Initial & Closing Transaction - Lockheed Martin (LMT) (10/21/2009)

As goes the mantra of good investing, you must always invest logically and not emotionally. Unfortunately, I think this is one thing that most people find difficult to do, whether it be selling a position which has fallen precipitously and is no longer a good company, or not selling a position when you have made a lot of money but the company is now overvalued because you are being greedy. In this case it was neither, it was what I consider to be somewhere in between those two issues, and that is selling a position because it took a big hit one day, and though the fundamentals didn't change, it made me jumpy, so I sold it. This position was in Lockheed Martin, and though it only existed for one day, I felt it necessary to put it on the blog as it is a good investing lesson. I mentioned a few weeks ago after my position in LMT was called away at $75 that I would consider re-entering the stock if it fell below $72. The company released lackluster earnings for the latest quarter, and so the stock fell from near $78 down to $73 in one day. I chose to enter at this point in one of my long-term dividend covered call positions, similar to the one I had in ConocoPhillips. The idea here is to sell a fairly ITM call which is at least 3 months in the future, and shoot for about a 10-20% return regardless of whether the stock gets called away at any of the ex-dividend dates or at expiration. Unfortunately, the stock continued to fall the following day underneath $70 which it had not fallen below in quite a while, and I got spooked so I closed out the position. Of course, once I did so the stock rebounded somewhat, but I had already taken my loss. The lesson here is if the company is a good fundamental investment, you should not let a decline scare you away, you should instead consider it an opportunity to purchase more, or in this case possibly buy back the call and wait for a rebound t sell a new one. The profit/loss info is below:

10/20/2009 -- Bought 100 LMT @ 72.76
10/20/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 LMT March $70 Call @ 5.80
10/21/2009 -- Bought To Close 1 LMT March $70 Call / Sold 100 LMT @ 65.50

Loss = $135.00

The important purchase metrics are below for insight into possible profit and loss (these all include commissions):
Cost Basis: 66.85

Potential Gain If Called At Expiration: 4.43%
PotentialAnnualized Gain If Called At Expiration: 10.70%

Initial Transaction - Applied Materials (AMAT)(10/20/2009)

This position was opened as part of my ex-dividend strategy. The idea here is to sell a call on a stock which be paying a dividend during the next few weeks in hopes that the stock will be called away the day before the ex-dividend date. The position in Applied Materials was opened as it is currently at multi-year lows. The company has unfortunately had some negative earnings as of late, but I believe the stock has alot of upside potential in the future due to its work in the semiconductor area (it profits regardless of whose chip is used), as well as the solar area which should benefit from legislation and regulation in the next few years once all of this health care debate is over. The company yields about 2%, and the ex-dividend date is on November 9. The profit/loss info is below:

10/20/2009 -- Bought 100 AMAT @ 13.39
10/20/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 AMAT November $13 Call @ 0.76

The important purchase metrics are below for insight into possible profit and loss (these all include commissions):
Cost Basis: 1263.00

Potential Gain If Called At Ex-Div Date: 2.46%
Potential Annualized Gain If Called At Ex-Div Date: 44.92%

Potential Gain If Called At Expiration: 3.01%
PotentialAnnualized Gain If Called At Expiration: 34.32%

Update Transaction - United States Natural Gas (UNG) (10/20/2009)

While UNG was still hovering around the $12 mark I decided to sell a $12 call for November, which was below the $13 call I had in October, but at this point Im simply trying to exit UNG at a profit. The performance metrics are below:

7/2/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 UNG August $13 Put @ 1.15
8/21/2009 -- Stock Purchase @ $13
8/24/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 UNG October $13 Call @ 0.60
9/2/2009 -- Bought To Open 1 UNG October $8 Put @ .4275
10/16/2009 -- Option Expiration
10/20/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 UNG November $12 Call @ .45


The important purchase metrics are below for insight into possible profit and loss (these all include commissions):
Purchase Price: $1190.00

Possible Max Upside: 6.04%

Annualized Max Upside: 15.61%

Initial Transaction - Astec Industries (ASTE) (10/19/2009)

