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...
Recently the Royal Bank of Canada lost its title as our country’s most valuable company in terms of market capitalization. For two brief weeks, Shopify sat at the top of the heap. Chart 1: Royal Bank vs. Shopify May 31, 2020 Source: Bloomberg SHOP’s run has been a sight to behold. Chart 2: Shopify...
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...
Professional options traders are really good at dividing and multiplying by 16. That seems like a weird skill, but it is a crucially important one for anyone who wants to fully understand the terminology used in options markets. No matter how you utilize options, the “Rule of 16” is critical for analyzing volatility,...
Reduce the risk associated with time value decay In this article, we will examine how to reduce the risk associated with the time value decay of options in a directional position, as well as how this affects the strategy’s payoff profile. As can be seen in the following chart, the price of shares in BCE Inc. (BCE) have...
Currency Hedging for US Dollar Investors For the past decade, Canadian investors of US dollar-based assets have had it good. No, they have had it great. Not only have American financial assets been the best performing assets in the major markets, but over that same period the value of the Canadian dollar has fallen...
Currency Hedging for Exporters In the previous post we examined the role that USX currency options can play in hedging a company’s import costs. In this instalment of Currency Options University, we will explore using Montréal Exchange USX currency options to mitigate the risk that Canadian exporters face when selling goods...