Simplify BUCK Fund Deep Dive

Added: 2026-05-31

[00:00:03]This is the Simplify Treasury Option Income ETF, ticker symbol BUCK.

[00:00:10]>> [music] >> In this video, we'll discuss what is BUCK, how is BUCK managed, and portfolio use cases.

[00:00:22]BUCK seeks to provide monthly income by combining short duration US government securities with a [music] risk-managed options income overlay.

[00:00:32]It does this by first investing in US government and other short-term fixed income securities.

[00:00:38]Next, it seeks to enhance income further through a risk-managed option selling strategy.

[00:00:44]Why are US government securities attractive for option sellers?

[00:00:49]Dealers, especially those involved with mortgage-backed securities, have a continuous need to hedge their interest rate risk.

[00:00:57]This leads to high structural demand to buy options, which increases premiums and adds to the potential profitability of option selling strategies.

[00:01:09]Before we dive into BUCK's strategy, we'll first review how option selling works.

[00:01:15]The investor sells an option, thereby collecting dollars known as a premium.

[00:01:21]As a seller of the option, the goal is for the options to eventually expire worthless. The entire premium thus becomes the option seller's profit.

[00:01:32]The green line on this chart shows a put option seller's payoff.

[00:01:36]Suppose the underlying asset's current price is $100.

[00:01:41]The option seller sells a put option with a $95 strike price.

[00:01:46]In exchange, they receive a premium.

[00:01:49]On the expiration date, if the asset price remains above $95, it is a win.

[00:01:56]The option expires worthless and the premium received is a 100% profit. Since the put seller wishes the underlying price to go up or at least stay above $95, this is considered a bullish position.

[00:02:12]Here's the payoff chart for selling a call option.

[00:02:16]Suppose the asset's underlying price is $100.

[00:02:20]The option seller sells a call option with a strike price of 105, for which they receive a premium.

[00:02:28]On the expiration date, if the asset price is below 105, it is a win.

[00:02:34]The option expires worthless and the premium received is a 100% profit.

[00:02:39]In this case, the option seller wants the asset price to decline or [music] at least remain under 105. Therefore, it's considered a bearish position.

[00:02:51]Now, let's review Buck's investment strategy.

[00:02:55]The portfolio begins by investing in short-term fixed income securities.

[00:03:01]80% or more of the assets will be invested in US government securities such as Treasury bills and agencies.

[00:03:08]The fund may occasionally invest in other short-term debt such as commercial paper.

[00:03:13]Overall, the fund will target a duration of 1 year or less.

[00:03:18]The option strategy begins by developing a thesis on interest rates.

[00:03:24]An economic analysis is done [music] which considers factors such as inflation, unemployment, and economic growth.

[00:03:31]This is to develop an overall outlook of bullish, bearish, or neutral on interest [music] rates.

[00:03:38]Next, the current price action will be analyzed.

[00:03:41]Have interest rates moved appropriately given the overall thesis on rates?

[00:03:46]If not, have rates under or over reacted? This can be a deciding factor leading to a bullish or bearish options position.

[00:03:57]Here's an example.

[00:03:58]The backdrop is an environment that has had no significant economic events that would normally trigger a major move in rates.

[00:04:07]Despite this backdrop, interest rates have significantly [music] increased over a several-week period with no clear catalyst.

[00:04:16]This might lead to a bullish positioning as odds are interest rates are likely to mean revert lower, especially [music] in the absence of economic news.

[00:04:26]Here's how the options would be positioned based on possible interest rate outlooks.

[00:04:31]A bullish outlook on bonds would result in a strategy of selling puts as a short put benefits from rising US government securities prices.

[00:04:42]A neutral outlook on bonds might result in the selling of both puts and calls, known as a strangle, to collect option premiums when bond prices are expected to remain within a range.

[00:04:55]There might be a slight bias towards puts, which [music] we'll discuss shortly.

[00:05:00]A bearish outlook on bonds might result in the selling of calls as a short call can benefit from falling US government security prices.

[00:05:09]Now, let's review some of the details on how the option strategy is implemented.

[00:05:14]The first consideration [music] is strike prices. Buck will typically select strike prices with a 90 to 95% probability of a win. In other words, 90 to 95% probability of the options expiring worthless.

[00:05:30]For those familiar with options, this translates into options deltas of 5 to 10, [music] which generally indicates a lower probability that the option will expire in the money or with value at expiration.

[00:05:43]The next consideration is the option duration.

[00:05:47]Options will typically be written with expirations [music] of about 1 to 2 months.

[00:05:52]Lastly, our risk management controls.

[00:05:55]Risk management procedures will typically ladder strikes and entries and manage risk strategically by entering and exiting positions tactically.

[00:06:05]BUCK has several portfolio use cases.

[00:06:09]The first use [music] case is as a short-term bond replacement for investors willing to accept a small amount of volatility.

[00:06:16]To be clear, BUCK is not a money market fund >> [music] >> and its share price will fluctuate daily, but it can potentially distribute significantly more [music] while being much less volatile than a typical bond fund.

[00:06:30]The next use case is as [music] a bond fund replacement for investors who, for whatever reason, wish to minimize duration.

[00:06:38]With a duration of 1 year or less, BUCK will have much less interest rate risk than a typical core bond fund. It can be used as a sleeve within a fixed income portfolio for any investor that wants to increase income and or reduce [music] volatility.

[00:06:55]Lastly, curve trades, which focus on differences between short and long-term interest rates, can be effective in producing the desired duration, but can sometimes generate little income depending on funding rates.

[00:07:08]Pairing the curve trade with BUCK can enhance [music] the trade's income.

[00:07:13]Now, for some Q&A.

[00:07:16]How should fixed income investors evaluate BUCK versus a [music] traditional core bond fund?

[00:07:22]Investors who are bullish on bonds will probably want to invest in a core bond fund that has more duration and thus more capital appreciation potential.

[00:07:32]Investors who are less bullish on bonds may prefer the shorter duration of BUCK.

[00:07:37]In either case, BUCK can still serve as a source of income and portfolio diversification.

[00:07:45]How volatile is BUCK?

[00:07:47]Since its October 2022 inception, BUCK has been 39% less volatile than the Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index with a 26% smaller maximum drawdown.

[00:07:59]Why limit the fund to options on US government securities? Why not also take advantage of other asset classes like equity options?

[00:08:08]Focusing on options on US government securities minimizes the fund's correlation with equities, which seeks to enhance its value as a portfolio diversification tool.

[00:08:19]For investors interested in equity option income, HIGH is an alternative.

[00:08:26]It was mentioned that the fund may default to selling puts more often than calls. Why is that? In addition to income, a secondary feature of US government securities is that they can serve as a hedge during stock market tail risk events. A bullish position, being short puts, will be more helpful during these events.

[00:08:49]Thanks for watching this presentation.

[00:08:51]For more information about BUCK or any other Simplify ETF, please go to simplify.us/etfs.

[00:09:00]We'd like to hear from you directly, so if you click the contact us link at the top of the page, you can get in touch with us directly and we'll respond promptly.