Universe Selection

Options Universes

Introduction

An Option Universe Selection model selects contracts for a set of Options.

Options Universe Selection

The OptionUniverseSelectionModel selects all the available contracts for the Equity Options, Index Options, and Future Options you specify. To use this model, provide a refreshInterval and a selector function. The refreshInterval defines how frequently LEAN calls the selector function. The selector function receives a DateTimedatetime object that represents the current Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and returns a list of Symbol objects. The Symbol objects you return from the selector function are the Options of the universe.

AddUniverseSelection(new OptionUniverseSelectionModel(refreshInterval, optionChainSymbolSelector));
from Selection.OptionUniverseSelectionModel import OptionUniverseSelectionModel 

self.AddUniverseSelection(OptionUniverseSelectionModel(refreshInterval, optionChainSymbolSelector))

The following table describes the arguments the model accepts:

ArgumentData TypeDescriptionDefault Value
refreshIntervalTimeSpantimedeltaTime interval between universe refreshes
optionChainSymbolSelectorFunc<DateTime, IEnumerable<Symbol>>Callable[[datetime], List[Symbol]]A function that selects the Option symbols
universeSettingsUniverseSettingsUniverse settings define attributes of created subscriptions, such as their resolution and the minimum time in universe before they can be removednullNone

If you don't provide a universeSettings argument, the algorithm.UniverseSettings is used by default.

public override void Initialize()
{
    AddUniverseSelection(
        new OptionUniverseSelectionModel(TimeSpan.FromDays(1), SelectOptionChainSymbols)
    );
}

private IEnumerable<Symbol> SelectOptionChainSymbols(DateTime utcTime)
{
    // Equity Options example:
    //var tickers = new[] {"SPY", "QQQ", "TLT"};
    //return tickers.Select(ticker => QuantConnect.Symbol.Create(ticker, SecurityType.Option, Market.USA));

    // Index Options example:
    //var tickers = new[] {"VIX", "SPX"};
    //return tickers.Select(ticker => QuantConnect.Symbol.Create(ticker, SecurityType.IndexOption, Market.USA));

    // Future Options example:
    var futureSymbol = QuantConnect.Symbol.Create(Futures.Indices.SP500EMini, SecurityType.Future, Market.CME);
    var futureContractSymbols = FutureChainProvider.GetFutureContractList(futureSymbol, Time);
    foreach (var symbol in futureContractSymbols)
    {
        yield return QuantConnect.Symbol.CreateCanonicalOption(symbol);
    }
}
from Selection.OptionUniverseSelectionModel import OptionUniverseSelectionModel 

def Initialize(self) -> None:
    universe = OptionUniverseSelectionModel(timedelta(days=1), self.select_option_chain_symbols)
    self.SetUniverseSelection(universe)

def select_option_chain_symbols(self, utc_time: datetime) -> List[Symbol]:
    # Equity Options example:
    #tickers = ["SPY", "QQQ", "TLT"]
    #return [Symbol.Create(ticker, SecurityType.Option, Market.USA) for ticker in tickers]

    # Index Options example:
    #tickers = ["VIX", "SPX"]
    #return [Symbol.Create(ticker, SecurityType.IndexOption, Market.USA) for ticker in tickers]

    # Future Options example:
    future_symbol = Symbol.Create(Futures.Indices.SP500EMini, SecurityType.Future, Market.CME)
    future_contract_symbols = self.FutureChainProvider.GetFutureContractList(future_symbol, self.Time)
    return [Symbol.CreateCanonicalOption(symbol) for symbol in future_contract_symbols]

This model uses the default Option filter, which selects all of the available Option contracts at the current time step. To use a different filter for the contracts, subclass the OptionUniverseSelectionModel and define a Filter method. The Filter method accepts and returns an OptionFilterUniverse object to select the Option contracts. The following table describes the methods of the OptionFilterUniverse class:

