copying a strategy, positions were copied as fills.
For each position in the initial strategy, a position was created in the new strategy.
Under each position, there was only one fill.
The fill price was equal to the initial position opening price, and the fill size was equal to the initial position size.
At the same time, the fills that formed the initial position were not copied.

We have added the ability to copy the strategy with all fills:

- Right-click on the strategy name and select the **Copy with fills** command in the **Create copy** submenu;
- In the Position manager, a duplicate of the strategy will be created.
  Each fill (excluding the adjustment fills) will be copied to a new strategy.

![](Copy-with-fills.png){.thumb}
Figure: Two ways to copу a strategy

For the copied fills, the `Manual` type will be set. The `Exchange ID` will be replaced.

## Strategy charts

### Binding the Charts form and active strategy in the Position manager

In the new version, you can bind the strategy charts form and the active strategy.

![](Bind_1.gif){.thumb}
Figure: Binding Chart form and Position Manager

Click the **Bind** button. Now, when switching between strategies in the Position Manager, the charts will be automatically redrawn.
The price range and zoom are saved separately for each strategy.

### P&L chart taking the commission into account

We have added the ability to display the P&L chart so that it takes the commission into account.
When you click on the **Commission** button, the chart is shifted down to the size of the commission.

![](commission.png){.thumb}
Figure: Commission button

Instructions on how to set a commission are provided in the [documentation](https://optionworkshop.net/docs/analysis/fill-manager#commission).

## Option Desk

In the Option Desk, the best bid and ask prices are now highlighted, depending on the theoretical price. Cells are highlighted if:

- the best bid price is higher than the theoretical price, or
- the best ask price is lower than the theoretical price.

![](OptionDesk-1024x320.png){.thumb}
Figure: Highlighted cells

We’ve also added the number of days until the expiration of options series to the Option Desk tab name.

## Historical chart

We’ve added the instrument code to the Historical chart tab name.

## Adding contracts to the Market maker

In the new version, you can add contracts to the market maker in an additional way:
drag a position or strategy from the Position manager and drop it into the the market maker setting form.
Thus, a position contract will be created in the form.

![](MM-1024x393.png){.thumb}
Figure: Adding contracts to the Market maker

## Fixed

- The delta hedger hangs.
- Incorrect work of the delta hedger in discrete mode.
- The price of the underlying asset was not updated on the graph IV.
- The interface hangs.
- Incorrect functioning of **Ctrl + Tab** hotkeys.
- Volatility values were not imported into Option Workshop when the CSV file was opened in MS Excel.



Top dividend-paying precious-metal stocks – these dividends could triple!
=========================================================================

***Looking for protection against inflation or recession while getting paid to wait? Here are a few options to seriously consider.***

![](oo2ziztfbtq-carl-cerstrand-1-1024x683.jpg)

The case for buying precious-metals and miners was recently made [**here**](https://optionworkshop.net/blog/trump-won-and-you-missed-the-rally-now-what-part-2-goldsilver-precious-metals/), and now it is time to share our favorite trades.

Gold has been like a kite caught in an unrelenting storm for the past 10 years; flying to extremes ($1900)
on wind streams of economic collapse, monetary expansion and Brexit then dovetailing lower on Wall Street’s sporadic hopes of normalization.
For the better part of the last 4 years, Gold has been consolidating and trending lower
but with Donald Trump about to usurp the throne, the glory days may soon return with a vengeance.

:::cut:::

The prices of precious-metals have been unstable to say the least,
so it was unexpected when we dug into the dividend paying history of gold miners.
Not only have dividends remained stable throughout this volatile decade, a couple have ***grown*** dividends.
Not all miners are created equal and few investors understand the differences.

**Franco-Nevada Corporation** (FNV) and **Royal Gold** (RGLD) both have one of the highest dividend yields in this industry,
1.5% and it has been stable throughout.
RGLD has increased dividends almost every year for 15 years straight,
with an annual compounded growth rate of roughly 20% – right through the precious-metals downturn.
If gold has a sustained rise in price as we expect, dividends could triple in these names.

The main reason why FNV and RGLD can pay out such a decent dividend is due to their business model.
Both are royalty streaming companies – they invest cash into other miners
which gives them the right to gold and silver at locked-in low prices in the future.
This allows for a high degree of predictability in cashflows which in turn allows for higher dividend payouts.

***A 5-10% allocation to these FNV and RGLD are attractive at current prices.***

For those who want more upside if prices of precious metals are to appreciate significantly,
we quite like **SSRI**, **AEM** and **NG**. There are no dividends here but these are rare gems as they capture the most upside during rallies in gold.
Because of operating leverage, miners generally capture 2x of the upside in gold and these names capture even more upside compared to peers.

Other alternatives include ETFs which provide exposure to the entire sector thereby reducing individual company risk.
The precious-metals sector is split into roughly into two: the established miners who have proven reserves and stable cashflows (senior miners) and the exploration miners who have much higher risk (junior miners). **GDX** tracks the seniors and **GDXJ** tracks the junior miners.

Since individual company risk is less of a concern, buy and hold investors who want to aggressively hedge inflation risks
or participate in the coming gold rally should allocate greater than 10% of their portfolio to GDX/GDXJ.
Again, the current pricing is attractive in our opinion.

**How can I participate with options?**

Let’s say you’ve established that 1,000 shares of GDX is the optimal position you should have you’re not sure that the timing is optimal.
You can consider selling a put around the 18 strike for expiration in March and buy 500 shares of GDX outright.  
 We believe $18 is a major resistance area for GDX since even the strong optimism for rising interest rates
 and dollar did not push GDX below $18 recently.

As of Dec 30, 2016, you could have sold the $18 strike March 17 expiration for 0.57c,
meaning if GDX closes above $18.00 on March 17, you pocket .57c per share.
Selling 5 contracts (500 shares) would net you about $285 minus commissions.
Splitting the 1000 shares by selling some 5 puts and buying 500 contracts allows the investors to gain
even if the stock doesn’t move. ***And if the stock falls, the investor is still better off by $285.***

![](payoffchart.png){.thumb}

Buying the stock only gives a more aggressive payoff structure and would be the best bet
for those who are outright bullish on the timing and direction.
For those who think gold may take a bit of time to get going would be better off with buying the stock and selling some puts.

There are of course other ways to structure a bullish bet on gold – these include:
**bull put or call spreads**, **buying calendar spreads** and outright **call buying**.
Many strategies allow for very structured profit and loss charts where the investor knows exactly what their maximum risks/rewards are.

Until next time, Happy Trading!


# One Easy fix for traders getting stopped out too early or cutting profits too soon

If you’ve traded actively for at least a few months or years, you’ll know all too often the agony that comes
with getting stopped out of a position and immediately, the trade takes off.
A similar but lesser form of agony is felt when a trade has hit your price target and you proudly sell your position.
Except, it keeps going and going...

:::cut:::

I know I’ve felt these emotions more times than I can count.
If only there was some magic indicator which would give me the expected range of the overall market,
I could better set my stop loss and profit taking levels.

Fortunately, I eventually figured out that the VIX index is a simple and solid indicator for this.
[What is the VIX index?](http://www.investopedia.com/terms/v/vix.asp)

I instinctively check VIX throughout the day to make sure it is within "normal ranges" when putting on and taking off trades.
Just take a look at the below chart:

![](chart-1024x588.jpg)
Figure: Data: January 2, 2004 – December 16, 2016

Whenever the VIX is under 17, the S&P500 daily range averages less than 1% (High of day minus Low of day).
And most of the time the VIX is under 14, the S&P500 range averages less than 0.7%.
However, when the index is trading close to 17 or higher, more extreme moves in the S&P500 can be expected with much greater predictability.

Here is a breakdown of the graph in table format:

| VIX Values     | S&P 500 H-L Averages | # of Occurrences | %age of Occurrences |
| -------------- | -------------------- | ---------------- | ------------------- |
| under 11.01    | 0.61%                | 92               | 2.8%                |
| 11.01-14.00    | 0.74%                | 919              | 28.2%               |
| 14.01-17.00    | 0.96%                | 793              | 24.3%               |
| 17.01-23.00    | 1.22%                | 768              | 23.5%               |
| 23.01-30.00    | 1.78%                | 397              | 12.2%               |
| 30.01 and over | 3.35%                | 295              | 9.0%                |

Even traders who do not trade options must pay close attention to the VIX index to avoid exiting positions too early and getting whipsawed.
Equally important, when volatility is low, don’t expect big moves especially in names highly correlated
to the S&P500 index in terms of direction and beta.
In low volatility environments, you must take profits earlier and keep a tighter stop loss.

