tastytrade Desktop Release Notes

At tastytrade, we strive to develop the industry's fastest, most reliable, and secure trading platform. There are four unified mediums to access our technology: the desktop platform, mobile applications, web browser trading, and tablet app. The desktop application will act as your mission control, offering the most robust capabilities out of all our apps. Keep up to date on the most recent desktop application updates in the notes below.

Mobile Platform Release Notes

Web-Browser Platform Release Notes


tastytrade Desktop Version 2.7.0 - 11/28/23

Desktop version 2.7.0 is a minor release introducing several bug fixes across the platform and some important backend pricing and infrastructure upgrades. Most notably, we are also upgrading to the latest version of Java Fx (the framework the tastytrade platform is built on).

Theoretical Price in Risk Analysis + Analysis Tab (Curve Mode)

When it comes to the risk analysis tool, we have been using the mid-price for generating profit and loss scenarios instead of the option's theoretical price. Theoretical metrics are based on the Black-Scholes Options Pricing Model and work best when looking into the future and determining the effects of the position based on time, price, and volatility. By utilizing the theoretical price in our calculations it will clean up a lot of the theoretical displays and figures. 



tastytrade Desktop Version 2.5.0-2.6.0 - 10/11/23

Desktop versions 2.5.0 and 2.6.0 are combined releases introducing improvements to the risk analysis tool, future options order tickets, the ability to sort watchlists by sector or industry, and embedded videos on the dashboard. Advanced options traders, futures options traders, and basic investors/stock buyers will all appreciate these improvements.


Futures Theta Dollar Equivalent (Order Ticket)

Equity and ETF theoretical thetas are multiplied by 100x on the platform (dollar conversion) in an order ticket. With this release, a futures option order will now also list dollar equivalent theta. Each futures contract’s multiplier may vary, so this will help save some mental math when analyzing futures theta. 



Cap Req Report Customization

To better tailor the platform to each trader’s preferences, users can now customize the information displayed in the capital requirements window. Users can navigate to the platform settings under position reports to add or remove specific columns like BP Usage %, Maintenance requirements, EPR up, EPR down, and more to the capital requirements report. 

 


Sort by Sector and Industry on Watchlists

Users can now better scan through and filter symbols by sector in the watchlist tab. Navigate to the platform watchlist column settings and add the Sector column. Click on the sector column header to sort symbols by sector in ascending or descending order. 





tastytrade Desktop Version 2.4.0 - 8/30/23

tastytrade Desktop version 2.4.0 is a size-able update introducing several new features that desktop users will certainly use and enjoy. First and foremost, users can now place bracket orders on open option spreads (OCO orders). Additionally, this update introduces a new portfolio allocation tree in the cap req window, additional position tab columns, and several smaller improvements to our risk analysis tool and charting package.


Bracket Order on Options Spreads

Desktop users can now place a bracket order (One Cancels the Other) on options spreads. A bracket order is a conditional order type that allows you to place a defined profit and stop-loss point to a new or existing position. At tastytrade, we offer two bracket/conditional order types: OTOCO orders and OCO orders. Bracket orders may be conducive for traders looking to set pre-defined profit or loss points without the need to monitor your platform continuously. To setup a bracket order on an existing position, first select each leg of the option spread (up to 4 legs) in the positions tab. Next, right-click on the selected positions and then click on the bracket button at the bottom of the quick action menu. 


Portfolio Allocation Tree

We have added a Portfolio Allocation Tree Map to the Cap Req report within Positions tab. This visual tool offers an interactive representation of portfolio allocation, allowing users to better understand their asset distribution. Users can access the portfolio allocation tree within the platform’s capital requirements window. First, navigate to the platform’s positions tab and then click on cap req button in the top right, and then click on Allocation at the top of the window. 


