Strategies · backtested on 1-minute option prices
NIFTY option strategies, backtested
21 strategies tested on two years of real option prices, after brokerage, taxes and slippage. Winners, losers and rejected ideas all stay listed, so nothing is cherry-picked. 10 passed both years.
- NIFTY Monthly Strangle 28 DTEPassed both yearsNet P&L+₹1,93,695Return (2 yrs)129.1%Per year67.6%Win rate70%Max drawdown−₹44,805Capital₹1.5L
- NIFTY Weekly Strangle ₹15Passed both yearsNet P&L+₹96,821Return (2 yrs)48.4%Per year23.9%Win rate91%Max drawdown−₹18,433Capital₹2L
- NIFTY Monthly Strangle 14 DTEPassed both yearsNet P&L+₹79,181Return (2 yrs)52.8%Per year27.6%Win rate78%Max drawdown−₹22,583Capital₹1.5L
- SENSEX Expiry-Day Straddle 9:30Passed both yearsNet P&L+₹78,877Return (2 yrs)39.4%Per year19.8%Win rate49%Max drawdown−₹14,288Capital₹2L
- NIFTY Expiry-Day Straddle 9:20Passed both yearsNet P&L+₹74,042Return (2 yrs)37.0%Per year18.6%Win rate47%Max drawdown−₹18,940Capital₹2L
- NIFTY Expiry-Day StranglePassed both yearsNet P&L+₹63,106Return (2 yrs)31.6%Per year15.9%Win rate44%Max drawdown−₹8,337Capital₹2L
- NIFTY ATM Straddle Expiry DayPassed both yearsNet P&L+₹61,972Return (2 yrs)31.0%Per year15.6%Win rate69%Max drawdown−₹12,671Capital₹2L
- SENSEX Overnight Strangle ₹30Passed both yearsNet P&L+₹61,205Return (2 yrs)30.6%Per year15.4%Win rate91%Max drawdown−₹8,645Capital₹2L
- NIFTY Expiry-Day Straddle 10:00Passed both yearsNet P&L+₹55,975Return (2 yrs)28.0%Per year14.1%Win rate40%Max drawdown−₹28,629Capital₹2L
- SENSEX ATM Straddle Legs Expiry DayPassed both yearsNet P&L+₹42,215Return (2 yrs)21.1%Per year10.6%Win rate63%Max drawdown−₹18,398Capital₹2L
- NIFTY Weekly Strangle LadderUnder reviewNet P&L+₹2,84,056Return (2 yrs)47.3%Per year23.6%Win rate69%Max drawdown−₹98,333Capital₹6L
- SENSEX Closing Auction ATM BuyToo few trades yetNet P&L+₹4,903Return70.0%Per year—Win rate80%Max drawdown−₹1,001Capital₹7,000
- NIFTY Closing Auction ATM BuyToo few trades yetNet P&L+₹4,649Return93.0%Per year—Win rate86%Max drawdown−₹946Capital₹5,000
- NIFTY ATM Straddle Every DayFailedNet P&L+₹21,209Return (2 yrs)10.6%Per year5.2%Win rate59%Max drawdown−₹52,839Capital₹2L
- NIFTY Expiry-Day Iron FlyFailedNet P&L+₹10,583Return (2 yrs)17.6%Per year8.9%Win rate41%Max drawdown−₹33,183Capital₹60,000
- NIFTY Expiry-Day Iron CondorFailedNet P&L−₹3,489Return (2 yrs)−5.8%Per year−2.9%Win rate53%Max drawdown−₹18,697Capital₹60,000
- NIFTY Strangle Take-Profit Re-sellRejectedNet P&L+₹1,36,598Return (2 yrs)68.3%Per year34.0%Win rate73%Max drawdown−₹51,659Capital₹2L
- NIFTY Weekly Strangle ₹40RejectedNet P&L+₹1,08,809Return (2 yrs)54.4%Per year27.1%Win rate77%Max drawdown−₹54,870Capital₹2L
- NIFTY Weekly Strangle ₹25RejectedNet P&L+₹81,609Return (2 yrs)40.8%Per year20.4%Win rate85%Max drawdown−₹37,331Capital₹2L
- NIFTY Jade LizardRejectedNet P&L+₹71,560Return (2 yrs)42.1%Per year20.8%Win rate91%Max drawdown−₹18,577Capital₹1.7L
- NIFTY Diagonal HedgeRejectedNet P&L−₹17,074Return (2 yrs)−56.9%Per year−28.4%Win rate80%Max drawdown−₹39,254Capital₹30,000
Nifty option strategies, backtested
Short straddles, strangles, iron flies, iron condors, weekly carries and closing-auction trades, each run on two years of real 1-minute option prices with every rupee of brokerage, STT, exchange charges and slippage taken out.
10 of 21 strategies passed both years. Strategies that failed or were rejected stay listed next to the winners, so you can see which popular setups do not survive costs.
Intraday, weekly and monthly
Expiry-day strategies open and close on the weekly expiry: no overnight risk, fast decay, large intraday swings. Weekly carries and monthly strangles hold positions overnight, collecting more premium in exchange for gap risk.
Why year 2 is the number to trust
Any strategy can be tuned to look good on past data. Settings were chosen on the first year and then judged on the second; a strategy that works in year 1 and fails in year 2 was probably fitted to the past.
Frequently asked questions
Are these live trading results?
No. They are backtests on historical 1-minute option prices, after costs. They are not a live track record and not a recommendation.
Is option selling profitable in India after costs?
Some setups are. 10 of the 21 strategies here passed both years after brokerage, STT, exchange charges, GST and slippage; the rest did not, and they are listed too.
What data are these backtests based on?
1-minute candles of expired NIFTY and SENSEX option contracts and the index, October 2024 to September 2026, replayed minute by minute.
Backtests on historical data, not live results and not a recommendation. Past performance does not guarantee future returns. Options trading can lose more than the premium collected. MarketCue is not a SEBI-registered investment adviser. See the disclaimer.