One of the more difficult problems with which to deal for an options trader has historically been the broad bid-ask spreads quoted for options. I often refer to them in class and depending on how large the spread, it may keep me out of a potential trade. Experienced traders have routinely negotiated the bid-ask spreads downward with varying success when trading individual positions, but the non-economic price has been the significant effort and time required to achieve these negotiated results.
Beginning in January 2007, Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) initiated a Pilot Program to reduce bid-ask spreads to as low as 1?. As of the beginning of this year, there are currently around 360 in the series (including such big names as Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG) and more) quoted in these penny increments. CBOE maintains an Excel file of option series currently included within this ?Penny Pilot? program.
Because option positions are frequently constructed with several individual legs, the impact of the ability to trade with tighter bid-ask spreads can have significant impact on the aggregate slippage of positions. Combined with the falling commission rates resulting from the increasingly intense competition among brokers specializing in options, significant trading efficiencies have resulted. Looks like a great situation for an option trader to be in.