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Analyzing 4-Day and 2-Month Trades with XBI

Analyzing 4-Day and 2-Month Trades with XBI

Dec 14, 2019 | Covered Call Exit Strategies, Exchange-Traded Funds, Exit Strategies, Investment Basics, Option Trading Basics, Options Calculations, Stock Option Strategies

Mario was generous in sharing his covered call writing trades with SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (NYSE: XBI). The trades were executed over a 2-month time-frame, the last of which was a 4-day Weekly option.   Mario’s trades with XBI 4/17/2019: Buy XBI at $84.95...
Implied Volatility and Expected Price Movement of our Stocks During the Life of a Contract

Implied Volatility and Expected Price Movement of our Stocks During the Life of a Contract

Oct 26, 2019 | Exchange-Traded Funds, Investment Basics, Option Trading Basics, Options Calculations

Implied volatility (IV) is directly related to the value of the premiums we receive when selling covered call and put options. The more volatile the underlying security, the greater the premium and risk exposure. I have written quite a bit about IV over the years and...
VIX Covered Call Writing: Selling Options Against Market Volatility

VIX Covered Call Writing: Selling Options Against Market Volatility

Mar 2, 2019 | Exchange-Traded Funds, Investment Basics, Option Trading Basics, Put-selling, Stock Option Strategies

Traditional covered call writing involves first buying a stock (or exchange-traded fund) and then selling a corresponding call option. The result of the initial trade is to generate cash flow from the option sale and lower our cost basis on the stock side. Based on...
Covered Call Writing with Only One Security

Covered Call Writing with Only One Security

Oct 6, 2018 | Exchange-Traded Funds, Investment Basics, Option Trading Basics, Options Calculations, Stock Option Strategies

Diversification is one of the key common-sense requirements when selling covered calls or cash-secured puts. When using individual stocks, the BCI guidelines are a minimum requirement of 5 different stocks in 5 different industries where any one position cannot...
Inverse Exchange-Traded Funds versus Shorting Stocks

Inverse Exchange-Traded Funds versus Shorting Stocks

Apr 7, 2018 | Exchange-Traded Funds, Fundamental Analysis, Investment Basics, Option Trading Basics, Options Calculations, Stock Investing, Stock Option Strategies

In bear markets, one of the tools we can benefit from with our covered call writing and put-selling strategies is inverse exchange-traded funds (ETFs). An inverse ETF is also known as a short ETF or a bear ETF. These securities are constructed to return the exact...
Market Volatility and VIX-Based Exchange-Traded Notes

Market Volatility and VIX-Based Exchange-Traded Notes

Feb 17, 2018 | Exchange-Traded Funds, Investment Basics, Option Trading Basics, Stock Investing, Stock Option Strategies

Our covered call writing and put-selling portfolios have been significantly impacted the past few weeks from extreme market volatility. In addition to rising wages, inflation concerns and projected interest rate hikes, volatility based exchange-traded notes are also...
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  • 126. Analyzing the Status of a Rolling-Down Trade
  • 124. Dividends and After-Hours News Causing Exercise of OTM Call Strikes
  • 123. Implied Volatility, IV Rank and IV Percentile Defined and Practical Applications
  • BCI PODCAST 122: Should I Roll-Out My Deep In-The-Money Call Option Mid-Contract?
  • BCI PODCAST 121: What is a SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company)?
  • 120. Using the Nasdaq-100 Volatility Index (VOLQ) in Covered Call Writing Decisions
  • 119. Establishing Our Cost-Basis for Long-Term Holdings
  • 118. Adjusting Our Portfolio Mix to Achieve Diversification and Cash Allocation
  • 117. When a Covered Call Strike Moves $1000.00 In-The-Money
  • 116. How to Execute a Covered Call Trade with a Buy/Write Combination Form

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How Alan Got Started with Stock Options.

https://youtu.be/ZGutJdMO-9I

Why Covered Call Options May Be Your Best Investing Strategy

https://youtu.be/MINxukE9SzA

Nasdaq Interviews Alan Ellman

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