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Sunday, August 2, 2009

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

By Marc Abrams

Incredible things have been promised by many websites and e-books regarding investment training strategies. One of the more common stock market trading strategies taught is to sell covered call options on stocks. These websites promise that you can earn up to 10% monthly returns 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. This strategy has been successfully used by me. However, this strategy is not without its disadvantages. The public has not been properly educated by the website and e-book marketers. They market this strategy as conservative with little risk. They leave you holding the bag when it all goes wrong.

Selling out-of-the-money covered calls works when the stock market is going up in value. They also work when the stock market is neutral, meaning the market trades sideways with little swing up or down. 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 if the stock shoots 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 to begin with? Because you did not participate in those gains you may feel like you left money on the table. If that upsets you then just buy the stock outright and don't sell covered call options on that stock. Why not just let the stock get called away, take your profit and move on? Then look for another stock 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, the stock market we find ourselves in today is less than ideal for this strategy. There are, however, other strategies that will offer significant protection in a volatile or declining stock market. - 23218

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