I decided to open a position in Astec Industries, a company which manufactures equipment used in road building. I established this position due to a few key reasons, both technical and fundamental. The stock has been bouncing between $25 and $30 since the beginning of July and has reached a high of $34 this year, and a low slightly above $20 at the March low. As a result I judge a relatively low downside risk, and a much higher possibility of upside. On a fundamental basis, I believe that the company has a few things that has kept the stock price down, but should be figured out in the coming months. The most important of these is that the highway funding bill was not passed this year, and so there is quite a bit of uncertainty about when and for how much that bill will be passed. In my opinion the question is not whether a bill will be passed, but rather when. Additionally, most of the stimulus funding for road construction will be released next year and provide a boost to ASTE's revenues. Lastly, there is a possibility that a second stimulus might need to be passed in the next year which would be more likely to have infrastructure projects as this was not a large part of the original bill, which could add upside. All in all I think the company is a good pick for both the short and long term. Just as a note, the company does release earnings in the next month, which adds additional risk. The profit/loss info is below:

10/19/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 $25 ASTE November CSP @ $0.75


The important purchase metrics are below for insight into possible profit and loss (these all include commissions):
Cost Basis: N/A

Potential Gain If Called At Expiration: 3.00%

PotentialAnnualized Gain If Called At Expiration: 33.18%

Initial Transaction - Life Partners Holdings Inc. (LPHI) (10/19/2009)

I decided to re-enter a position in LPHI, as it will be paying a dividend during this expiration month. The stock continues to trade in a pretty tight range between $17 and $18.50. The stock also sports an above average dividend yield of 5%. LPHI is essentially a type of investment fund for wealthy individuals. They purchase life insurance policies in the secondary market for wealthy individuals who continue to pay the premiums and then collect the funds when the underwritten individual passes. This is a relatively morbid business, but it is also one which I believe will perform well in the economic climate. The company has no debt, and is growing rapidly, as such I believe it will continue to be a good holding in the CCIP. I sold a put instead of writing a CC due to the wash rule, as I had previously sold LPHI for a loss. The profit/loss info is below:

10/19/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 $17.50 LPHI November CSP @ $1.10


The important purchase metrics are below for insight into possible profit and loss (these all include commissions):
Cost Basis: N/A

Potential Gain If Called At Expiration: 6.29%

PotentialAnnualized Gain If Called At Expiration: 69.52%

Update Transaction - Direxion 3x Small Cap Bear (TZA) (10/19/2009)

As mentioned in my post on October 2009 expirations, the put I had sold in TZA was assigned as the current price was below the strike price. The stock managed to stay in the middle of the put spread I had put in place. I decided to sell a lower strike call on the new stock position, as I am neutral to bearish on the overall market at the moment. Since this stock is a triple-leveraged position, it is better to be safe than sorry, as a 5-10% increase in the overall market could wreak havoc on the position. The new profit/loss info is below:

9/14/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 $12.50 Strike Oct Put @ $1.10
9/14/2009 -- Bought To Open 1 $10 Strike Oct Put @ $.25
10/16/2009 -- Stock Bought @12.50
10/19/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 $11 Strike Nov Call @ 1.10

The important purchase metrics are below for insight into possible profit and loss (these all include commissions):
Stock Purchase Cost: $11.65

Possible Max Upside: 3.43%

Annualized Max Upside: 18.43%

October 2009 Expiration Day (10/16/2009)

The Covered Calls Investor Portfolio contained a total of 6 positions with October 2009 expirations, and 8 positions either with a Non-October expiration or no current covered call. The 6 positions with October expiration had the following results:

- 4 positions (BBY, LPHI, SMS, MRO) closed in-the-money. The calls were exercised and the stock was sold. All of these positions had pretty good returns. SMS was looking as if it wasnt going to close in the money, but it had a pretty big run-up into expiration. The annualized gain/loss results (after commissions) were:

Best Buy (BBY) => 41.84% (Held Since 6/12/2009)
Life Partners Holdings (LPHI) => 61.11% (Held Since 8/31/2009)
SIMS Metal Management (SMS) => 111.05% (Held Since 9/28/2009)
Marathon Oil (MRO) => 31.10% (Held Since 8/24/2009)

- 2 positions in the portfolio (UNG, TZA) ended out-of-the-money. As is the norm with UNG, it yet again ended OTM.


United States Natural Gas (UNG) - $11.57
100 Shares with Current Cost Basis of $11.7275

This position will be kept, as I believe natural gas prices will eventually rebound. In the meantime, I will continue to sell calls against the three UNG positions which I still maintain. The risk factor in this position is mainly due to the way in which the ETF operates, as current CTFC proceedings have resulted in the company which manages UNG to have to invest in riskier instruments in order to track the price of natural gas.