MethodDescription
Strikes(int minStrike, int maxStrike)Strikes(minStrike: int, maxStrike: int)Selects contracts that are within minStrike strikes below the underlying price and maxStrike strikes above the underlying price
CallsOnly()Selects call contracts
PutsOnly()Selects put contracts
StandardsOnly()Selects standard contracts
IncludeWeeklys()Selects non-standard weeklys contracts
WeeklysOnly()Selects weekly contracts
FrontMonth()Selects the front month contract
BackMonths()Selects the non-front month contracts
BackMonth()Selects the back month contracts
Expiration(TimeSpan minExpiry, TimeSpan maxExpiry)Expiration(minExpiry: timedelta, maxExpiry: timedelta)Selects contracts that expire within a range of dates relative to the current day
Expiration(int minExpiryDays, int maxExpiryDays)Expiration(minExpiryDays: int, maxExpiryDays: int)Selects contracts that expire within a range of dates relative to the current day
Contracts(IEnumerable<Symbol> contracts)Contracts(contracts: List[Symbol])Selects a list of contracts
Contracts(Func<IEnumerable<Symbol>, IEnumerable< Symbol>> contractSelector)Contracts(contractSelector: Callable[[List[Symbol]], List[Symbol]])Selects contracts that a selector function selects
OnlyApplyFilterAtMarketOpen()Instructs the engine to only filter contracts on the first time step of each market day

Depending on how you define the contract filter, LEAN may call it once a day or at every time step.

To move the selection functions outside of the algorithm class, create a universe selection model that inherits the OptionUniverseSelectionModel class.

// In Initialize
AddUniverseSelection(new EarliestExpiringAtTheMoneyCallOptionUniverseSelectionModel(this));

// Outside of the algorithm class
class EarliestExpiringAtTheMoneyCallOptionUniverseSelectionModel : OptionUniverseSelectionModel
{
    public EarliestExpiringAtTheMoneyCallOptionUniverseSelectionModel(QCAlgorithm algorithm)
            : base(TimeSpan.FromDays(1), utcTime => SelectOptionChainSymbols(algorithm, utcTime)) {}
    
    private static IEnumerable<Symbol> SelectOptionChainSymbols(QCAlgorithm algorithm, DateTime utcTime)
    {
        // Equity Options example:
        //var tickers = new[] {"SPY", "QQQ", "TLT"};
        //return tickers.Select(ticker => QuantConnect.Symbol.Create(ticker, SecurityType.Option, Market.USA));

        // Index Options example:
        //var tickers = new[] {"VIX", "SPX"};
        //return tickers.Select(ticker => QuantConnect.Symbol.Create(ticker, SecurityType.IndexOption, Market.USA));

        // Future Options example:
        var futureSymbol = QuantConnect.Symbol.Create(Futures.Indices.SP500EMini, SecurityType.Future, Market.CME);
        var futureContractSymbols = algorithm.FutureChainProvider.GetFutureContractList(futureSymbol, algorithm.Time);
        foreach (var symbol in futureContractSymbols)
        {
            yield return QuantConnect.Symbol.CreateCanonicalOption(symbol);
        }
    }

    protected override OptionFilterUniverse Filter(OptionFilterUniverse filter)
    {
        return filter.Strikes(-1, -1).Expiration(0, 7).CallsOnly().OnlyApplyFilterAtMarketOpen();
    }
}
from Selection.OptionUniverseSelectionModel import OptionUniverseSelectionModel 

# In Initialize
self.AddUniverseSelection(EarliestExpiringAtTheMoneyCallOptionUniverseSelectionModel(self))

# Outside of the algorithm class
class EarliestExpiringAtTheMoneyCallOptionUniverseSelectionModel(OptionUniverseSelectionModel):
    def __init__(self, algorithm):
        self.algo = algorithm
        super().__init__(timedelta(1), self.select_option_chain_symbols)
    
    def select_option_chain_symbols(self, utc_time: datetime) -> List[Symbol]:
        # Equity Options example:
        #tickers = ["SPY", "QQQ", "TLT"]
        #return [Symbol.Create(ticker, SecurityType.Option, Market.USA) for ticker in tickers]

        # Index Options example:
        #tickers = ["VIX", "SPX"]
        #return [Symbol.Create(ticker, SecurityType.IndexOption, Market.USA) for ticker in tickers]