Modify Quantities for Queued Orders in Risk Analysis  

Users can now adjust outright futures, stock, and options orders when analyzing in the risk analysis tool.   


tastytrade Desktop Version 2.3.2 - 7/13/23

tastytrade Desktop version 2.3.2 is a moderate release introducing several charting upgrades and bug fixes, as well as the ability to set a default bracket order profit/loss percent down to 0.01% (the previous minimum was 1%). Also, VWMA (Volume Weighted Moving Average) is now available as a charting indicator.


Area Zoom on Chart

Charting technicians will love our recent charting additions, especially including in-chart area zooming. If you want to more closely analyze a specific time frame or scope of data on your chart, hold down the control key and left-click, hold, and then drag over the desired region. Once ready, let go of your left click, and the chart will zoom in on your selected area. 

Area Zoom on chart in Desktop Platform

To undo a zoom, or revert your chart to its original timeframe, hover your mouse over the top right corner of the chart tab. A small gear icon will populate. Click on the gear icon to populate the chart scaling settings. Making an in-chart zoom automatically turns on manual scaling for the selected area. You will need to UNCHECK the manual scaling setting to revert the zoom. 

Adjust Manual Chart Scaling on Desktop Platform

Earnings Dates 

Desktop users can now display earnings dates for the past 12-month period on their charts. Users can add earnings and dividends dates onto their chart via the in-chart settings. Navigate to the top of the chart tab and click on the center gear icon. Within the in-chart settings, go to the events tab and select Show Earnings and Show Dividends. Left click on the light bulb icon to view earnings dates and the dollar sign icon to view ex-dividend dates and amount. 

Earnings and ex-dividend dates on chart in Desktop Platform

Futures Default Bracket Order Percentage

Since futures can get quite large, we have introduced the ability to place decimal percentages for brackets on futures. Futures traders can now set their bracket order percentage down to as small a move as 0.01%. To adjust this in the platform settings, a user must left click on the default percentage number and then type in the decimal amount.

Futures Default Bracket Order Percentage Settings


tastytrade Desktop Version 2.3.0 - 6/28/23

tastytrade Desktop version 2.3.0 is a significant release that introduces custom grouping, an account P/L Theo graph to the desktop platform. Additionally, a handful of smaller bug fixes were addressed for charting and the risk analysis tool. 

Custom Grouping

Within the Desktop Platform's positions tab, users can now fully customize how they group their positions. Navigate to the Group By filter at the top of the positions tab and select Custom.

Custom grouping group by filter on desktop platform

Once in custom grouping mode left-click to select each leg you wish to group. After selecting the desired legs, right click on the selected legs and a quick action menu will appear. Scroll over GROUP POSITIONS and the custom group creator will appear.   

Custom grouping options on desktop platform

Type in a custom name and then click Group to complete. To ungroup a custom group, right click on the custom group or legs within the group and then click on ungroup positions.

Custom grouping and ungrouping options on desktop platform

P/L Theo Graph 

The theoretical account P/L graph is a beta-weighted, Black-Scholes calculation that provides a snapshot view of what the account profit or loss would be at a later date tied to the symbol you are beta-weighting to. If you choose SPY as your symbol to beta-weight the account to, you will see the total account profit or loss correlated to the movement of SPY. To open the chart fist, navigate to the positions tab and click on the P/L toggle at the top of the window. The platform will default to show the P/L Theo graph for all positions combined.  

Opening P/L Theo Graph on Desktop Platform

Once the graph populates, users can toggle between which positions to include by clicking on the toggle check mark to the left of each position.  

Toggling positions for P/L Theo Graph on Desktop Platform


tastytrade Desktop Version 2.2.2 - 6/12/23

tastytrade Desktop version 2.2.2 is a small patch release addressing a singular bug fix related to the bracket order entry. Additionally this update introduces updates to the risk-free-rate on across our platforms. The risk-free-rate is now marked at 5%. In a nutshell, higher interest rates affect the cost of carry and generally make options more expensive. Analysis tool users may notice slight changes in calculations since the increased risk-free-rate will affect a the potential risk exposure across a portfolio. 


tastytrade Desktop Version 2.2.1 - 6/7/23

We are excited to announce the release of version 2.2.1 for the tastytrade Desktop platform, a moderately sized release focusing on providing you with even more valuable information at your fingertips. This update introduces P/E Ratios and EPS data on the right-side panel, for quick access to useful fundamental data. Additionally, we have incorporated CVaR calculations in order tickets to help you assess risk and optimize your strategies. Furthermore, our Charting Package receive a few minor additions, and we also addressed a handful of bugs, ensuring a smoother and more reliable trading platform. Let’s dive into the details of this feature-packed update. 


