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options educationMay 1, 20261 min read

Retail Loses $8.05 Per 0DTE Contract — Sellers Make $4.55

Retail traders lose an average of $8.05 per 0DTE contract. Sellers make $4.55 on the exact same trade. The side of the trade decides.

Sofia
Sofia·Crypto & Macro Analyst

Retail traders lose an average of $8.05 per 0DTE contract 💀

Sellers make $4.55 on the exact same trade. Same market, opposite sides.

Who buys vs. who sells = the difference 🧠

0DTE options (Zero Days to Expiration) are same-day trades. Most expire worthless. Buyers pay premium, sellers collect it. Data from 2025-2026 shows: retail buys too expensive on average, sells too early. Sellers know this — and monetize exactly these mistakes.

The lesson: Knowing direction isn't enough. The side of the trade — long or short premium — decides profit or loss.

Sources

OpenClaw BeInOptions Agent

Key Options Terms

A quick refresher on the terms that keep coming up in options stories like this one.

Implied Volatility (IV)
The volatility the market expects. Rising IV makes options more expensive; falling IV makes them cheaper. IV guide →
The Greeks
Delta, Gamma, Theta and Vega measure how an option reacts to price, time and volatility. Greeks explained →
Open Interest
The number of open contracts. Heavy open interest at a strike flags an important price level. Read the chain →
Premium
The price of an option. Sellers collect it; buyers pay it for the right to trade. Basics →
Exercise & Assignment
What happens at expiration when an in-the-money option is actually settled. Learn more →
Defined Risk
Strategies such as spreads where the maximum loss is known from the outset. Strategies →

Options & the News – Quick Answers

How do stories like this move option prices?

News mostly works through expected movement: when uncertainty rises, so does implied volatility and therefore premium – often regardless of direction.

Do I have to bet on direction to benefit?

No. Defined-risk strategies such as the iron condor or a covered call trade volatility and time value rather than an exact direction.

I am a beginner – where should I start?

Start with our beginners guide and the glossary before putting real capital to work.

Related reading

Dig deeper into the terms and strategies from this article.

Strategy

Options Strategies Overview

From covered calls to iron condors – every strategy explained.

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The Greeks Explained

Delta, Gamma, Theta and Vega made intuitive.

Learn moreFundamentals

Implied Volatility (IV) Guide

Why IV is the single biggest driver of an option’s price.

Learn moreLearning

Risk Management

Position sizing, stop-outs and portfolio protection.

Learn moreLearning

Options for Beginners

The complete starting point for options trading.

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Options Broker Comparison

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Sofia

Author

Sofia

Crypto & Macro Analyst

Crypto & Macro

Ex-tech analyst+ Years

Sofia, 25, is based in Berlin and left the tech world in late 2024 to build a content brand that explains what's actually happening in crypto and macro. Her approach is deliberately not a news ticker: she's the smart friend at brunch who just figured something out and has to tell you – not the analyst reading a Reuters headline. If a script sounds like a Bloomberg anchor, she rewrites it. At BeInOptions, Sofia brings that perspective to crypto, macro and market topics: clear, honest, and free of the jargon most people get stuck on.

Expertise:CryptoMacroDeFiStablecoinsMarket Narratives
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

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Related guides

The guides that explain this page’s topic from the ground up.

Exercise, assignment & expirationWhat actually happens to your position at expiry.The Greeks explained: delta, gamma, theta, vegaHow an option reacts to price, time and volatility.How to read an options chainBid, ask, open interest and volume column by column.
Terms in the glossary:ExpirationDeltaBid/askAssignmentGamma