        # Future Options example:
        future_symbol = Symbol.Create(Futures.Indices.SP500EMini, SecurityType.Future, Market.CME)
        future_contract_symbols = self.algo.FutureChainProvider.GetFutureContractList(future_symbol, self.algo.Time)
        return [Symbol.CreateCanonicalOption(symbol) for symbol in future_contract_symbols]

    def Filter(self, option_filter_universe: OptionFilterUniverse) -> OptionFilterUniverse:
        return option_filter_universe.Strikes(-1, -1).Expiration(0, 7).CallsOnly().OnlyApplyFilterAtMarketOpen()

Some of the preceding filter methods only set an internal enumeration in the OptionFilterUniverse that it uses later on in the filter process. This subset of filter methods don't immediately reduce the number of contract Symbol objects in the OptionFilterUniverse.

To override the default pricing model of the Options, set a pricing model in a security initializer.

To override the initial guess of implied volatility, set and warm up the underlying volatility model.

To view the implementation of this model, see the LEAN GitHub repositoryLEAN GitHub repository.

Option Chained Universe Selection

An Option chained universe subscribes to Option contracts on the constituents of a US Equity universe.

AddUniverseOptions(universe, optionFilter);
self.AddUniverseOptions(universe, optionFilter)

The following table describes the arguments the model accepts:

ArgumentData TypeDescriptionDefault Value
universeUniverseThe universe to chain onto the Option Universe Selection model
optionFilterFunc<OptionFilterUniverse, OptionFilterUniverse>Callable[[OptionFilterUniverse], OptionFilterUniverse]The Option filter universe to use

The optionFilter function receives and returns an OptionFilterUniverse to select the Option contracts. The following table describes the methods of the OptionFilterUniverse class:

MethodDescription
Strikes(int minStrike, int maxStrike)Strikes(minStrike: int, maxStrike: int)Selects contracts that are within minStrike strikes below the underlying price and maxStrike strikes above the underlying price
CallsOnly()Selects call contracts
PutsOnly()Selects put contracts
StandardsOnly()Selects standard contracts
IncludeWeeklys()Selects non-standard weeklys contracts
WeeklysOnly()Selects weekly contracts
FrontMonth()Selects the front month contract
BackMonths()Selects the non-front month contracts
BackMonth()Selects the back month contracts
Expiration(TimeSpan minExpiry, TimeSpan maxExpiry)Expiration(minExpiry: timedelta, maxExpiry: timedelta)Selects contracts that expire within a range of dates relative to the current day
Expiration(int minExpiryDays, int maxExpiryDays)Expiration(minExpiryDays: int, maxExpiryDays: int)Selects contracts that expire within a range of dates relative to the current day
Contracts(IEnumerable<Symbol> contracts)Contracts(contracts: List[Symbol])Selects a list of contracts
Contracts(Func<IEnumerable<Symbol>, IEnumerable< Symbol>> contractSelector)Contracts(contractSelector: Callable[[List[Symbol]], List[Symbol]])Selects contracts that a selector function selects
OnlyApplyFilterAtMarketOpen()Instructs the engine to only filter contracts on the first time step of each market day
public override void Initialize()
{
    var universe = AddUniverse(Universe.DollarVolume.Top(10));
    AddUniverseOptions(universe, OptionFilterFunction);
}

private OptionFilterUniverse OptionFilterFunction(OptionFilterUniverse optionFilterUniverse)
{
    return optionFilterUniverse.Strikes(-2, +2).FrontMonth().CallsOnly();
}
def Initialize(self) -> None:
    universe = self.AddUniverse(self.Universe.DollarVolume.Top(10))
    self.AddUniverseOptions(universe, self.OptionFilterFunction)

def OptionFilterFunction(self, option_filter_universe: OptionFilterUniverse) -> OptionFilterUniverse:
    return option_filter_universe.Strikes(-2, +2).FrontMonth().CallsOnly()

Some of the preceding filter methods only set an internal enumeration in the OptionFilterUniverse that it uses later on in the filter process. This subset of filter methods don't immediately reduce the number of contract Symbol objects in the OptionFilterUniverse.

To override the default pricing model of the Options, set a pricing model in a security initializer.

To override the initial guess of implied volatility, set and warm up the underlying volatility model.

To view the implementation of this model, see the LEAN GitHub repository.

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