P/E Ratio and EPS 

Desktop users can now find a company's P/E Ratio and EPS in the right-hand sidebar under the symbol overview tab. 

EPS and P/E Ratio on Desktop Platform

P/E Ratio

The price-to-earnings ratio or P/E ratio measures a company's stock price compared to its profitability. The P/E ratio is calculated by taking the stock's market price ÷ Earnings Per Share (EPS). P/E's can help investors determine whether a company's stock is over or undervalued and where it stands amongst industry peers. Generally, each market sector has an average P/E and can inform investors whether a stock is potentially under or overvalued from its industry peers. 


It is worth noting that the P/E ratio does not indicate a company's financial health since it usually excludes and does not consider debts and other financial obligations. In short, P/E only informs investors of the multiple they are paying for a share of stock to share of stock. You can find the Price to Earnings Excluding Extraordinary Items, on the Research tab or right-hand sidebar of the tastytrade trading platform. 


P/E Ratio = Stock price ÷ Earnings Per Share (EPS).


EPS 

EPS, or Earnings Per Share, is a key financial metric used in fundamental analysis to assess a company's profitability and performance. It measures the portion of a company's profit that can be attributed to each outstanding share of its common stock. EPS is calculated by dividing the company's net income by the total number of outstanding shares. 


EPS may provide valuable insights into a company's financial health and profitability on a per-share basis. Investors and analysts use EPS to evaluate a company's ability to generate profits and to compare its performance with other companies in the same industry or sector. A higher EPS may indicate better profitability, as it implies that the company is generating more earnings for each share of stock. EPS is also used to calculate other essential financial ratios, such as the Price-to-Earnings (P/E) ratio, which compares a company's stock price to its earnings per share. This ratio may help investors assess the relative value of a stock and potentially determine if it is overvalued or undervalued. 


EPS = (Net Income - Preferred Dividends) / Average Outstanding Shares


CVar  

CVar refers to a strategy's Conditional Value-at-Risk. CVaR is defined as the losses that occur in the worst 5% percentile at expiration on the tastytrade platform. Traders use CVar to measure the potential losses a portfolio could potentially experience under adverse market conditions. Users can now utilize this metric while placing and adjusting trades in the desktop platform’s order ticket. 

CVaR on Order Ticket

 


tastytrade Desktop Version 2.2.0 - 5/15/23

tastytrade desktop version 2.2.0 is a major update introducing several extremely useful features and data. This update adds a brand new opening dashboard, extensive research tab, and the ability to place bracket orders on options spreads. 


Dashboard

The time has come! The tastytrade desktop platform now has a startup dashboard window to help users better keep track of the market and accounts. Users will find a daily chart tracking SPY, account overview and historical net liq, market news, and some resourceful watchlists. To exit the dashboard, click on the minimize or close button in the top left of the dashboard window. Users that do not want the dashboard to populate on startup can click on the “Show on startup” toggle in the bottom left of the dashboard window.

Dashboard on desktop platform


Bracket Orders for Option Spreads

tastytrade desktop users can now place bracket (OTOCO) orders on multi-leg option spreads. Bracket orders, also known as a One Triggers a One Cancels Other (OTOCO) order or a One Cancels Other (OCO) order, are conditional order types that allow you to place a defined profit and stop-loss point to a new or existing position. Bracket orders may be conducive for traders looking to set pre-defined profit or loss points without having to monitor their positions continuously. As of right now, the desktop platform currently only supports OTOCO orders. OCO (on existing positions) will be available soon.  

