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Covered Call Writing Using The Blue Collar Methodology

Fundamental analysis, technical analysis, common sense principles and calculations are all critical considerations when selling stock options the Blue Collar way. Since this is my first article written on our newly enhanced web site (hope you like it!) I thought it appropriate to use a real-life example to review the basic tenets of our BCI [...]

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Portfolio Management- Organized Lists To Improve Our Option Profits For Covered Call Writing

Portfolio Management- Organized Lists To Improve Our Option Profits For Covered Call Writing

How to trade options: I am a big believer in setting yourself up for success. This is accomplished through education, motivation, commitment and organization. Investors reading this article and others are definitely seeking education, and are motivated and committed. However, without organization the process will become difficult and perhaps unmanageable. As we create a watch list [...]

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Covered Call Writing: Factors That Affect The Value Of Our Option Premiums

Covered Call Writing: Factors That Affect The Value Of Our Option Premiums

So you sold an options contract for $380 and generated a 3.5% 1-month return. Did you ever wonder how the market determined the value of that options contract to be $380? The simple equation that most of us know and understand is the following:  Option premium = Intrinsic Value + Time Value To review, let [...]

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Covered Call Writing: Mid-Contract Unwind Exit Strategy

Covered Call Writing: Mid-Contract Unwind Exit Strategy

 Mid-Contract Unwind: The major concern for covered call writers is the stock price dropping in value. The option premium collected is money in the bank. Most of our exit strategies are designed to mitigate these losses and turn losses into gains. However, as Blue Collar Investors we should also be prepared to act if the opposite [...]

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Covered Call Writing and Holding a Stock Through an Earnings Report

Covered Call Writing and Holding a Stock Through an Earnings Report

With expiration Friday and earnings season fast approaching our common sense principles (see chapter 8 of my latest book) become even more important. Never sell a covered call option with an upcoming earnings report is a critical BCI rule. But what if  you own a stock and love it!  Hopefully, your admiration for the stock [...]

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The Stochastic Oscillator- A Momentum Technical Indicator

When using the covered call writing strategy, it is critical to select stocks with positive price momentum. This will increase the probability of maximizing our profits. One of the technical indicators included in the BCI methodology is the stochastic oscillator. The stochastic oscillator is a momentum indicator that shows the location of the current closing [...]

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Strike Price Selection- A Critical Covered Call Decision

Strike Price Selection- A Critical Covered Call Decision

Covered call writing requires a logical sequence of stock and option decisions. Once we have screened our stocks to locate the greatest performing stocks in the greatest performing industries we must make a decision as to which strike price to use. Our choices include: in-the-money at (near)-the-money out-of-the-money Let’s look at the options chain for [...]

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Covered Call Writing: Managing Stocks That Have Gapped Down

Covered Call Writing: Managing Stocks That Have Gapped Down

Every once in a while, when using our covered call writing strategy a stock will gap up or down. A gap is a break between prices on a chart that occurs when the price of a stock makes a sharp move up or down with no trading occurring in between. Gaps can be created by factors such as [...]

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Constructing Your Covered Call Portfolio During Earnings Season

Constructing Your Covered Call Portfolio During Earnings Season

From mid-January to mid-February many of our watch list stocks will be reporting earnings rendering these equities ineligible for covered call writing at least until after the report is announced. This does NOT mean that our money will stay on the sidelines for a month (unless market conditions dictate this action). Blue Collar Investors are great people [...]

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Setting Up a Covered Call Portfolio-Diversification and Cash Allocation

Setting Up a Covered Call Portfolio-Diversification and Cash Allocation

A key mission statement in our Blue Collar investment strategy for covered call writing is risk management. An integral component needed to accomplish this goal is diversification and cash allocation. We want to own at least five different stocks in five different industry segments with no single equity or industry representing more than 20% of our portfolio. [...]

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