Whether you’re investing or trading in Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX), it’s difficult to avoid a discussion surrounding an options strategy to augment this position. Netflix has an outrageous valuation and a wide range of intrinsic volatility, where swings of $10-$15 in one day are fairly common. This intrinsic volatility is more so pronounced during any major news story (i.e. expansion into international markets or subscriber price increases) and specifically around earnings announcements. As a result of the nosebleed valuation and volatility, in my opinion, options go hand-in-hand when committing capital to Netflix stock. Netflix is high growth stock thus investors are willing to pay a premium for this growth. However, the tradeoff is that traditional metrics such as the price-to-earnings multiple (P/E ratio) and the PEG ratio do not apply. Due to its rapid growth, expanding original programming, wrestling market share away from big cable companies, expansion into international markets and its overall ubiquity, it's easy to see why investors are willing to pay a premium for this media disruptor. Due to these aforementioned factors, an options strategy may be an effective way to leverage and hedge this high growth stock while mitigating risk. Netflix offers high yielding premiums on a bi-weekly or monthly basis whether one owns the stock or attempting a good entry point. This bodes well for those who are willing to leverage options trading to augment returns and mitigate risk throughout the volatile nature of Netflix’s stock. This could come in the form of covered calls and/or secured puts or a combination of call/put strategy. Netflix’s recent second earnings disappointment highlights the value of an options strategy to mitigate losses and smooth out drastic moves in the stock price. Continue reading "Trading or Investing In Netflix - Options Are Your Friend"
Tag: Options Strategy
Supercharging Portfolio Returns - Empirical Options Data
I’ve written many articles highlighting the advantages options trading and how this technique, when deployed in opportunistic or conservative scenarios may augment overall portfolio returns while mitigating risk in a meaningful manner. Options trading in layman’s terms can be described as a parallel to owning a rental property. One owns an asset that he is willing to leverage in the form of a tenant occupying his home for monthly rent. In the case of options trading, one owns shares and he is willing “leverage” these shares for “rent” or in the case of options, a premium. In this scenario, the owner of the home gives the tenant the option to buy the property or rent to own if he/she desires prior to a specified date. For the owner of the stock, he is providing the option to buy the underlying security at a specified price on or before a specified date. From the renter’s perspective, if the home value is increasing and the housing market is strong and on an uptrend, the renter would exercise this option and elect to buy the home. In the case of options trading, the renter of the stock would exercise the option to buy the shares if the shares rise significantly and lock in the lower, agreed-upon price. In the housing scenario, the renter elected to have the option to buy however didn’t have the obligation to purchase the home. The tenant witnessed home values increasing and decided to exercise the option to buy and capitalize on the rent he was already paying into the property. For the renter of the stock, the renter had the option to buy the underlying shares however he didn’t have the obligation to purchase these shares. The renter of the shares witnessed the stock take off and decided to exercise the option to buy and capitalize on the “rent” he had already paid into the option contract. As the owner of the property/stock, the ideal scenario is to own the property/stock and continuously collect rent/premiums on a monthly basis without relinquishing the property/stock. I will provide an overview of my empirical case study based on my options activity during Q2 2016 (Table 1). Here, I’ll provide details focusing on optimizing stock leverage via covered calls. Emphasizing the ability to sell these types of options in an opportunistic, aggressive and disciplined manner to generate liquidity while accentuating returns and mitigating risk via empirical data. Continue reading "Supercharging Portfolio Returns - Empirical Options Data"
Covered Call Strategy Produces Double-Digit Return
Introduction
I’ve written a series of articles detailing the utility of options and how an investor can leverage a long position in an underlying security to mitigate risk, augment returns and generate cash without relinquishing the security of interest. I’d like to highlight Salesforce.com Inc. (NYSE:CRM) as an example for a covered call strategy. I’ll be highlighting how I’ve successfully extracted an additional double-digit return via leveraging the underlying security while collecting option premiums over a nine-month span. Taken together, the synergy of the options income and appreciation of the underlying security has yielded 23.6% over this timeframe. Continue reading "Covered Call Strategy Produces Double-Digit Return"
What Is That Popping Noise In The S&P 500?
I'm not sure if that if that popping sound is only in my head or happening in the markets? Is the S&P 500 about to pop following Brexit or will it be Fed-induced liquidity rallies as usual? We are long the S&P 500 via a put option spread but will exit at the first sign of failure. Also, the bond market ETF TLT has pulled back to support.
Learn more about TradingAnalysis.com here.
Plan Your Trade, and Trade Your Plan,
Todd Gordon
Using Covered Puts To Trade Options
Timing the market has proven to be very difficult if not altogether impossible. However creating opportunities to artificially accentuate further downward movement in a given stock one is looking to own is possible. If a stock of interest has substantially fallen yet not enough to pull the buy trigger, then one has an option to “buy” the stock at an even lower price at a later date while collecting a premium in the process. This is called a covered or secured put option. Leveraging covered or secured put options in opportunistic scenarios may augment overall portfolio returns while mitigating risk when looking to initiate a future position in an individual stock. Options are a form of derivative trading that traders can utilize in order to initiate a short or long position via the sale or purchase of contracts. In the event of a covered put, this is accomplished by leveraging the cash one currently has by selling a put contract against those funds for a premium. Traders may also initiate a short or long position via the purchase of option contracts to the underlying security. An option is a contract which gives the buyer of the contract the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an underlying security at a specified price on or before a specified date. The seller has the obligation to buy or sell the underlying security if the buyer exercises the option. An option that gives the owner the right to buy the security at a specific price is referred to as a call (bullish); an option that gives the right of the owner to sell the security at a specific price is referred to as a put (bearish). I will provide an overview of how a covered put is utilized and executed. Further details focusing on optimizing cash leverage (covered puts) and the ability to sell these types of options in a conservative way to generate cash while initiating positions in one’s portfolio will follow. Continue reading "Using Covered Puts To Trade Options"