 

To place a bracket order on an option spread, open an order ticket in either the table or curve mode on the desktop platform. Once all legs are added to the order ticket click on the bracket order button on the left side of the order ticket. A bracket order window will pop up where you can edit, clear, and submit a bracket order.  

Bracket orders on option spreads in desktop platform


Research Tab

tastytrade desktop v2.2.0 introduces a brand-new research section, including fundamental data, news, analyst outlooks, and company details. Investors can now research and place trades on a company all within one application. This data is especially useful for those interested in fundamental analysis. Fundamental analysis describes researching a company's financial health through various accounting metrics and financial ratios. Companies that issue common stock must regularly publish their financial statement as publicly traded companies. The three most common financial statements investors are:

  • Balance Sheet 
  • Income statement 
  • Statement of Cash Flow 

Many of the financial ratios now displayed in the Research tab on the tastytrade trading platform come from a company's financial statement. Investors can find a company's most recent financial statement by reviewing its quarterly or annual filing on their investor relations site. Additionally, SEC Form 10-Q and 10-K are the forms companies must publish, which list their most recent quarterly or annual financial data, respectively.

Research tab button on desktop platform


Analysts can find a full research tab glossary at this link here.


tastytrade Desktop Version 2.1.0 - 4/24/23

tastytrade desktop version 2.1.0 is a small release introducing a handful of new indicators, charting upgrades, and charting bug fixes. 


tastytrade Desktop Version 2.0.1 + 2.0.2 - 3/21/23

tastytrade desktop version 2.0.1 + 2.0.2 are minor patch fixes addressing a handful of bug fixes. Additionally this patch introduced new buying power calculations for stock and ETF positions held on margin. tastytrade will still require the same amount of margin to initially put a fully marginable position on and for a working order, but once it fills, tasty will start holding those fully marginable equities at a lower maintenance margin rate that frees up more Buying Power. For fully marginable securities tastytrade will require an initial (50%) margin to enter the trade but will then only require maintenance (25%) margin to hold the position.


tastytrade Desktop Version 2.0.0 - 2/28/23

tastytrade desktop version 2.0.0 introduces the rebranded tastytrade name on the platform. Please note that on March 24, 2023, tastytrade will officially transition its Desktop Trading Platform from v1.27.x to v2.0.x for Mac, PC, and Linux users. Updating to v2.0.x will ensure stability as we upgrade our platform to accommodate our recent rebranding from tastyworks to tastytrade. You can find instructions on how to uninstall and reinstall the platform in our help article here.


tastytrade Desktop Version 1.27.0 -2/28/23

tastytrade desktop version 1.27.0 and 2.0.0 introduced the rebranded tastytrade name on the platform. Please note that on March 24, 2023, tastytrade will officially transition its Desktop Trading Platform from v1.27.x to v2.0.x for Mac, PC, and Linux users. Updating to v2.0.x will ensure stability as we upgrade our platform to accommodate our recent rebranding from tastyworks to tastytrade. You can find instructions on how to uninstall and reinstall the platform in our help article here.


tastytrade Desktop Version 1.26.0 - 1/12/23

tastytrade desktop version 1.26.0 is a large release with significant changes to the platform's charting package, minor design updates, and several bug fixes. You can find an abbreviated list of changes and the full release notes below: 

  • Ability to drag, drop, and overlay indicators across graphs
  • Set the active drawing tool
  • Add drawings and studies shortcuts
  • Adjust orders via the chart tab
  • New Indicators, Drawing Tools, and Chart Types
  • Right side panel - News and Activity flipped locations

 

Ability to Drag, Drop, and Overlay Indicators Across Graphs

Users can now drag an indicator on their chart and place it on top of another subgraph or vice versa. For example, you can drag a moving average from the main chart down to the TW IVR Indicator subgraph, and it will overlay them in the lower subgraph.

