Broker Specific6 min
How to Reduce Iron Condor Commissions by Broker
Iron condors are four-legged trades. Every time you open or close one, you're executing four options contracts. That means commissions multiply quickly —…
Bernardo Rocha
Tradematic Blog
Options strategies, automated trading insights, and market education.
Broker Specific6 min
Best Platform to Visualize Options Chains in 2025
An options chain shows you all available strike prices and expirations for a given underlying, along with bid/ask prices, open interest, implied volatility,…
Bernardo Rocha
Broker Specific6 min
Which Brokers Support API-Based Options Trading?
Not all brokers expose their trading infrastructure via a usable API. Some have APIs in name only — rate-limited, undocumented, or restricted to specific order…
Bernardo Rocha
Broker Specific7 min
How to Switch Brokers Without Disrupting Your Iron Condor Strategy
Switching brokers while actively trading iron condors requires some coordination. The wrong approach — transferring positions mid-cycle, or closing everything…
Bernardo Rocha
Broker Specific7 min
How to Request a Higher Options Approval Level
Options trading is gated by approval levels. Brokers assign you a level when you open an account, and that level determines which strategies you can use. If…
Bernardo Rocha
Options Education7 min
What Is Portfolio Margin vs Reg T Margin for Options?
Reg T margin and portfolio margin are two different frameworks brokers use to calculate how much capital you need to hold for options positions. Reg T is the…
Bernardo Rocha
Options Education7 min
How to Avoid Pattern Day Trader Rules with Options
The Pattern Day Trader (PDT) rule requires anyone who makes four or more day trades within a rolling five-business-day period to maintain at least $25,000 in…
Bernardo Rocha
Options Education7 min
What Is a Ratio Spread in Options Trading?
A ratio spread is an options strategy where you sell more contracts than you buy. The most common form is a 2:1 call ratio spread — buy one call at a lower…
Bernardo Rocha
Options Education8 min
What Is a Synthetic Long Stock Position in Options?
A synthetic long stock position is an options strategy that combines buying a call and selling a put at the same strike price and expiration date. The result…
Bernardo Rocha
Options Education8 min
How to Use LEAPs in an Options Income Strategy
The primary income-focused use of LEAPS is as the foundation of a Poor Man's Covered Call (PMCC). You buy one deep-in-the-money LEAPS call and then sell…
Bernardo Rocha
Options Education7 min
What Is a LEAPS Options Contract?
A LEAPS (Long-term Equity AnticiPation Securities) is an options contract with an expiration date of one year or more. Everything about a LEAPS works the same…
Bernardo Rocha
Options Education7 min
How to Use Options to Reduce Your Stock Cost Basis
Every time you sell a covered call or a cash-secured put against a stock you own (or want to own), you collect premium that directly reduces your effective…
Bernardo Rocha