Direxion 3x Small Cap Bear (TZA) - $11.17
100 Shares with Current Cost Basis of $11.65

This position is only being used as a hedge in case of a decline in the overall market. I will continue to hold this one position, and sell ITM calls against it. As it only accounts for a small percentage of my total portfolio I am not too worried about a large loss, in case of more large gains in the indices.


The positions in the portfolio which did not have October expirations include:

United States Natural Gas (UNG)(200 Shares) - January $13 and $14 Covered Calls

Intrepid Potash (IPI)(100 Shares) - November $27 Covered Call

ConocoPhillips (COP)(100 Shares) - January $39 Covered Call

McGraw-Hill (MHP)(100 Shares) - November $30 Covered Call

Jack In The Box (JACK) - November $20 CSP

Omnicare (OCR)(100 Shares) - November $22.50 Covered Call

Fluor (FLR)(100 Shares) - November $50 Covered Call

Closing Transaction - Intel (INTC) (10/15/2009)

I closed both of my positions in Intel on October 15 somewhat by accident, as I had only intended for them to sell if I could gain all of the remaining time value in the sale. Unfortunately, the order was entered incorrectly as a net debit instead of net credit. Luckily, I only lost out on a few dollars in the mix-up. I would be happy to re-enter a position in Intel in the future if it falls back under $20 as I believe the company is solid, and has consistently beat earnings estimates the last few quarters along with having a good yield. The final profit/loss info is below:

Position #1 - October CC

8/24/2009 -- Bought 100 INTC @ 18.92
8/24/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 INTC October $18 Call @ 1.50
10/15/2009 -- Bought Call/Sold Stock @ 17.93

Final Profit: 2.63%

Final Annualized Gain: 18.84%

Position #2 - November CC

10/1/2009 -- Bought 100 INTC @ 19.11
10/1/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 INTC November $18 Call @ 1.56
10/15/2009 -- Bought Call/Sold Stock @ 17.88

Final Profit: 1.88%

Final Annualized Gain: 52.79%

Closing Transaction - SPY Call (10/15/2009)

I decided to close out my SPY call position, as expiration was only two days away, and the SPY would have to rise another 1-2% in order for the call to be in the money. As a result I decided to take the limited time premium that was left. I think that for now I wont be using this strategy anymore, as the timing of the call purchase ended up causing me to just miss out on gains in the SPY. I may use this strategy again in the future when I believe the market is poised for a large bullish move. The gain/loss info is below:

8/24/2009 -- Bought 1 $106 SPY September Call @ 1.35
9/16/2009 -- Sold 1 $106 SPY September Call @ 0.58
9/16/2009 -- Bought 1 $110 SPY October Call @ 0.82
10/15/2009 -- Sold 1 $110 SPY October Call @ 0.55

Total Loss: $104 (Less than0.3% of the total portfolio)

Update Transaction - Intrepid Potash (IPI) (10/8/2009)

As I expected IPI rebounded nicely from a low around $22/share. Unfortunately, there was not a lot of time until October expiration and so the premiums for strikes as high as $27 were non-existent. As such, I decided to sell a $27 Nov call. The new profit/loss info is below:

7/30/2009 -- Bought 100 IPI @ 26.70
7/30/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 IPI $27 August Call @ 1.54
7/30/2009 -- Bought To Open 1 IPI $22 August Put @ 0.45
8/21/2009 -- Call Expired
8/24/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 IPI $28 September Call @ 0.7
8/26/2009 -- Bought To Open 1 IPI $21 September Put @ 0.25
8/31/2009 -- Bought To Close 1 IPI $28 September Call @ 0.10
8/31/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 IPI $27 October Call @ 0.50
10/1/2009 -- Bought To Close 1 IPI $27 October Call @ 0.10
10/8/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 IPI $27 November Call @ 0.70


The important purchase metrics are below for insight into possible profit and loss (these all include commissions):
Stock Purchase Cost: $2561.00
Current Cost Average: $24.16

Possible Max Upside: 11.29%

Annualized Max Upside: 36.14%

Initial Transaction - Fluor (FLR) (10/7/2009)

After seeing a position opened by the Covered Call Advisor (coveredcalladvisor.blogspot.com) in Fluor, I decided to take a look at the company. When I looked at the company I found some very nice features for a covered call position. The first thing I noticed was the chart which showed FLR oscillating around $50/share for the past 4 months. The second thing that made this a good company for a covered call position was the fact that it paid a dividend. Although small, dividends can add alot to covered call positions. Thirdly, the company is poised to benefit from what I foresee as a rebound in construction of large infrastructure projects over the next few years. Specifically, the recent run-up in oil prices as well as my belief that oil prices will most likely continue to move higher in the long-term would be a boon to FLR as it is one of the larger EPC's which operates in the oil & gas space. For these reasons as well as a recent drop in the share price under $50 I decided to open a CC position. The profit/loss info is below:

10/7/2009 -- Bought 100 FLR @ 47.07
10/7/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 FLR November $50 Call @ 1.70

The important purchase metrics are below for insight into possible profit and loss (these all include commissions):
Cost Basis: $4537.00

Potential Gain: 9.16%

Potential Annualized Gain If Called At Expiration (11/21/2009): 74.30%

Downside Protection: 3.6%

Closing Transactions - AT&T & The Buckle (T) (BKE) (10/7/2009)

Both AT&T (T) and The Buckle (BKE) were called away preceding an ex-dividend date as the time value remaining was very small in comparison with the dividend to be paid. The final profit/loss info is below:


AT&T (T)

Transaction History:
Various -- Bought 100 T @ 25.125
2/25/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 T March $24 Call @ 0.895
3/6/2009 -- Bought To Close 1 T March $24 Call @ 0.3874
4/7/2009 -- Dividend @ 0.41
4/16/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 T May $26 Call @ 0.8126
5/15/2009 -- Call Expired
7/8/2009 -- Dividend @ 0.41
7/23/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 T August $26 Call @ 0.4
8/21/2009 -- Call Expired OTM
8/24/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 T September $26 Call @ 0.53
9/17/2009 -- Bought To Close 1 T September $26 Call @ 0.34
9/17/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 T October $26 Call @ 0.64
10/7/2009 -- Stock Called Away @ 25.9543

Final Profit: 17.33%
Annualized Final Profit: 28.24%

The Buckle (BKE)

Transaction History:
8/7/2009 -- Bought 100 BKE @ 26.70
8/7/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 BKE $30 September Call @ 0.70
9/17/2009 -- Bought To Close 1 BKE $30 September Call @ 0.15
9/18/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 BKE $30 October Call @ 0.85
10/7/2009 -- Stock Called Away @ 29.9542

Final Profit: 16.33%
Annualized Final Profit: 97.74%

Dividend Payment - SIMS Metal Management (SMS) (10/6/2009)

This is simply a dividend update for the position in SMS. I actually had forgotten about this dividend payment, even though it was one of the original reasons I found the stock. The new profit/loss info is below:

9/28/2009 -- Bought 100 SMS @ 19.69
9/28/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 SMS October $20 Call @ 0.7
10/6/2009 -- Dividend @ 0.08


The important purchase metrics are below for insight into possible profit and loss (these all include commissions):
Cost Basis: $1899.00

Downside Protection: 3.5%

Potential Gain If Called At Expiration: 5.48%

Potential Annualized Gain If Called At Expiration: 105.21%

Dividend Payment - Best Buy (BBY) (10/2/2009)

This is simply a dividend update for my position in BBY. The new profit/loss info is below:

6/12/2009 -- Bought 100 BBY @ 37.54
6/12/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 BBY July $39 Call @ 1.54
6/12/2009 -- Bought To Open 1 BBY June $35 Put @ 0.6
6/18/2009 -- Bought To Close 1 BBY July $39 Call @ 0.50
6/18/2009 -- Sold To Close 1 BBY June $35 Put @ 1.1
6/23/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 BBY July $38 Call @ 0.20
7/2/2009 -- Dividend @ 0.14
7/18/2009 -- Call Expired
7/20/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 BBY August $38 Call @ 0.65
8/12/2009 -- Bought To Close 1 BBY August $38 Call @ 0.6
8/12/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 BBY September $39 Call @ 1.20
9/15/2009 -- Bought To Close 1 BBY September $39 Call @ 1.52
9/15/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 BBY October $39 Call @ 2.39
9/15/2009 -- Bought To Open 1 BBY October $32 Put @ 0.35
10/4/2009 -- Dividend Payment @ 0.14

The important purchase metrics are below for insight into possible profit and loss (these all include commissions):
Stock Purchase Cost: $3660.00

Possible Max Upside: 14.58%

Annualized Max Upside: 41.91%

Update Transaction - Intrepid Potash (IPI) (10/1/2009)

After a large decline in the price of Intrepid Potash I decided to buy back the October call in case the price of Intrepid Potash greatly recovered as the expiration date grew closer. I plan to resell the $27 call if the price of IPI recovers. If not, I will most likely sell a November call. The new profit/loss info is below:

7/30/2009 -- Bought 100 IPI @ 26.70
7/30/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 IPI $27 August Call @ 1.54
7/30/2009 -- Bought To Open 1 IPI $22 August Put @ 0.45
8/21/2009 -- Call Expired
8/24/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 IPI $28 September Call @ 0.7
8/26/2009 -- Bought To Open 1 IPI $21 September Put @ 0.25
8/31/2009 -- Bought To Close 1 IPI $28 September Call @ 0.10
8/31/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 IPI $27 October Call @ 0.50
10/1/2009 -- Bought To Close 1 IPI $27 October Call @ 0.70

The important purchase metrics are below for insight into possible profit and loss (these all include commissions):
Stock Purchase Cost: $2561.00
Current Cost Average: $24.86

Possible Max Upside: N/A

Annualized Max Upside: N/A

Initial Transaction - Intel (INTC) (10/1/2009)

I decided to open another position in Intel after a drop in the price back near $19. It was another position intended to yield between a 10 and 20% annualized return. Intel was going to be releasing earnings in the following few weeks, and I would be glad to own it at the $17.50 cost averaged price. This was also an additional position utilizing the ex-dividend strategy I have described in previous posts. The profit/loss info is below:

10/1/2009 -- Bought 100 INTC @ 19.11
10/1/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 INTC November $18 Call @ 1.56

The important purchase metrics are below for insight into possible profit and loss (these all include commissions):
Cost Basis: $1755.00

Potential Annualized Gain If Called At Ex-Div. Date (11/5/2009): 23.77%

Potential Annualized Gain If Called At Expiration (11/21/2009): 16.31%

Downside Protection: 8.2%

Initial Transaction - Omnicare (OCR) (9/29/2009)

An additional position I opened at the end of September was in a company which I had in the CCIP back in April, and had exited in July. Omnicare is a is a geriatric pharmaceutical services company. The Company operates in two segments: Pharmacy Services and Contract Research Organization Services (CRO Services). The Company provides pharmaceuticals and related ancillary pharmacy services to long-term healthcare institutions. The uncertainty over the health care legislation in Congress as well as difficulty in executing its turnaround plan has caused the company to drop near its 52-week low of around $19. As I believe that regardless of the legislation passed it will bring the company a greater number of beds to be serviced, I thought now was a good time to get back in. However, I wanted to be somewhat cautious so I established an ITM call. The new profit/loss info is below:

9/29/2009 -- Bought 100 OCR @ 22.93
9/29/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 OCR November $22.50 Call @ 1.59


The important purchase metrics are below for insight into possible profit and loss (these all include commissions):
Stock Purchase Cost: $2134.00

If stock is called at expiration:

Downside Coverage: 6.9%
Possible Max Upside: 5.44%

Annualized Max Upside: 37.44%

Initial Transaction - Jack In The Box (JACK) (9/29/2009)

At the end of September, I decided to open a new cash-secured put position in Jack In The Box, a California based fast food chain. The company owns both the Jack In The Box burger chain as well as the Mexican fast food restaurant, Qdoba. I decided to open this trade after considering it for about 3 months. Although I have never been to a Jack In The Box, I was introduced to the Qdoba chain in college. This restaurant is similar to another Mexican fast food chain which more people are familiar with, Chipotle. Jack In The Box is different from other fast food chains, in that it changes its menu quite often, in an effort to find menu items that have greater appeal. I chose to invest in the company at this point in time mostly for technical reasons, as it is currently floating above a key point of support at $20. The stock has not closed below this point since the market crashed in March. As such I don't foresee too much downside risk. The new profit/loss info is below:

9/29/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 JACK November $20 Put @ 0.95

The important purchase metrics are below for insight into possible profit and loss (these all include commissions):
Stock Purchase Cost: N/A

Possible Max Upside: 4.75%

Annualized Max Upside: 32.71%

Initial Transaction - SIMS Metal Management (SMS) (9/28/2009)

This was my first new position after returning from vacation. SIMS metal management is the world's largest metals recycling company and is based on Australia. I chose to open this position in order to further diversify my portfolio with a construction type play, as well as adding some more "international flavor." The options premiums are pretty high for this particular stock, but they are also not very liquid, so it is best to establish a cc by setting a net debit order instead of buying them separately. The profit/loss info is below:

9/28/2009 -- Bought 100 SMS @ 19.69
9/28/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 SMS October $20 Call @ 0.7