Moving indicators across graphs/overlaying

Set the Active Drawing Tool

Users can now quickly set up multiple drawings without having to click on the drawing tool after each addition. Navigate to the platforms chart settings, and click on the 'Chart' tab. At the bottom, select 'Keep drawing tool active' and exit the settings window. Now your drawing tool will not reset after making a drawing. 

Setting active drawing tool

Add Drawings and Study Display Shortcuts

Chart technicians can now set shortcuts for displaying and hiding items on their charts. Navigate to the chart settings and click on the 'shortcuts' tab. Click in one of the blank shortcut fields and type in your hotkey to set up. Users can set shortcuts to toggle viewing:

  • Working Orders
  • Indicators
  • Drawings
  • Indicator Descriptions

Chart visibility shortcuts

Adjust Orders via the Chart Tab

Double-click on working orders in your chart to select an order to adjust. Once highlighted, click and hold the order, and then drag and drop the order on the desired new price to replace the order. 

Adjusting working orders on the chart tab

New Indicators

  • Anchored VWAP
  • Monkey Bars
  • Open Interest

Drawing Tools

  • Gain/Loss Line
  • Cycle Brackets Drawing
  • Fibonacci Extensions
  • Fibonacci Spiral
  • Regression Channel
  • Triangle and Rectangle

Chart Types

  • Tick 
  • Renko
  • Equivolume
  • Range Bars


tastytrade Desktop Version 1.25.2 - 12/12/22

tastytrade Desktop version 1.25.2 is a minor release with changes to the totals row, tastylive tab (previously trastytrade), and a couple of small bug fixes. 

Totals Row (Multiple Margin Accounts)

When holding multiple related margin accounts on the desktop platform, the account totals row will no longer list the total buying power across all accounts (related and unrelated). Users can override this via the platform Account settings seen below. 

Account totals row with multiple margin accounts

Totals row settings in desktop platform

tastylive Tab

The financial network previously known as tastytrade will now be known as tastylive. Don’t worry, tastylive will continue to provide you with engaging, probabilistic and meaningful content that’s not offered anywhere else. Keep watching at tastylive, the trader’s un-network. Find more on this change here

Tastylive tab update on desktop platform


tastytrade Desktop Version 1.25.1 - 11/14/22

tastytrade desktop version 1.25.1 is a medium-sized release including several bug fixes related to the close at profit percent tool, slightly reverted the right panel layout and introduced displaying t-bills/bonds on the platform.

T-Bill, Notes, and Bond Display Support

Although purchasing and holding treasury products has already been available, we are now displaying these positions on the platform, and they will be accounted for in an account's net liq. The image below shows a T-bill position on the positions tab with an 11/15/22 maturity date (today). You can also see that the options buying power is $940 greater than the net liq, this is due to the 94% margining on these products.

Please give our help center article a read, which will explain how these products work and how customers can request purchases/sales. 

 

Right-Panel Reversion

Based on customer feedback, we have reverted the previous change to the right-side panel. We will still host fundamentals and news, but customers will now see a list of vertical buttons on the right-side panel instead of a drop-down selector. Similar to the left-side navigation bar, there will be a few buttons with full text, and then users can scroll over the lower buttons to see the name of each tab on the right. 


tastyworks Desktop Version 1.25.0 - 10/31/22

tastyworks desktop version 1.25.0 is a large release that includes several significant changes. Desktop users can now find market and business news and fundamental data, all on the platform. Additionally, we have added the ability to place stop limit orders on options spreads, and new york customers will have the ability to place crypto currency orders on approved cryptos. Please see below for more details. 

News

tastyworks now lists market, business, and generally interesting broader news on all of our platforms. Our news provider, IEX Cloud, offers news from over 3,000 global news sources, including major publications, regional media, and social. News sources include CityFalcon, Kwen, Invezz, Public, Bullish, and many more. Market and business news is available on our desktop platform but will also be on our mobile and web platforms soon.

Desktop platform users can find news embedded in the right side panel. Navigate to the right panel drop-down menu and then click NEWS. A list of recent articles on the active symbol will populate. Each article's title is a hyperlink that will launch the article in your default web browser.