Here, we’ve provided an easy way to roughly gauge the market ranges for the day, but we could of course dig much deeper.
For instance, we could combine volume, sector and many other factors
in our analysis and come up with more accurate measures of range not just for the overall market,
but also for certain sectors and stocks.

Perhaps, in the future, this analysis will come, but for now, pay attention to the VIX.

Until next time….Always stick with your risk limits and Happy Trading!



# How to read P&L Charts (part 1)

The question considered in this article might seem too obvious, and one might say that there is nothing to discuss.
But our user support experience tells us that often people who are entirely new in options spent excessive time
on trying to figure out options payoff profiles.
Having a well-developed skill of reading options risk profiles (alternative terms are P&L profiles, payoff function profiles) is essential to successful options trading.

For sure, sooner or later everyone will understand all the details, but we think that with this article we may accelerate this process.

:::cut:::

## P&L of a position in a linear asset. Numbers.

First, we assume stocks, bonds, indexes, commodities, ETFs and even futures are all linear assets.
They all (except futures) have their “own price,” which doesn’t directly (formally) depend on any other asset.
Futures price depends on its underlying asset price in a linear way, thus we also assume futures as a linear instrument.

Assume you have $100 in cash.
You then decide to buy a stock with a current price of $100.
Therefore, your portfolio will consist of 1 share, and you will be glued to computer/smartphone monitoring the price of the stock.
What you are doing is simple and straightforward.
You just observe the price, and since you have only one share, you know that the value of your portfolio entirely coincides with the stock price.
Then you simply compare the current value of the portfolio with your initial investment ($100) to calculate your P&L.

## Putting the numbers on a chart

Now let’s put the example above on a chart. Let’s take a look at figure 1.
The x-axis is the per share price. The y-axis denotes our portfolio P&L
The chart we are going to build shows the relationship between the P&L and the stock price.

![](fig1.png){.thumb}
Figure: Fig. 1, P&L of 1$ price movement up and down

The blue point corresponds to the very moment when we’ve just bought the share.
Price at that moment is $100, and therefore the P&L is zero.

If the price moves from $100 to $101, then our portfolio will be worth $1 more than the initial cash amount; thus, the P&L is $1.
The green dot on figure 1 corresponds to this scenario.
Its coordinates on the plot are $(x;y) = (101;1)$.

On the other hand, if the price goes down to $99, then the P&L will be -$1; the red dot on the figure corresponds to this scenario,
its coordinates are $(99;-1)$.

Similarly, with a bigger price move of let’s say, $2 instead of $1, we can see that On figure 2,
the stock price changes to $102 (green dot) or $98 (red dot).

![](fig2.png){.thumb}
Figure: Fig. 2, P&L of 2$ price movement up and down

Moving onto figure 3, we see that all the points are lying on a straight line.
No matter how much the share price changes, the P&L points on the chart will always be lying on this line.

![](fig3.png){.thumb}
Figure: Fig. 3, All dots are lying on a single line

This means that P&L has a linear relationship with the price.
In teenager math form, this would be $y = Qx$, where $y$ is the P&L of the portfolio, $x$ is the stock price change, $Q$ is the number of shares

The P&L of the portfolio is the number of shares multiplied by the P&L of a single share. Therefore, we can substitute $p - p_{0}$ for $x$,
where $p_{0}$ is the purchase price (for a long position) and $p$ is the current stock price.
We can now rewrite the formula as:

$y = Qx = Q (p - p_{0})$ **(1)**

This equation describes the direct dependence of the portfolio P&L on the share price.

What if we own 2, 3, etc. shares?
The $Q$ in the formula above will be $Q = 2$ or $ 3 $ so $y = 2(p - p_{0}), y = 3(p - p_{0})$ and so on.

On figure 4, we’ve added the line corresponding to a portfolio of 2 shares.
Note the angles between the P&L lines and the x-axis.
The more shares in the portfolio, the bigger angle is, and the faster you earn or lose money.
For 1 share, the portfolio P&L angle is 45 degrees, while for two shares, the angle is 63 degrees.

![](fig4.png){.thumb}
Figure: Fig. 4, Different angles for different position sizes (number of shares in portfolio)

## Changing the open price

In the example above, the stock was bought at $100.
What would the chart look like if the position was purchased at $99?
How do we redraw the P&L line? The line will be the same as before, just shifted to the left by 1, as shown in figure 5.

![](fig5.png){.thumb}
Figure: Fig. 5, Different open prices

## Closing the position

What if the stock price rose to $101 and the holder decided to sell it and close position? What will our chart look like then?

We can think of selling the position as a separate short position and draw them both on the chart (figure 6).
When you buy and sell a security intraday, your broker actually keeps both positions separate.
In effect, you own both the original long and the offsetting short – even though you only see cash.
Only after the trades are settled and cleared, are these positions will be collapsed on your broker’s books.

![](fig6.png){.thumb}
Figure: Fig. 6, Short position

For a short position, the $Q$ in our equation (1) is negative, $Q = -1$.
Thus, the P&L for a short position is $y = -1(p - p_{0})$ and its chart is shown in figure 7.
Since this is a short position, $p_{0}$ represents the sold price and $p$ still represents current price.

The total P&L of the portfolio, green line, is the sum of the red and blue dashed lines on the chart.
Literally we need to sum red and blue lines at each point.
The green line is, therefore, a constant, regardless of how the price changes going forward as the sum is always 1.
The position is closed and we have a $1 profit in cash.

![](fig7.png){.thumb}
Figure: Fig. 7, Total P&L of closed position

The beauty and usefulness of P&L charts are that you can quickly estimate your P&L no matter where price is going.
You see the whole picture in one chart.

Examples considered in this article are simple, but using them, we’ve explained the basic principles of building P&L charts.
Understanding these concepts will be essential when we explain more advanced options concepts in future articles.



# Option Workshop, version 16.10.1194

In our new version, we have added several improvements by request from our users, and fixed some interface bugs, the DDE export bugs etc.
The new version can already be downloaded [from our website](http://optionworkshop.net/download) or through the update system.

:::cut:::

## Strategy templates

In the strategy templates manager window we’ve added some standard options combinations:

- Straddle: +1p, +1c,
- Strangle: +1p-1, +1c+1,
- Strangle 2: +1p-2, +1c+2,
- Strangle 3: +1p-3, +1c+3,
- Vertical bull call spread: +1c, -1c+1,
- Vertical bear call spread: -1c, +1c+1,
- Vertical bull put spread:  +1p-1, -1p,
- Vertical bear put spread:  -1p-1, +1p,
- Calls butterfly: +1c-1, -2c, +1c+1,
- Puts butterfly: +1p-1, -2p, +1p+1,
- Condor: +1p-2, -1p-1, -1c+1, +1c+2.

If you select a template you’ll see in the right part of the window the template formula for creating
a spread and the ‘preview’ of the PnL chart which is built up according to the formula.

![](standarttemplates.png){.thumb}
Figure: Standard strategy templates

Now you can include the underlying asset in the strategy templates: ‘**u**’ means underlying asset.

## DDE export

We have added the option to change the update rate of the data exported via DDE –
The **Update period** parameter is now available in the export settings window.

![](ddeupdate.png){.thumb}
Figure: Update period

You can open the export settings window by using hotkeys **Ctrl+Shift+E**.

## Instrument tree

Weekly options in the instrument tree now display the number of the week.

![](weeks1.png){.thumb}
Figure: Number of the week

## Interface control

To quickly switch between windows in Option Workshop use the hotkeys **Ctrl+Tab**.

![](activewindows.png){.thumb}
Figure: Switching between forms

## Fixed issues

We have fixed an issue with:

- Interface tabs ordering not maintained after restarting the program,
- Main window’s incorrect minimization,
- Historical chart zoom settings when a candle is updated,
- Table columns’ autosizing,
- Fills deletion while deleting a position,
- Net strategy update when adding a position,
- DDE export errors.

Also Option Desk’s column preset list was not updated properly. We have fixed this issue.



# What`s New in Option Workshop version 16.9

September is here and we have a whole new major update to talk about.
There are several new features that have been added to Option Workshop to help our users trade as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Without further ado, I’m going to talk about each of these feature, and what they allow.

