Managing our covered call positions is essential to our overall option-trading success. In July 2019, KA Lau shared with me a series of questions he developed based on a real-life trade. I felt that these were excellent educational questions and will now share them with the BCI community. I added 4 more questions for a […]
Rolling Decisions on Expiration Friday: A Real-Life Example with Veeva Systems
Position management is the 3rd required skill for our covered call writing and put-selling success. On 7/19/2019, Larry shared with me a series of trades he executed with Veeva Systems Inc. (NYSE: VEEV). He astutely “hit a double” and was now looking to roll the option to the following month. Larry’s trades and inquiry (in […]
Protecting Unrealized Profits When Share Price Accelerates
Covered call writing dilemmas can frequently result from positive circumstances. In August 2017, Vincent shared a trade he executed where an out-of-the-money strike was sold and share price had moved up significantly and was approaching the strike price. This means that Vincent realized an initial option premium return plus had an unrealized share appreciation component […]
Rolling Option Considerations: A Real-Life Example with BEAT
Exit Strategies for covered call writing is the third required skill for successful implementation of this strategy (stock selection and option selection are the first two). This is also known as position management. One of the most common situations we face each month is when the strike price we initially sold is expiring in-the-money (stock […]
20%/10% Guidelines: Calculating Cost Basis and Option Premium After Rolling Out And Up
Exit strategies or position management for covered call writing and selling cash-secured puts is one of the three required skills we must master to achieve the highest levels of success. One of the most important strategies we employ is the 20%10% guidelines which guide as when to buy back a covered call option: When option value […]
Over-Trading Our Option Positions: Good for Brokers, Not Good For Us
Exit strategies for covered call writing are essential for achieving the highest levels of success. In the BCI methodology, we have a series of guidelines that assist us in determining which position management techniques should be instituted and when we should consider them. Not taking appropriate action when responses to changes in our stock and option positions […]
Rolling Options Using the Ellman Calculator
Covered call writing and put-selling are strategies that require us to master three skills: stock selection, option selection and position management or the use of exit strategies. One of the exit strategies available to us as expiration approaches is rolling options where the near-month option is closed (buy-to-close) and the next month’s option is sold […]
Why and When We are NOT Losing Money If We Buy Back an Option for More Money than We Received
Exit strategies for covered call writing and selling cash-secured puts all start with buying back the option. Frequently, the cost to close our short option positions will be less than the premium generated initially from the option sale. This is because of the impact Theta (time value erosion) has on our option premiums. However, students […]
LEAPS and Covered Call Writing: A Review and a Hypothetical Example/ Contest Application
A covered call writing-like strategy involves buying deep in-the-money LEAPS options and then selling short-term slightly out-of-the-money call options. Leaps become a stock surrogate. The term Leaps stands for Long Term Equity AnticiPation Security. They have expiration dates up to 2 1/2 years out. Defining spreads Technically, covered call writing with LEAPS is known […]
Rolling Out Decisions: Evaluating a Real Life Trade
Rolling options is an important exit strategy choice when selling covered call and put options. Options can be rolled up and down in the same contract month or a future contract month. For the most part, we roll down in the same contract month and roll out or out-and-up in the next contract month. I […]
