Broken Wing Butterfly

1. What it is

ABG uses four legs: buy an anchor option, sell two options at separately adjustable strikes, then buy a farther wing. Matching the two short strikes gives the familiar 1:2:1 broken-wing butterfly.

2. Why use it

Move risk toward one side by using unequal widths.

3. How the numbers work

View example
  • Buy 1 × Call · Strike 100
  • Sell 1 × Call · Strike 105
  • Sell 1 × Call · Strike 110
  • Buy 1 × Call · Strike 118

All option legs have the same expiration.

Option premium paid
1
Expiration breakeven
101 / 114
Maximum expiration profit
4
Maximum expiration loss
4
  • Underlying at expiration 100Loss 1
  • Underlying at expiration 110Profit 4

4. How it changes

Delta and the location of theta and gamma exposure become asymmetric. Shifting short strikes also changes the peak into a plateau or changes its width.

5. What to watch for

Unequal wing widths produce different tail losses. Compute both sides; the entry debit alone need not be the maximum loss.

The name alone does not determine the shape. In ABG, read both short strikes and both outer strikes before assuming a textbook butterfly.

Examples use illustrative entry prices and amounts per underlying unit, before costs. Contract amounts require the contract multiplier. Expiration payoffs assume the illustrated legs remain intact; earlier position values and exercise or assignment outcomes can differ.