Contract adjustments to the terms of our covered call writing and put-selling options are due to corporate actions like mergers and acquisitions (see the thread on last week’s blog commentary regarding AAN), special dividends and stock splits. Stock splits fall into 3 categories: Even splits Odd splits Reverse splits: (1-for 5, as an example) This […]
Analyzing LEAPS for The Poor Man’s Covered Call + Free Webinar Registration Link
The Poor Man’s Covered Call (PMCC), also known as a long call diagonal debit spread, is where deep in-the-money (ITM) LEAPS options are used in place of the long stock position. As with all strategies, the PMCC has its advantages and disadvantages but the main reason this strategy appeals to retail investors is that the […]
“Hitting a Double” on the Last Day of a Contract
Exit strategies for covered call writing are critical components to our overall success. One of the strategies available to us is hitting a double. This is where we buy back the short call and wait for the stock price to recover allowing us to re-sell the same option. This creates 2 income streams in the […]
Analyzing Market Assessment Based on Portfolio Setup
In May 2020, Gaetan sent me his portfolio positions for the May 2020 contracts. His cash available was $33,000.00 and decided to diversify with 5 different stocks. I thought it would be a useful exercise to look at his positions and analyze what we believe his overall market assessment was at the time of his […]
The Collar Strategy: Using Longer-Term Put Expirations
When we add a protective put to our covered call trades the strategy is known as a collar. To reduce the monthly cost of the long put, some investors will consider using longer-term put expirations This article will explore the pros and cons of this approach using Ciena Corp. (NYSE: CIEN). Collar trade information […]
Covered Call Writing with TLT: Generating Premium and Dividend Income
The main goal of covered call writing is to generate option premium cash flow. Many investors also seek to develop dividend income in addition to the option premium revenue. One security that presents a unique scenario is iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (NASDAQ: TLT). This exchange-traded fund produces dividend income twelve times a year with […]
Protecting Our Covered Call Trades: Protective Puts Versus In-The-Money Strikes
Covered call writing is a low-risk, cash-generating strategy. We can lower the risk to an even greater extent by purchasing protective puts and by writing in-the-money (ITM) call options. Now, buying protective puts (called the collar strategy when used in conjunction with covered call writing) costs money and will lower our returns. Using ITM calls […]
Managing a Poor Man’s Covered Call Trade When Share Price Drops Below the LEAPS Strike
A typical Poor Man’s Covered Call (PMCC) trade involves buying a deep in-the-money call LEAPS option and selling short-term out-of-the-money call options which is protected by the long LEAPS position. In April 2020, Martin shared with me a PMCC trade he executed with PPL Corp. (NYSE: PPL) where share price declined below the LEAPS strike […]
Anatomy of a Reverse Stock Split
Option contracts can be standard or adjusted. Certain corporate events may change standard option contracts to adjusted contracts. These events include stock splits, mergers, acquisitions, special dividends, spin-offs and reverse splits. After these events, options are altered to reflect these changes and make buyers and sellers of options whole. This article will focus in on […]
Rolling Out-And-Up: 6-Week Returns
Option calculations help guide us to an accurate assessment of our covered call writing profits. It’s more meaningful to use percentages rather than dollar amounts when executing these calculations. For example, a $1000.00 profit on a $10,000.00 investment (10%) is much more significant than a $1000.00 return on a $100,000.00 investment (1%). That’s why percentages […]
Podcast
- 50. Exit strategies Must Be Timed Properly
- 49. Analyzing a Multi Leg Covered Call Rolling Down Series of Trades
- 48. Rolling Deep OTM Cash Secured Puts
- 47. Rolling Up in the Same Contract Month
- 46. Should Delta Be the Sole Criteria for Covered Call Writing Strike Selection
- 45. Implied Volatility and Expected price Movement During the Life of Option Contracts
- 44. Can We Use ITM Strikes to Create a No Risk Covered Call Strategy?
- 43. Converting a Covered Call Trade to a Collar Trade
- 42. Why Was My OTM Put Exercised?
- 41. Collar Trades When Call Strikes Move Deep In The Money
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