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Thursday, August 6, 2009

When The Out Of The Money Covered Call Writing Strategy Fails Miserably

By Marc Abrams

There are many investment training strategy websites and e-books that promise you incredible things. One of the more common stock market trading strategies taught is to sell covered call options on stocks. These websites maintain that you can earn monthly returns up to 10% or more using that very strategy! Sound good? Read on.

I will be the first to admit that selling out-of-the-money covered calls can bring lucrative monthly returns under the right circumstances. I have successfully used this very strategy. However, this strategy is not without its disadvantages. Website and e-book marketers of this strategy fail to educate you properly. They market this strategy as conservative with little risk. They also leave you hanging when it all goes wrong.

Selling out-of-the-money covered calls works when the stock market is going up in value. Additionally, when the stock market is neutral (not going up or down by any meaningful amount), this strategy also works well. I don't know about you, but when was the last time the stock market traded sideways for any length of time?

We are currently in the midst of an extremely volatile market. The Dow frequently moves as much as 200 points either way in a single day. Hardly a profitable market for an out-of-the-money covered call writer. Your profits will start to evaporate once the stock you are holding starts to decline. I can assure you that profits can evaporate very quickly. I have seen the value of a stock drop from $10 to $1 over night! There is never enough premium on an option sale to cover that kind of decline.

You want the stock to get called, that is the key to out of the money covered call writing. Many so called experts do not want the stock to get called. They say you should keep the stock so you can continue to sell a covered call option on it in future months. This strategy is flawed. What you should do is select stocks that are moving up in value, in a rising market. Those stocks will make you the most money. I am happy when a stock gets called because I ended up making the profit that I expected.

What happens if the stock goes way up in value? The stock simply gets called away if it rises up past the strike price and stays there through expiration. Isn't that what you wanted in the first place? Because you did not participate in those gains you may feel like you left money on the table. If you feel that way just buy the stock outright and don't sell covered call options on it. Why not just let the stock get called away, take your profit and move on? Then look for stocks to buy and sell calls on for the next month.

Remember, selling out-of-the-money covered calls can provide an excellent source if income in a rising stock market. However, this strategy is less than ideal in a stock market like the one we find ourselves in today. There are, however, other strategies that will offer significant protection in a volatile or declining stock market. - 23222

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