Video of news on desktop platform

Fundamentals

Fundamental Analysis is the investigatory process typically done by credit research analysts who review balance sheets, income statements, and statements of cash flows Fundamental data) to determine the intrinsic value of a company. They compare that intrinsic value to the stock's current price to determine if it is fairly valued by the broader market. Users can now find this data directly on the tastyworks platform. Embedded in the right-side panel of the desktop platform, you can now analyze companies, revenue, net income, debt, and cash on a quarterly and annual basis.  

Revenue – The money received for selling products and services 

Net Income – The difference between a company's sales and expenses 

Debt – The amount of money the company owes to creditors 

Cash – The sum of all liquid assets a company has on its books 

Image of fundamental data on desktop platform

Stop Limits on Spreads

We have introduced the ability to place Stop Limit Orders on Multi-Leg Option Spreads across our technology. Previously only single-leg option stop-limit orders were supported. With stop limit orders, it's important to know that a limit order is sent after the price of the position reaches or breaches the stop price of the working order. The stop price acts as a trigger for the entry of a limit order at a set price. Below is an example of how to place a stop limit order on spreads for the desktop platform.

Example stop limit order


tastytrade Desktop Version 1.23.0 - 07/25/22

tastytrade desktop version 1.23.0 is a significant update encompassing several changes to the risk analysis tool, fractional trading capabilities, account header, a few bug fixes, and more. Please see the notes below for additional information.

Summation line on Account Header

If you have multiple accounts and want to view your aggregate balances, you can do so via the account totals row. With this new row, you can quickly view your net greeks and balances across several accounts. Thus, providing a better view of your directional exposure across an entire portfolio. The totals row can be toggled on and off through the platforms settings under Accounts -> Show Accounts Total Row

Image of Account Totals row on positions tab

Last Trade Date in the Overview Tab

In the right-side panel overview tab, you can now view your searched futures symbol's last trade date (when the contract ceases to trade). You can find more details on a futures contract's last trade date in this link here

Picture of Last Trade Date on Overview Tab

Fractional Trading

Desktop users can now place opening and closing fractional orders. A fractional stock order's minimum and maximum quantity are 0.00001 to 0.99999. Additionally, there is a $5 minimum notional requirement per order. If a user is looking to purchase $10 worth of stock, the minimum quantity would be 0.50 shares, and a $20 stock would be a minimum of 0.25 shares, and so on. You would not be able to buy 0.1 shares of a $1 stock as it would fall below the $5 notional minimum requirement. Users will also have the ability to route fractional equity orders on the grid mode. In a future release, we will look to implement a dedicated stock trading mode on the desktop platform.


Expected Price Range (EPR) and Point of No Return percentages

Expected Price Range (EPR) and Point of No Return percentages are now available on the capital requirements window. The Expected Price Range(EPR) represents the firm's current best estimate of the price change of a given security over a one-day period. It is expressed in percentage terms of the current security price and is composed of a lower and upper bound. (e.g. percentage up and percentage down). Point of No Return (PNR) is the percentage move in a security's price where the account would theoretically lose 100% of its net liquidation value, that is, when the account net liquidation value would be zero. If the PNR exceeds the EPR, the risk array will default to tastyworks in-house percentages. The general base minimum is +/-20 % for equities and equity-based indices -20% +15%. If a PNR is less than the EPR, the higher concentration logic (EPR) is used for a portfolio margin account's requirement. Anytime a security EPR is greater than an account level PNR, a risk concentration exists and the price scenario move will expand to incorporate the increased margin requirement.

Picture of EPR and PNR in capital requirements window

Global IV Shock Adjustment 

This new feature will provide users with a stronger ability to anticipate an account's excess risk. Our clearing firm's macro stress test applies an implied volatility shock from 10% to 50% for each position's symbol. Thus via Global IV shock adjustments, you can get a better picture of how your portfolio's requirements and performance would react to a particular percentage up or down move in implied volatility across all products.

Picture of IV shock adjustment on risk analysis window


Highlighting the Largest Theoretical Loss per Symbol

Each symbol's risk array header and the top totals header row will now highlight the largest theoretical loss. Each highlighted box will signify the portfolio margin requirement for a specific symbol.

 Picture of Largest Theoretical Loss on Risk Analysis Tool


Pop-up Message After 1:30 pm CT

Starting at 1:30 pm CT, expiring long out-of-the-money options are no longer included for Risk Analysis and Portfolio Margin requirements (buying power). While no longer considered for hedging purposes, these options are still tradable until market close.


Evaluate Risk Arrays with Time Decay

Users can now analyze how their theoretical net liquidating value changes with time, specifically how positions would theoretically react to time decay at a further out date. You can toggle this via the Basis Mode selector, where you can analyze it based on variable price or time. The risk analysis tool previously defaulted to the 'Price' setting, but when 'Time' is enabled, the risk arrays will show the theoretical change in value strictly from time decay. 

Picture of time and price variable basis on the risk analysis window


tastytrade Desktop version 1.22.1 - 4/27/22

tastytrade desktop version 1.22.1 features the addition of GTC (good until canceled) orders for all CME futures products. GTC orders allow customers to place opening and closing futures orders without needing to replace them at the start of each session. Please see the note below for additional information.

GTC orders for futures cannot be cancelled when the market is closed or between sessions. For example, a GTC order on an /ES future cannot be cancelled between the hours of 4:00pm-4:50pm CST. When the market is in between sessions orders cannot be cancelled from 4pm CST on Friday until 4:50pm CT on Sunday when order routing for CME futures starts back up. Additionally, GTC orders cannot be cancelled during the CME's no cancel periods which a 30 seconds before the market opens at 5pm CT.


tastytrade Desktop Version 1.22.0 - 4/20/22

tastytrade desktop version 1.22.0 features several new additions to the Capital Requirements tool, Risk Analysis tool and positions/watchlist columns. 

  • Implied Volatility and Historical Volatility position/watchlist columns
  • Alternative-minimum requirements added to capital requirements window
  • Alternative-vega-minimum requirement added to capital requirements window
  • Price percentage overrides in the risk analysis window
  • Ability to adjust a simulated trade’s order quantity in the risk analysis window


30-day Implied and Historical Volatility

Three new position and watchlist columns have been added in this release: 30-day Implied Volatility, 30-day Historical Volatility, and 30-day Implied minus Historical. Historical volatility is calculated using prices from the past month . The greater the HV indicates larger swings in price over the past month. The Implied Volatility column is calculated using options with an approximate 30-day outlook. You can find more details on implied volatility at this page hereThe greater the implied volatility (IV), the greater the expected future movement. The greater the Historical Volatility (HV), the larger the past movement of stock price. A higher IV minus HV difference indicates future movement is expected to be more volatile.  


Alternative Minimum/Vega-Minimum Requirement

Alternative Minimum Requirement for Naked Options

An alternative minimum requirement will be calculated for each underlying by multiplying the number of uncovered short options by a variable percentage of the underlying deliverable value. While this variable percentage can change at any time and may be different depending on the underlying, the default percentage is 0.5%. For example, if you were to sell-to-open 1 ABC call while ABC is trading at $500 and the variable percentage for ABC is 0.5%, the alternative minimum requirement for this ABC position would be $250 ($500 x 100 multiplier x 0.5%). Additionally, naked equity index options will have a  default variable percentage of 0.25%. 


Alternative Minimum Requirement Vega Test

An alternative minimum requirement will be calculated for each underlying by finding the worst-case net vega scenario and multiplying it by a variable factor. This variable factor can change at any time and may differ depending on the underlying; the default factor is 10.

Alternative Minimum and Alternative Vega-minimum values will only populate in portfolio margin enabled accounts. Regulation-T margin accounts will list a blank value of “--".


More details on this can be found in our help center here.


