As the market continued to move higher this past week and as volatility – as measured by the VIX – approached 52-week lows, I bought back some more of my April-expiration naked put options that I’d originally sold last fall. They were now worth close to nothing and it made sense to take profits.
I [...]
This past week I initiated a new short options position by selling put options in a Canadian energy stock (see below). I also recently bought back a number of April- and May-expiration put options that I’d sold last fall whose premiums had since fallen to levels where they were worth next to nothing. It [...]
I sold more put options this week as opportunities presented themselves as the market fell sharply and volatility expanded. The sell-off so far appears to be a well-deserved correction – one that’s going about doing its job of scaring market participants quite effectively.
Many individual stocks are at or fast approaching intermediate-term oversold [...]
More market weakness this past week presented me with the opportunity to sell more put options on stocks I’d like to own at lower prices. As it turned out I ended up initiating only three new short put option positions (below), although many more of my limit orders to sell puts came very close to [...]
This month’s options expiration freed up significant additional cash in my accounts and as a result I’ve been looking for places to deploy some of it. But high prices and low volatility weren’t making it easy to find good returns.
That changed significantly this past week. Concerns over China and the overall global recovery, questions [...]
This turned out to be an eventful options expiration. Not only did I have a lot of short put and call options positions expiring – some dating back to the days of the market panic – but the day’s sell-off also triggered a number of new short put positions.
First, here are [...]
Some recent option trades include covered calls on a stock I’ve been long – and losing money – in since last April and a couple of new positions in some short cash secured puts. The covered call position is designed to take advantage of the market’s extended run-up, while the short put positions are geared [...]
Last week at November’s options expiration I ended up being put shares of General Maritime (GMR: 7.74 0.00%, yld: 14.78%) when I was assigned the 7.5-strike put options that I’d sold against it last September.
On Thursday (12/3/09) I sold some May 7.5-strike covered call options against that long position in GMR as the stock [...]
This past week was options expiration and only the third or fourth time this year I was assigned a short put option. I had ample time prior to expiration to close (buy back) the position at a profit, but elected to be put the shares and initiate a position in the stock (General Maritime) [...]
Once again taking advantage of increased market turbulence and volatility, I initiated two more short put option positions this past week. And, as is also usually the case, both are positions in high-quality companies with long histories of dividend growth.
Diebold (DBD: 30.65 0.00%, yld: 3.43%) – On 11/2/09 I sold some May 25-strike put [...]
