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 represent more than 20% of our entire portfolio. We can use fewer securities when using exchange-traded […]
ETF Index Tracker Proposed Strategy: A Risk-Free Investment?
Using covered call writing and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) is a viable approach to generating monthly cash flow. I personally use this strategy in my mother’s portfolio. Can this investment style be expanded to include inverse ETFs to move this expanded path to a near risk-free system? In April 2017, Rushbabh, a member from Australia, was kind enough […]
Leveraged ETFs and Margin Accounts for High-Risk Traders Only
Covered call writing results can be enhanced through the use of leveraged ETFs and margin accounts. However, so too is the risk elevated. In this article, the pros and cons of these strategies are examined. Definitions Leveraged ETF: An exchange-traded fund (ETF) that uses financial derivatives and debt to magnify the returns of an underlying index. Margin account: […]
Locating Stocks During the Heart of Earnings Season
Never write a covered call or sell a cash-secured put when there is an upcoming earnings report prior to contract expiration. This is one of the most important rules in the BCI methodology. Adhering to this guideline can create challenges during the heart of earnings season when most companies publicize their financial statements. In our BCI […]
Using Puts and SelectSector SPDRs to Create an Ultra-Conservative Option-Selling Strategy
Selling out-of-the-money puts and using top-performing SelectSector SPDRs can be combined to design an extremely defensive option-selling strategy in a volatile market environment like we are currently experiencing. Using Inverse Exchange-traded Funds is another approach. In this article, we will discuss the former strategy,. When we sell an out-of-the-money cash-secured put we are agreeing to […]
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 […]
Exchange-Traded Funds: Funding Option-Selling Portfolios With ETFs
For the strategies of covered call writing and selling cash-secured puts, we are selling the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell 100 shares of the underlying security. That security can be a stock or and exchange-traded fund (ETF). In this article, I will highlight ETFs and demonstrate a few approaches to funding […]
Why Covered Call ETFs Under-Perform
With the popularity of covered call writing and selling cash-secured puts growing in popularity, we have witnessed the creation of new exchange-traded funds based on these strategies. Over the last few years I have not been a proponent of these securities mainly because they under-perform the overall market and motivated retail investors can do so […]
ETF Option Trading vs. Index Option Trading
Most options traders including covered call writers are familiar with exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and many trade options on these securities. Many have also heard of, but are not as familiar with, index options. The purpose of this article is to detail the differences between ETF option trading and index option trading. Definitions Exchange-traded fund (ETF): […]
Writing Covered Calls On Broad Market Exchange-Traded Funds
The initial main step for covered call writers is to select the best underlying security. This choice will vary from investor to investor based on goals and risk tolerance. Some of our members prefer exchange-traded funds (ETFs), a strategy I use in my mother’s portfolio. ETFs offer the advantages of instant diversification, less volatility (in […]
Podcast
- 99. Anatomy of a Reverse Stock Split
- 98. Analyzing LEAPS Options for the Poor Man's Covered Call
- 97. Managing Our Poor Man's Covered Call Trades When Share Price Drops Substantially
- 96. Protecting Our Covered Call Trades: Protective Puts and In-the-Money Strikes
- 95. Covered Call Writing to Generate Premium and Dividend Income
- 94. Covered Call Writing Net Debit Limit Orders
- 93. WHEN CALL STRIKES MOVE DEEP ITM EARLY IN A CONTRACT
- 92. Selling Deep OTM Cash-Secured Puts to Create High-Probability Returns
- 91. Portfolio Overwriting Analyzed
- 90. Entering a Collar Trade
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