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Options Investing: The Best Way to Profit from Volatility

Written by MarketXLS Team on 
Sat Jan 14 2023
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Covered Call Income Generation

Options are a powerful tool that can be used to make money in volatile markets. One option strategy that is popular is called the covered call. This strategy involves selling a call option on a stock that is currently worth more than the money that you paid for it. If the stock price goes down below the price that you sold the call option, you make money. If the stock price goes up above the price that you sold the call option, you lose money.

The covered call strategy

The covered call strategy is a popular way to make money from volatility. The covered call strategy is a safe way to profit from stock prices. The covered call strategy is a simple way to profit from stock prices. The covered call strategy is a profitable option strategy.

When you sell a call option, you are granting the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy the underlying stock at a set price (the strike price) by a specific date (the expiration date). If the stock price goes down below the strike price at expiration, you make money. If the stock price goes up above the strike price at expiration, you lose money.

An example of how the covered call strategy could be used is as follows: Say that you own 100 shares of ABC stock and you sell a call option with a strike price of $10 per share. If ABC stock prices increase to $11 or above at expiration, the option will be exercised and you will be required to sell your shares at $10 per share. If ABC stock prices decrease to $9 or below at expiration, the option will not be exercised and you will keep your shares.

The covered call strategy can also be used to protect your portfolio from downside risk. Suppose that you sell a call option with a strike price of $10 per share, but do not expect ABC stock prices to go below $8 per share at expiration. If ABC stock prices decreases below $8 per share at expiration, the option will be exercised and you will be required to sell your shares for $10 per share. However, if ABC stock prices increase above $8 per share at expiration, the option will not be exercised and you will keep your shares.

How to use options to profit from volatility

The covered call strategy is one of the most popular options strategies for profit from volatility. The strategy involves selling a call option on a stock that is currently worth more than the money that you paid for it. If the stock price goes down below the price that you sold the call option, you make money. If the stock price goes up above the price that you sold the call option, you lose money.

The covered call strategy can be used to profit from stock price movements in either direction. Selling a covered call gives you the ability to take advantage of upside or downside movements in the stock price, regardless of how volatile the market may be. This strategy is an effective way to protect your portfolio against downside risks. If you sell a covered call and the stock price goes down, you make money. If the stock price goes up, you lose money, but at least your portfolio remains intact.

There are a number of different options strategies that can be used to profit from volatility. Understanding which options strategies are best for your trading style is important if you want to make money from volatility.

The covered call strategy: an example

When you sell a call option, you are betting that the stock price will go down. If the stock price goes down below the price you sold the call option, you make money. If the stock price goes up above the price you sold the call option, you lose money.

So, how can you use this strategy to your advantage? Here’s an example:

Say you own 100 shares of ABC Corp. (ABC) and you sold a 3-month call option for $1,000 on ABC Corp. with a strike price of $100 per share. If ABC Corp. is trading at $105 per share on May 1, the options expire worthless on June 30. However, if ABC Corp. rallies above $110 per share by June 30, the options will expire worth $1,200 each ($1,000 + $200).

In this example, if ABC Corp. rallies above $110 per share by June 30 and the options expire worthless, you would still be left with 100 shares of ABC Corp. at $105 per share – which is a gain of 5%. But if the options expire worth $1,200 each, you would wind up with 200 shares of ABC Corp. at $110 per share – which is a gain of 20%. So, in this example, covered call strategy would lead to a net gain of 15%.

How to use options to protect your portfolio

If you want to Profit from Volatility, use Options. Options can protect your portfolio by reducing your risk. You can also use options to hedge your investment. If a stock price goes down, you can sell a call option and make money. If a stock price goes up, you can sell a call option and lose money.

The covered call strategy is a powerful way to profit from volatility. It is also a good way to protect your portfolio from potential losses.

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