Covered calls and naked puts are two of the most popular options strategies for generating income. But for traders with smaller accounts, that can pose a problem. The risk of assignment means options sellers can be on the hook to buy a large amount of stock if those sold options go in the money prior to expiration – which requires levels of capital that smaller accounts don’t always have. More News from Barchart So how do small accounts tap into these income-generating strategies? According to options ...

Tech stocks came under serious selling pressure on Friday with the market concerned about Oracle’s (ORCL) debt issuance and general AI capital expenditures. With those risk factors in play, it might be worth looking for some bearish option trade ideas. More News from Barchart One way to use options to profit from declining stock prices is via a bear call spread. A bear call spread is a type of vertical spread, meaning that two options within the same expiry month are being traded. One call option is ...

With cryptocurrency gaining traction in 2024 and early 2025, many companies pivoted to the “Bitcoin treasury” strategy, where they use proceeds from stock issuances to accumulate Bitcoin and rely on appreciation to increase the company’s value.  But here’s a big catch: the strategy requires Bitcoin to go up. And after reaching an all-time high of $126,184.05 on Oct. 6, Bitcoin’s price plummeted nearly 28% to $91,436.97. More News from Barchart As a result, these Bitcoin treasury companies saw significant ...

Options Activity - The Nov. 14 $3 call option for Tilray (TLRY) was notably active, with a volume of 148,312, representing nearly 10% of its open interest [2] - The call options outpaced put options with a ratio of 754 to 434, indicating a bullish sentiment [3] - The $3 call's Vol/OI ratio was 3.64, suggesting unusual activity, with 99% of trades being for 10 contracts or more [1][2] Long Strangle Strategy - A long strangle strategy was proposed involving the Nov. 14 $3 call and a $1.50 put, with a net debit of $0.35, which is 23.1% of the share price [8] - The upper breakeven price for this strategy is $3.35, while the lower breakeven price is $1.15 [8] - To profit, the stock must rise by 121.3% or fall by 24.04% from the current share price [9] Palantir Analysis - Palantir (PLTR) has shown strong bullish indicators with numerous call and put options having Vol/OI ratios over 1.0 [11] - The net debit for a long strangle on Palantir is $4.13, which is 2.3% of its closing price of $178.12 [12] - The expected move for Palantir is 7.82%, indicating a need for significant price movement to achieve profitability [12] Amer Sports Insights - Amer Sports has seen a decline of 16% in the past month, raising questions about the sustainability of its gains since its IPO [15] - The Nov. 21 $40 call option for Amer had a Vol/OI ratio of 8.74, indicating unusual activity [17] - The expected move for Amer is 14.05%, with a recommended long $40 call and long $35 put strategy [19]

Core Insights - The article discusses the bear call spread strategy, which involves selling one call option and buying another to limit risk while profiting from a bearish outlook on a stock [1][2]. Group 1: Bear Call Spread Mechanics - A bear call spread is a vertical spread where two options with the same expiry month are traded, generating a credit for the trader [1]. - The sold call option is closer to the stock price than the bought call, and the strategy performs best when the stock declines [2]. - This strategy can also yield profits if the stock remains flat or rises slightly, and it is suitable for retirement accounts due to its defined risk [2]. Group 2: FedEx (FDX) Specifics - FedEx (FDX) has a high implied volatility percentile of 90% ahead of its earnings announcement on September 18th, making it a candidate for a bear call spread [3]. - The proposed bear call spread for FDX involves selling the $250-strike call and buying the $260-strike call, with a potential credit of $1.85, leading to a maximum risk of $815 and a profit potential of 22.70% [4][5]. - The breakeven price for this trade is $251.85, which is 9.71% above the current stock price [4]. Group 3: Alternative Bear Call Spread - An alternative bear call spread involves selling the $230-strike call and buying the $250-strike call, with a potential credit of $7.20, resulting in a maximum risk of $1,280 and a profit potential of 56.25% [8]. - This alternative strategy has a higher loss probability of 40.4% compared to the previous spread [8]. Group 4: Technical Opinion - The Barchart Technical Opinion rating for FDX is a 32% Sell, indicating a weak short-term outlook for maintaining the current direction [7].