Are you expecting the price of a security to rise, and you have a target price in mind? In this article, you will learn how to choose the right strike price to optimize your return if the security reaches your target price by the time your call option expires. Analysis of Descartes Systems Group Inc. (DSG) In this article, we...
Before implementing a covered call writing strategy, investors need to consider several factors in order to make an informed decision. This final article in a series of four articles on covered call writing will discuss the choice of a strike price for a call option as a compromise between the desired level of protection and...
With interest rates currently at all-time lows, finding ways to generate income in our security portfolios is a challenge. However, the strategy of writing covered call options (WCCO), whether applied systematically or on an ad hoc basis, allows us to generate additional income through the premiums received. This is the third...
Let us say you are willing to sell some securities in your portfolio, or you are considering it. Adopting the covered call writing strategy is like getting paid for making a commitment to sell the securities. This is the second in a series of four articles on covered call writing. It discusses how to use this strategy as an...
Perhaps you would like to start using options, but you do not know which strategy to implement. The simplest and most popular strategy among individual and institutional investors is covered call writing. This article is the first in a series of four articles on covered call writing. It covers the basic features of this...
With interest rates at historic lows, it is unlikely that the Bank of Canada will decide to raise the policy rate anytime soon. But we live in a world that is full of surprises, and things can change quickly. Events with the most unexpected repercussions can and do occur (the current pandemic comes to mind). Who really knows...
In times of market uncertainty like we are seeing now, many investors turn to options for the protection they can provide. Although the markets have recouped a good portion of their losses of the past few months, we cannot rule out another plunge that could test the depths of the recent decline. The high volatility in today’s...
As an investor, the first thing you need to know is how to choose which securities to buy. The second is when to sell them. That’s pretty easy, right? In this article, you will learn how to trade your first option. As you will see, you do not need to be an expert to start trading options. You just need to be familiar with...
In a bear market, the lows of the first market downturn are often retested following a rally like the one we have just seen. This article examines how put options can be used to maximize the return on a bearish projection. As can be seen in the following chart, the unit price of the iShares S&P/TSX Capped Financials Index...
In our last article we discussed how to reduce the risk associated with the time-value decay of options in a directional position. Now we will take advantage of the market meltdown to discuss the implied volatility in the price of an option, how it reflects the degree of market uncertainty over future price movements in the...