![](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGBEaXh2bNU)

:::cut:::

## Spread template manager

First and foremost is our new spread template manager, it allows our users to design custom spreads, and quickly apply them to any option series.
For example, you’ll now be able to design an iron condor and trade it on any series of your choosing at the click of a button.
You can make your iron condor as ‘wide’ or ‘narrow’ as you like, specifying how far apart each strike is
from every other one using a simple relative formula. Have a look at this screenshot for a preview:

![](strategy_template.png){.thumb}
Figure: Fig. 1 – How our new strategy template manager works

For a full explanation of how our formula works, how to design and apply custom spreads,
have a look at this [blog post](../15/strategy-templates-syntax.md).
Personally, it took me about five minutes before I was comfortable using it!
Once you’ve designed a custom spread, you can apply it to any market, and at any strike price.
This means you can compare the price and other parameters of your spread across any option series at any strike price!

## User Interface change:  Fills tab & positions tab

Next up is a cosmetic change to our UI. We’ve placed the fills tab inside the positions tab, so it’s easy to switch between the two,
enabling you guys to quickly see what the fills are on your positions, be they modelled positions or real ones.
The reason for doing this is we found that most of our users weren’t looking at their fills,
but because Option Workshop has powerful modelling features, it’s always worth knowing which fills your position consists of.

![](positions1-1024x180.png){.thumb}
![](fills-1024x180.png){.thumb}
Figure: Fig. 2 – Here is the new location of the fills tab, right next to the positions tab

## Shift function

Thirdly, we’ve now designed a new approach towards tweaking modelled positions.
Our new ‘shift’ feature allows you to change the strike prices of your whole strategy or a particular option within your strategy
in a couple of clicks.
Either click the shift icons to the right of the chart button in the positions tab while you have
a strategy selected to shift a whole strategy, or right click on an individual position within the positions tab [pictured below].
This will give you guys a quick way of looking at your strategies at different strike prices.
Couple this feature with a ‘what if’ scenarios and there are endless permutations for modelling potential strategies!

![](shift.png){.thumb}
Figure: Fig. 3 – How to access the new shift function

## The Option Desk now has new columns

Another change that we’ve added has been to add some columns to the option desk screen.
Now you can see an option’s intrinsic value as well as it’s time value.
This can help contextualise an options total value, and you’ll be able to see how it’s priced on the market relative to these values.

## Historical charts now update in real time

We’ve improved our historical charting feature. Now it updates in real time, allowing you to follow market moves as they develop.

## Changes in calendar spreads charts

If you have a calendar spread of futures on options, and options in this spread have
different underlying futures (different expiration dates, for example ESU6 and ESZ6),
then to build a chart of the risk profile we will:

1. Put an array of the nearest futures on the X axis
2. Use points from the X axis directly to calculate price of options at these points
3. For calculating prices of options on futures with a later expiry, we will shift X points on the rate, which can be set in settings.
   By doing this we consider to be in contango.

## Virtual total strategy

In the positions tab and on our charts, we’ve now added a virtual total strategy.
While before you could combine two strategies to be displayed on a chart at the same time,
the new virtual total strategy will allow you to see your two strategies combined into one.
This allows for a better overall picture of your positions. On top of this,
it means you can combine real positions that are already in your account with modelled positions,
enabling you to see what your trades would look like if you added or removed part of your spread.

For example, let’s say you’re trading a calendar spread and the market has moved.
VTS will show you how potential hedges can affect your risk profile and change your spread payoff.
You can roll the strike prices of your options and see how these will not only affect the individual options payout, but the whole strategy.

Before:

![](before_vts.png){.thumb}
Figure: Fig. 4 – How we displayed spreads in previous versions

And after:

![](after_vts.png){.thumb}
Figure: Fig. 5 - How we can now display the spreads with the Virtual total strategy function

## Quick spread order processing

We’ve also included a new way to quickly open or close already existing positions.
Simply right click on the strategy name in the strategies column, select ‘open’ or ‘close’ and you will be greeted with this screen:

![](quck_open_close.png){.thumb}
Figure: Fig. 6 – The new Open/close spread menu

Where you’ll be able to quickly place an identical order to an already opened/modelled position or you can close your current position.
If you look at the ‘operation’ column, you can see theres also the ability to make custom combinations
with the relevant options that make up the position.
This functionality is particularly useful for executing real trades on already modelled positions.
In effect, once you’ve found a spread model that is satisfactory,
simply right clicking on it’s name and selecting buy will execute it all at once.

## DDE Export and UI changes

With our new DDE export feature, you can export all of the data we receive into an excel file which updates in real time.
This adds even more options for looking at market data and appraising your strategies.

