One of our BCI covered call writing exit strategies is titled “hitting a double” This opportunity arises when share price declines after a covered call position is opened, short calls are bought back using our 20%/10% guidelines and then the same option is re-sold when share price rises. This article will highlight how to use […]
Strike Price Selection When Selling Cash-Secured Puts: A Real-Life Example with WWE
Strike price selection is one of the 3-required skills when selling covered calls or cash-secured puts. This article will highlight the choices and rationale for our decisions when selling puts for World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) on 9/24/2018. Bullish price chart for WWE Option-selling lowers our cost-basis and therefore we make […]
Volatility Skews: Defined, Explained and Updated
Implied volatility is a key concept for covered call writers and put-sellers. It is a forecast of the underlying stock’s volatility as implied by option prices in the marketplace. In 2012, I published an article relating to implied volatility where volatility skew was discussed. Volatility skew as defined in my 2012 article The volatility […]
Managing News-Driven Gap-Downs: A Real-Life Example with Stamp.Com
Earnings reports represent the greatest risk for price gap-downs for our covered call writing and put-selling stocks. Problem solved…we avoid earnings reports. However, from time-to-time unexpected negative news will be reported that will cause significant price decline. On July 25th, 2018, Earl shared with me a trade he initiated with Stamps.com (NASDAQ: STMP) and was […]
Evaluating an Initial Covered Call Writing Portfolio
Setting up our covered call writing and put-selling portfolios requires common sense analysis once our watch lists have been established. Considerations include proper stock and industry diversification, appropriate cash allocation to each position and. strike selection that will maximize our returns and reflect personal risk-tolerance and overall market assessment. In this article, I will dissect […]
Price Charts Tell a Story and Provide Guidance in Formulating Our Investment Strategies
Technical analysis is one of the critical tools available to us in selecting the best stocks for our option-selling strategies. Price charts are much more than a sequence of dots and lines…they tell a story about a company which, with proper research, ultimately leads to a series of rules and guidelines that will assist in […]
Technical Analysis Impacting Stock Eligibility for Option-Selling
Fundamental analysis, technical analysis and common sense principles comprise the 3-pronged approach used in the BCI methodology for screening for option-selling candidates. Technical analysis is the factor that changes most frequently and is the main reason a stock will get “bumped” from our Premium Stock Reports. In our 11/10/2017 Premium Stock Report, MKS Instruments (NASDAQ: […]
Writing Naked Calls on Poorly-Performing Stocks
Selling covered calls and cash-secured puts are the main strategies highlighted in our BCI community. Much of the information disseminated on the Blue Collar site, books and DVDs is based on member feedback, inquiries and comments. In September 2017, Marc sent me an email question about selling naked (without owning the underlying security before selling […]
Protecting Unrealized Profits When Share Price Accelerates
Covered call writing dilemmas can frequently result from positive circumstances. In August 2017, Vincent shared a trade he executed where an out-of-the-money strike was sold and share price had moved up significantly and was approaching the strike price. This means that Vincent realized an initial option premium return plus had an unrealized share appreciation component […]
Volume Versus “Deliverable Volume” Explained and Analyzed
Trading volume is the number of trades for a security in a given time frame. On a chart volume is typically represented as a histogram (vertical bars) and represents a confirmation or lack thereof of the other technical indicators. For example, if a moving average breaks below support on high volume, it is more significant […]
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Interpreting Exit Strategy Calculations Versus Final Calculations
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Ask Alan #160 – Comparing Protective Puts and Position Unwinding as Strike Moves Deep In-The-Money
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Covered Call Writing with a Biotech Company: A Real-Life Example with Argenx (NASDAQ: ARGX)
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In-The-Money Covered Calls: Intrinsic Value Protects Time Value: A Real-Life Example with TEAM + New Tool Coming Soon
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Structuring a Poor Man’s Covered Call Trade with The Coca-Cola Company
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The New Stock Market- Algorithmic and High Speed Trading
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Options That Expire Weekly and Conventional Expiration Cycles
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Why the 3% Guideline Applies to Puts but Not to Call Options
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Earnings Pre-Announcements Explained and Categorized
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Tax Implications of Writing Covered Calls against Long-Term Holdings
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Jay Hey friends, To the extent seasonality plays an
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Alan Ellman Premium members: This week's 8-page repo
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Jack Alan, 1) I have kept scrupulous records and bel
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