Never sell a covered call or cash-secured put option if there is an upcoming earnings report prior to contract expiration. I have been emphasizing this rule for over a decade in […]

Holding a Stock Through an Earnings Report: A Real-Life Example with AVGO
Posted on September 30, 2017 by Alan Ellman in Investment Basics, Option Trading Basics, Options Calculations, Stock Option Strategies

Covered Call Writing and Inverse ETFs: Generating Cash in Extreme Bear Markets
Posted on January 23, 2016 by Alan Ellman in Exchange-Traded Funds, Investment Basics, Option Trading Basics, Options Calculations, Stock Option Strategies
Inverse Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) use derivatives to bet against the direction of financial markets. These are known as short or bear ETFs and will make money if markets decline in […]

Using Out-Of-The-Money Puts and In-The-Money Calls to Manage Bear Markets
Posted on January 16, 2016 by Alan Ellman in Covered Call Exit Strategies, Exit Strategies, Investment Basics, Option Trading Basics, Options Calculations, Put-selling, Stock Option Strategies
Strike price selection should be a focus when selling call and put options. With the stock market bearish and volatile at the start of 2016, this article will highlight how […]

Option Liquidity: When Is Vol(ume) Greater Than Open Interest?
Posted on May 23, 2015 by Alan Ellman in Investment Basics, Option Trading Basics, Stock Option Strategies
Check the options chain before selling a covered call or cash-secured put. In addition to determining the premiums and returns we will generate we also need to make sure the […]

Combining Technical Analysis And Market Assessment To Determine Strike Selection
Posted on June 7, 2014 by Alan Ellman in Investment Basics, Option Trading Basics, Options Calculations, Stock Option Strategies, Technical Analysis
Mastering stock and strike price selection are key components in successful covered call writing. There is no one factor that will dictate our choices but rather a mosaic of bits […]

Achieving The Highest Covered Call Writing Returns Using The Blackjack Analogy
Posted on March 1, 2014 by Alan Ellman in Investment Basics, Option Trading Basics, Options Calculations, Stock Option Strategies
Covered call writers and all investors using stock options strategies have one thing in common: we all want to achieve the highest possible returns within the framework of our own […]

Selecting A Specific Strike Price For Our Covered Call Positions
Posted on February 15, 2014 by Alan Ellman in Investment Basics, Option Trading Basics, Options Calculations, Stock Option Strategies
We must master strike price selection to maximize our covered call writing returns. In our BCI methodology, strike price selection is ultimately determined after our careful stock screening analysis and […]

Rolling Out And Up To Capture Share Appreciation: A Good Idea?
Posted on January 25, 2014 by Alan Ellman in Covered Call Exit Strategies, Option Trading Basics, Options Calculations, Stock Option Strategies
Covered call writing has some drawbacks as do all investment strategies. Profit limitation by the strike price is one such disadvantage. How do we manage a situation where the price […]

Stock Option Expiration Cycles: Beware Of Expiration Dates
Posted on May 25, 2013 by Alan Ellman in Investment Basics, Option Trading Basics
In the BCI methodology for covered call writing we use predominantly 1-month options. The reasons are as follows: Generate the highest annualized returns Allows us to avoid earnings reports, a […]

Using LEAPS Covered Calls to Increase Dividend Yield
Posted on May 4, 2013 by Alan Ellman in Option Trading Basics, Options Calculations, Stock Investing, Stock Option Strategies
Innovative covered call writers can develop ideas of implementing a strategy in unconventional ways. For example, we can invest in a money market or CD and perhaps not even beat the […]
Podcast
- 114. The Poor Man's Covered Call Selecting the Best LEAPS Strikes
- 113. How to Select the Best Strikes for Collar Trades
- 112. Using Covered call Options and Stock Dividends in Low Interest Rate Environments
- 111. Rolling Down on a Sharp Market Decline at the end of a Contract
- 110. Exit Strategies Are Important But Must Be Timed Properly
- 109. Delta and Strike Selection for Covered call Writing
- 108. Establishing Our Cost Basis in a Multi Step Managed Trade
- 107: Even and Odd Stock Splits Understanding Contract Adjustments
- 106. "Hitting a Double" with Procter & Gamble: A Covered Call Writing Exit Strategy
- 105. The Poor Man's Covered Call: Rolling Options
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Beginners Corner Selling-Puts
- Lesson 1: What Is Puts Selling?
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- Lesson 5:puts-selling-Calculating Returns
- Lesson 6:puts-selling-Executing Put-Selling
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