![](dde1.png){.thumb}
Figure: Fig. 7 – Where to click to access DDE functionality

Simply select the DDE server and the table you want to export, and you’ll be able to see the data in real time,
being updated on your Excel spreadsheet.

## Exclude feature

Another interesting feature is the ability to exclude or include certain positions in a strategy total parameters calculations and charts.
This will allow you to see how your strategy would perform if you sold off or hedged out part of your strategy.

![](de_selection.gif){.thumb}
Figure: Fig. 8 – Our simple de-selection process

## Font changes

How we display our positions has changed also. Our font’s are now specific to order type.
Positions containing real fills, are displayed in bold.
Positions containing adjusted fills, are displayed in italic.
The position type column still shows if that position contains real fills or not

## Exchange filter feature

Finally we’ve added a quick feature to filter out unwanted exchanges in the instrument tree.
Simply click the filter icon at the opt of the instruments tree and you’ll be able to limit the amount of exchanges displayed.

## And finally

With all of these new features, Option Workshop is offering a robust options trading package.
We offer some of the best options modelling services on the market,
coupled with all of these new features on top of our already capable software allowing you to:

- Model, evaluate and test different trading strategies using charting and analytical tools, create customizable ‘what-if’
  scenarios, and monitor the current state of the market.
- Quickly create a new custom strategy using easy relative syntax.
- Apply custom designed spreads to any option series
- View the price of any custom designed spread across all options strikes in a series
- Model or trade custom spreads, and then apply ‘What if’ scenarios
  to see how they will perform in different environments given a change in the underlying, or how their risk profile will look when changing their Theta.
- Combine modelled trades with actual positions to allow you to see whether hedging an existing position is a good idea or not.

So go ahead and give Option Workshop a try.
If you have any questions don’t hesitate to [email me](http://michael@optionworkshop.net), or send a help ticket in our software.

Good luck trading guys!

Michael



Release 16.4.812
================

A lot of things have been done in this update!
The new version can already be downloaded [from the website](http://optionworkshop.net/download) or through the update system.

:::cut:::

## New charting

We’ve replaced the library which we were using for charting.
The previous version had serious performance limitations and we were unable to implement some of the features that we wanted.
With the new charting system, we’ll now be able to add these additional features in.

At the moment, users have the same charting functionality, but it is now more efficient, faster and more accurate.
Let’s take a look at a couple of examples:

![](1oqrbpv1-150x150.png)]
![](optionsworkshop_2016-04-15_14-35-28-150x150.png)
![](optionsworkshop_2016-04-15_14-36-10-150x150.png)

We’ve revamped the way that users can manipulate charts.
It hasn’t yet been described in the documentation, but it’s important, so as of this version, the charting manipulation techniques are as follows:

* **Mouse wheel** – move the chart horizontally
* **Ctrl + mouse wheel** – zoom in & out
* **Shift + mouse wheel** – move the chart vertically
* **Right mouse button** – zoom into the selected region
* **Left mouse double click** – reset to 100% view.

Also now we save the **Price range** settings between program launches.
Before, users had complained that it was cumbersome to restore the price range every time.

There are now ten times as many nodes in the grid which is used to build the chart, so they are now 10 times as precise.

## TeamViewer as a remote support system

Before we used Ammyy Admin – it was a nice piece of software, but unfortunately most antiviruses assumed that it was dangerous.
From the perspective of view of an average user, that meant that our software was dangerous, since their executable was inside our distributive.

![OptionsWorkshop_2016-04-15_14-42-27](optionsworkshop_2016-04-15_14-42-27.png)

Now, if you need our support team to help you directly through your computer, press the button in the top right corner.
It will launch the **TeamViewer quick support** executable and our agent will be able to see your monitor (following approval).

## CQG demo generation

Now user can generate a CQG Continuum demo login directly through the software, without asking our support team.
This will decrease the time barrier needed to get new users experiencing our software with live data.

## New columns in the positions table

* **Last price** – the last traded price of the instrument
* **P&L (M)** – profit/loss as shown in currency, rather than in the contracts’ quote points
* **Bid/Offer** – for individual positions these columns show the best prices for corresponding contracts.
  For a summary row it shows the bid and offer for the whole strategy.

## Options desks

* New column – **Last price**
* Reusing last used columns settings when opening new desk
* [Open option desk](http://i.imgur.com/PhDlEir.png) menu item in a context menu for instrument and position

## Instruments tree

The format for the futures codes has now been changed.

Blog #charting

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