Position management is the 3rd required skill for achieving the highest level of option-selling success. One of the most important of the BCI protocols for covered call writing are the 20%/10% guidelines which assists us is closing short calls when those opportunities are presented. This allows us to mitigate situations when share price declines. These […]
Market Volatility and Our Option-Selling Trades: Using the VIX to Achieve Higher Returns
Options trading basics teaches us that the VIX or CBOE Volatility Index reflects the market’s expectation of the upcoming 30-day volatility. It measures market risk and is also known as the investor fear gauge. With this in mind, option-sellers are faced with a dilemma. Increased market volatility will translate into higher option premiums because the […]
Buyers Have Rights, Sellers Have Obligations: Covered Call Writing in a Nutshell
Covered call writers get paid cash when selling call options. Call buyers pay cash to own the options. This article will highlight the reasons options are bought and sold as it relates to covered call writing. We will use a real-life example with CarMax, Inc. (NYSE: KMX), a stock on our Premium Stock Report on […]
Ask Alan #167 What is “Seeking Alpha?”
Alan answers a question posed by Mary, who asks: Alan,Alan, I follow the site Seeking Alpha as well as your BCI site. Can you give your thoughts on how the BCI methodology seeks to beat the market? I’m really enjoying your material. Thanks, Mary ——— It’s the 2nd Wednesday of the month. Time for another […]
Generating 2% – 4% in Bull Markets: How to Take Advantage of Out-Of-The-Money Strikes
The 3 required skills for covered call writing and selling cash-secured puts are stock selection, option selection and position management. This article will use real-life examples highlighting the first 2 of these skill sets in a bull market environment. Article assumptions and guidelines Portfolio is set up in a bull market environment Target goals […]
Spin-offs and How they Impact Option Chains and Calculations
Corporate events can impact our covered call writing and put-selling positions in many ways. In today’s article we will focus on spin-offs and how to read an options chain after the event and calculate to moneyness of our options based on the specifics of that event. Thanks to one of our members, Richard V., who shared […]
How to Use Weeklys and the Premium Stock Reports for Covered Call Writing During Earnings Season
One of the three required skills for covered call writing and put-selling is the selection of the underlying security. Along with this we also must avoid quarterly earnings reports. Since most corporations report earnings in similar time frames (known as earnings season) the number of eligible candidates is dramatically reduced during these time frames. The […]
2016 New Year’s Greeting & Resolutions from The Blue Collar Investor
Alan Ellman reviews his resolutions and the positives for BCI, and continues on towards expectations for 2016: ” This year’s resolution is being thankful for all the support of the BCI community and team. I realize that I could have never done this without your support, thank you because of you my dream has been […]
Emergency Management Report: Dealing with Volatile and Bearish Markets:Re-Publication
I am re-publishing this article due to the extreme nature of market behavior this week, something we have come to experience periodically. It is important to re-act non-emotionally until our market stabilizes which it always does. Over the weekend I will also publish the blog article I have been working on this week. Stay calm! […]
Implied Volatility of ETFs and our Covered Call Writing and Put-Selling Decisions
Covered call writers or cash-secured put sellers who use ETFs (as opposed to individual stocks) tend to be novice put writers, more conservative investors, or have limited funds or time. If you fall into any of these categories, knowing your risk level is critical to your investment decisions and specifically, to which underlying securities you […]