Price Percentage Overrides

Override - None

With no overrides active, the risk arrays will list arrays based on their default house price move percentages. The house price move percentage can vary between symbols (generally, this percentage sharply increases near earnings and other significant events). 


Override - β-weighted

You can now Beta-weight your risk arrays to a particular symbol. First, click on the override dropdown in the top right corner and then select β-weighted. By default, your arrays will be beta-weight to SPY (at this time, you can only beta-weight to SPY). Next, select the percentage up and down move in SPY you wish to view. Arrays will update in real-time based on the percentage move selected. For example, if you want to analyze your positions after a 20% move in SPY, simply select an override percentage of 20%. The equivalent move percent for viewed symbols will reflect in the top row of each symbol. Symbols with a beta of 1.0 will show a max up and max down move of 20%, whereas symbols with differing beta values, such as V (0.91β), will show maximum up and down moves of 20%*0.91 = 18.1%.


Note: At this time, the risk analysis tool cannot beta-weight symbols with a negative Beta (VIX is an example). Risk arrays for symbols with a negative Beta will maintain the default house price move percentages for the symbol, which in the example below is 20% for VIX. 



Override - Uncorrelated

Selecting the Uncorrelated override will adjust all risk arrays to the price move percentage selected in the override tool. Price move percentage across all symbols will equal the override percentage chosen. In the example below, all risk arrays list a 20% down and 20% up, based on the override percentage selected being 20%.  



Refresh New Positions

To update recently opened positions on your risk array, click on the positions refresh button in the top center of the window, and newly open positions will populate an array. 



Adjust Simulated Order Quantity

You can now edit the order quantity field next to each leg of a simulated trade. Click up or down on the arrows or type in a number with your keyboard to adjust the order quantity. 

tastytrade Desktop Version 1.21.0 - 3/1/22

tastytrade desktop version 1.21.0 features upgrades to the positions tab, history tab, platform settings, and a few bug fixes. 

  • Ability to choose a default platform symbol. 
  • Extrinsic rate of return and IVx 5 day change columns on the positions tab
  • New history tab transaction filters


Select a Default Platform Symbol

Change the default platform symbol in the general platform settings tab. The default symbol for all accounts will initially be SPY. 


Extrinsic Rate of Return Column

The extrinsic rate of return metric allows you to analyze how efficiently your buying power is being used. Add this figure to the desktop platform’s positions tab to compare RoR across all your active positions. The figure’s value is based on the formula below:


(Extrinsic value) x (365/DTE) / (Capital Requirements) x 100 = Extrinsic Rate of Return %


When days until expiration (DTE) is zero (0), the value 0.5 is used instead, as you cant divide a value by 0. 


IV Index 5 Day Change

The IV Index 5 Day Change column displays the five-day change of the IV Index for that position. The IV index, in short, is the 30-day implied volatility. The IV Idx 5 Day Change column can quickly inform you whether there has been a recent expansion or decrease in IV over the past five trading days.


History Tab Transaction Filters

To better reconcile account transaction history, several filters have been added to the history tab. Below is each new selection and the data included in the filter.  


tastytrade Desktop Version 1.20.1 - 2/16/22

tastytrade desktop version 1.20.1 features two new additions to the charting package (which includes the main chat, tastycharts, and grid mode):

  • Added Heikin Ashi and HLC Bar chart types


The Heikin-Ashi chart type uses the open and close data from the previous time period and the open-high-low-close data from the current time period to generate a candlestick. The Heikin-Ashi candlestick is green when the close is above the open, inversely, it will be red when the close is below the open.


The HLC Bar chart type presents data as a sequence of vertical lines showing the High, Low, and Close (does not include the open price). Each bar is either green or red, depending on the current time interval's close price relative to the previous close. If the close price is greater than the previous close price then the bar is green. On the flip side, if the close price is less than the previous close, the bar is red. A short horizontal bar lies perpendicular to the vertical line and shows where the underlying closed for that time period.


Main Chart Tab


TastyCharts and Grid Mode