I sell predominantly 1-month options when selling covered calls. This decision was NOT based on anything I read or was told, but rather on experience and common sense. Most stocks with options have at least four expiration cycles affiliated with them at any point in time…the current month, the next month and two more months further […]
Setting Up Your Covered Call Portfolio Using The Ellman Calculator
Covered call writing involves options calculations…there’s no getting around it! It’s been a while since we talked math. What’s with all the frowns? Mastering and understanding the calculations (The Ellman Calculator will do all the work) will enhance our bottom lines…more cash in our pockets. With that in mind, let’s set up a hypothetical portfolio of […]
Selecting The Best Strike Price
In last week’s article concerning option trading basics I highlighted the in-the-money strike in our covered call writing strategy. In this article I will expand our options calculations to all three types of strike prices. First, let’s review each of these categories: Out-Of-The-Money-Strike Prices: There is a reason why these are popular strikes for many investors. […]
In-The-Money Strikes and Covered Call Writing
Option trading basics incorporates fundamental, technical and common sense decisions. One of these, as it relates to covered call writing, is selecting a strike price for the short options position. In bearish and volatile markets I tend to favor the in-the-money strike. Before I address this matter, let’s review the pros and cons of each […]
Out-Of-The-Money Strike Prices: Pros and Cons for Covered Call Writing
Whenever a study is performed on covered call writing a stock is selected and the nearest out-of-the-money (O-T-M) strike price is sold. This is repeated over and over and then the results are compared to the overall market performance. The usual conclusion is that covered call writing slightly outperforms the overall market but with much […]
Entering Our Covered Call Positions Mid-Contract
In the BCI methodology for covered call writing we use predominantly 1-month options. There are times, however, where we find cash in our accounts (mid-contract) that is inactive. This may be due to closing a position early either because the share price declined significantly or accelerated exponentially. Perhaps Grandma gave you a generous birthday present. […]
Covered Call Writing- Using the Multiple Tab of the Ellman Calculator
Selling stock options is all about generating a cash flow. Calculating our initial profit, the potential for more profit (upside potential) and the protection of our initial profit (downside protection as opposed to breakeven of the entire position) is critical in making the most educated investment decisions. Accessing this information from the “Multiple Tab” of […]
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 […]
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. […]
Constructing a Covered Call Portfolio Using Select Sector SPDRS
Select Sector SPDRs are unique exchange-traded funds that divide the S&P 500 into nine sector index funds. They have the diversity of a mutual fund, the focus of a sector fund, and the tradability of a stock. Together, the nine Select Sector SPDRs represent the S&P 500 as a whole. However, each Select Sector SPDR can also […]
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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