Professional stock options traders use the term lean to refer to one's perception about the directional strength of the stock. When you own a stock option and intend to hold it for a period of time, you are aware that you will probably be holding it while it goes up and while it goes down.
This means that at any given moment in time, you might have a different opinion of the potential movement of that stock. Knowing this, there is a way to address your present level of confidence or "lean." You do this by your choice of which option you sell.
While it is true that the at-the-money option has the most amount of extrinsic value, it might not always be the ideal option to sell in every situation.
For instance, if you feel that the stock itself has a very high chance of producing capital appreciation above the potential amount of premium you could receive from selling an at-the-money call, then sell an out-of-the-money-call so you can allow yourself a little more room to the upside on the stock.
For example, let's say the stock is trading at $27.00. Normally, you would sell the 27.5 calls at say $1.00. If the stock were to rise quickly and eclipse the $28.50 mark, then with the buy-write strategy, your position would have maxed out at $28.50, and you would have a $1.50 one month gain. Not bad, but if the stock went to $29.50 then you would have missed out on another $1.00 profit. However, if we had sold the 30 calls for $.30 then we would have another outcome. You bought the stock at $27.00 and sold the 30 calls for $.30 and the stock goes to $29.50.
You would have made $2.50 in capital appreciation and $.30 in option premium for a total of a $2.80 return.
So, if you feel the stock has a real good shot at taking a run up, you can lean your position long by selling an out-of-the-money call.
If you have a more neutral view on your stock you would sell an at-the-money-call in order to receive a bigger premium which allows for greater downside protection if the stock trades down and higher potential profit if the stock becomes stagnant.
This strategy also works on the downside. If, by chance, you feel that the stock may trade down a bit during the life of the option, then you can sell an in-the-money-call. The effect of this would be to provide you with a little extra premium to cover more downside risk.
Remember when you sell an option you seek to capture extrinsic value. An in-the-money option not only has extrinsic value but also some intrinsic value.
When you feel that you want to lean your covered call strategy (buy-write) a little short, choose to sell an in-the-money call so you can also have some intrinsic value to cover your downside.
As an example, say your stock is trading at $29.00 and you feel that your stock may trade down a little but still remain in an uptrend cycle. You don't want to get rid of the stock but you also don't want to lose any money so you sell the 27.5 call at $2.00.
The stock starts to trade down and finishes at $26.00. If you had owned the stock naked, then you would have lost three dollars since you owned the stock at $29.00 and it closed at $26.00 on expiration.
However, because you sold the 27.5 calls at $2.00, you would only realize a $1.00 loss in the stock. The premium received will offset the loss due to the fact that you identified and adjusted for a likely move.
As you can see, the buy-write strategy can be altered to fit any directional view you have on your selected stock.
Finally, if you intend to use the buy-write strategy successfully, you generally need to sell the calls against your stock on a consistent, recurring interval, over a period of time.
This means that you will have to be prepared to roll your calls out to the next month come expiration. Sometimes, all you'll need to do is to sell the next month out call.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
If You Would Like to Learn More About stock Options
Responsibilities Then Discover How to Protect Your Investments
With the Leveraged Power of options & Learn How to Trade options
Like the Pros..
Click Here --> stock
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Reduce your investing and stock market risks by:Setting your sights... Read More
Let's first define insanity. It is doing the same thing... Read More
Who are the successful investors?There are those who follow the... Read More
Every day in any financial publication you will find the... Read More
Do you have a financial planner? Does one of your... Read More
(1) CHK stock price $16.74, NAV $32.5CHK is my favorite... Read More
Whenever I see mutual fund comparisons in the trade publications... Read More
You remember (they show it on TV every year) the... Read More
Suppose your position has made a big move and you... Read More
It has been said that low cost or even free... Read More
Have you bought any mutual funds this year or late... Read More
The stock market has been in an up trend for... Read More
The basis of diminishing return discussions surround such simple notions;... Read More
How do you make money without picking tops and bottoms?I... Read More
You have a lock on your house. You have a... Read More
What account size do I need?How much money can I... Read More
This is an extract of an article which was first... Read More
We've all heard of the stock market and probably have... Read More
The gleam and bright lights of Wall Street lure in... Read More
There are formulas for just about everything, but it has... Read More
Mutual funds are doing more and more to discourage investors... Read More
Question: How does it get better when it gets worse?Last... Read More
Every broker and financial planner will tell you that you... Read More
The stock market can present you with a lot of... Read More
You should ignore analysts on TV, the radio, the newspaper... Read More
move in cleaning service Glencoe ..Everyone who follows the financial news has heard of mutual... Read More
If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck... Read More
There is a famous cliff on the ocean in Acapulco... Read More
I constantly hear the talking heads on CNBC-TV, the radio... Read More
I don't know what kind it is, but I saw... Read More
Over the past few months, several investment professionals have brought... Read More
Analyzing growth stocks is an important focus for any investor.... Read More
After finding the price of a particular stock, usually the... Read More
The Law of Chaos is the theory of random unpredictable... Read More
Reduce your investing and stock market risks by:Setting your sights... Read More
Among the largest forces that affect stock prices are inflation,... Read More
There is nothing more exciting than finding an undervalued stock... Read More
Alfred Winslow Jones started hedge funds in 1949. He was... Read More
Right now there doesn't seem to be any "gold fever".... Read More
Index Fund Trading can be one of the most profitable...or... Read More
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall and all the King's... Read More
IT'S REMINISCENT OF THE OLD children's tale about an old... Read More
For years investors have been taught to look into the... Read More
Stock trading remains a very competitive field and the stock... Read More
Money: the most charged word in the planet. It means... Read More
Every stock market investor faces one primal enemy. An enemy... Read More
The spring-loaded rat catcher is the ultimate low-tech device invented... Read More
For the year 2000 we have seen hundreds of mutual... Read More
Because you don't feel too sure about which stock or... Read More
Before you embark upon a journey of trading stocks or... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |