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Weekly vs Monthly Options: Which to Trade?
More expirations than ever means more choices — and the weekly-vs-monthly decision comes down to how fast you want the clock to run.
NoVo Options Trading · 2026
Weekly options offer more frequent expirations, faster decay, and cheaper premiums; monthly options have more time and slower decay. It’s a choice about the clock (and 0DTE takes weeklies to the extreme).
Weekly options
Weeklies expire every week (SPY now has daily expiries). They’re cheaper (less time value), decay faster (theta accelerates near expiration), and let you trade shorter-term views precisely. Great for active, short-term trading — but the fast decay punishes being early or wrong.
Monthly options
Monthlies (the traditional third-Friday expirations) have more time to expiration, so slower decay, more vega, and more room for a thesis to play out. Historically they carried the deepest liquidity and open interest (still concentrated there). Better for slightly longer holds and less decay pressure — but pricier.
Weeklies are cheap and fast-decaying; monthlies are pricier and slower. Pick by how quickly you need to be right.
How to choose
For intraday scalping, weeklies/0DTE fit — cheap, responsive, no overnight risk. For multi-day views, monthlies (or at least longer weeklies) give a thesis room and less decay drag. A beginner learning on a slower clock might prefer longer expiries (0DTE vs weeklies) before graduating to the fast stuff.
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NoVo is a software tool for market analysis and for executing trades you initiate, not financial advice. This article is general education, not investment advice. Options trading involves substantial risk of loss, up to and including your entire capital. NoVo makes no guarantee of profit, win rate, or performance, and past results do not predict future outcomes. You are responsible for your own broker account, configuration, and trading decisions.