Covered call writing education must include debunking the myths associated with this strategy. When certain concepts are repeated often enough, they become accepted as truths whether they are accurate or false. The purpose of this article is to refute five of the most egregious of these misrepresentations. 1. Covered call writing should be used […]
Making Money with Technology Stocks: Investing with QQQ
The exchange-traded fund (ETF) that has appeared most frequently in our premium member ETF reports is Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ: QQQ). This fund consists of 100 of the largest non-financial companies (predominantly technology companies) that trade on the NASDAQ exchange. As of June 2019, the top 3 holdings in QQQ are Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon (AMZN) […]
Implied Volatility and Expected Price Movement of our Stocks During the Life of a Contract
Implied volatility (IV) is directly related to the value of the premiums we receive when selling covered call and put options. The more volatile the underlying security, the greater the premium and risk exposure. I have written quite a bit about IV over the years and distinguished it from historical volatility (HV). This article will […]
Using the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) for Our Strike Price Selection
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, covered call writers are faced with a dilemma. Increased market volatility will translate into higher option premiums […]
Covered Call Writing with a Biotech Company: A Real-Life Example with Argenx (NASDAQ: ARGX)
Covered call writing (as well as put-selling) premiums are directly related to the implied volatility of the underlying stock or exchange-traded fund (ETF). Biotech stocks are particularly volatile due to the success (or lack thereof) of the pharmaceuticals they are developing. Highly volatile underlyings represent the good news of higher premiums and the bad news […]
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 […]
Dow 30 Stocks and Covered Call Writing: Implementing the Premium Blue Chip Report
The risk inherent in covered call writing and put-selling is related to price decline in the underlying security. Investors with low-risk tolerance may turn to blue chip stocks which have proven track records of being reliable, cash-rich securities that frequently also generate dividends. This article will highlight how to utilize the monthly BCI Premium Blue […]
Understanding the Impact Implied Volatility has on Delta
For covered call writers and put-sellers, the option Greeks play a major role in our understanding of the risks and value of our option premiums. We know our option premiums consist of intrinsic value (for in-the-money strikes) + time value. Our initial time value returns reflect the time to expiration + the volatility of the […]
Evaluating a Portfolio from a Numerical Perspective
When we formulate our covered call writing and put-selling portfolios, we are basing our decisions on non-emotional sound fundamental, technical and common sense principles. Similarly, we can analyze a portfolio and determine the investor’s stock and overall market assessments. On November 17, 2017, Carl sent me a list of his very first covered call writing […]
Seeking the Highest Option Premiums is a Losing Strategy
One of the common mistakes made by covered call writers and put-sellers is to make investment decisions based primarily on the highest premium returns. Certainly, we all want to generate the highest levels of success but only when factoring in the risk we will be incurring. This article will look at high premium returns from […]
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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