The important purchase metrics are below for insight into possible profit and loss (these all include commissions):
Cost Basis: $1899.00

Downside Protection: 3.5%

Potential Gain If Called At Expiration: 5.06%

Potential Annualized Gain If Called At Expiration: 97.11%

Continuing Transaction - McGraw-Hill (MHP) (9/18/2009)

McGraw-Hill was another position which was rolled out to another month's expiration. The stock has been on quite a rollercoaster ride since I purchased it. It rose as high as $33, and was promptly demolished after a pending court case was not dismissed regarding its ratings business. As the stock had made a brief rebound, I decided to roll-out the call until November. The new profit/loss info is below:

8/21/2009 -- Bought 100 MHP @ 29.66
8/21/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 MHP September $30 Call @ 0.86
8/24/2009 -- Dividend @ 0.23
9/3/2009 -- Bought To Open 1 MHP September $25 Put @ 0.20
9/18/2009 - Bought To Close 1 MHP September $30 Call @ 0.08
9/18/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 MHP November $30 Call @ 1.12

The important purchase metrics are below for insight into possible profit and loss (these all include commissions):
Cost Basis: 2890.00

Potential Gain If Called At Expiration: 7.51%
PotentialAnnualized Gain If Called At Expiration: 29.79%

Closing Transaction - Lockheed Martin (LMT) (9/17/2009)

As I have mentioned in my recent posts, as I was going to be on vacation the week following options expiration in September, I closed or rolled-out many of my positions the previous week. Lockheed Martin was one of the positions which I closed, after it jumped about 5% at the end of expiration week. I had originally opened the position in Lockheed to capitalize on the dividend, but also because it was a solid company. I would not hesitate to re-open the position of LMT fell back below $75 and I had funds available. The final profit/loss info is below:

8/25/2009 -- Bought 100 LMT @ 74.30
8/25/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 LMT September $75 Call @ 1.30
8/28/2009 -- Dividend @ 0.57
9/17/2009 -- Bought To Close 1 LMT September $75 Call @ 3.40
9/17/2009 -- Sold 100 LMT @ 78.32

The important purchase metrics are below for insight into possible profit and loss (these all include commissions):
Cost Basis: 7300.00

Final Gain: 3.41%
Annualized Gain: 54.13%

Continuing Transaction - AT&T (T) (9/17/2009)

Continuing the trend of rolling positions over to October expirations, I did so on AT&T as it was going to be paying a dividend in October. The new profit/loss info is below:

Transaction History:
Various -- Bought 100 T @ 25.125
2/25/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 T March $24 Call @ 0.895
3/6/2009 -- Bought To Close 1 T March $24 Call @ 0.3874
4/7/2009 -- Dividend @ 0.41
4/16/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 T May $26 Call @ 0.8126
5/15/2009 -- Call Expired
7/8/2009 -- Dividend @ 0.41
7/23/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 T August $26 Call @ 0.4
8/21/2009 -- Call Expired OTM
8/24/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 T September $26 Call @ 0.53
9/17/2009 -- Bought To Close 1 T September $26 Call @ 0.34
9/17/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 T October $26 Call @ 0.64


The important purchase metrics are below for insight into possible profit and loss (these all include commissions):
Stock Purchase Cost: $2512.50
Current Cost Average: $21.75


Downside Coverage (based on current share price, 26.30): 17.3%

Possible Max Upside (if called at ex-div): 17.52%
Annualized Max Upside (if called at ex-div): 28.42%

Possible Max Upside (if called at expiration): 19.21%
Annualized Max Upside (if called a expiration): 29.97%

Continuing Transaction - The Buckle (BKE) (9/17/2009)

As expiration day was coming to a close I decided to roll forward my position in The Buckle, a premium denim retailer. The stock has made quite the rebound since falling to $26 after a lackluster same-store sales report in July. With the stock approaching $30, I decided to roll forward the September $30 call to October in case of a precipitous decline in the market during the following week while I would be away. Additionally, The Buckle normally pays a dividend in October, and so holding onto the stock for another month would yield additional profit. The new profit/loss info is below:

8/7/2009 -- Bought 100 BKE @ 26.70
8/7/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 BKE $30 September Call @ 0.70
9/17/2009 -- Bought To Close 1 BKE $30 September Call @ 0.15
9/17/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 BKE $30 October Call @ 0.85

The important purchase metrics are below for insight into possible profit and loss (these all include commissions):
Stock Purchase Cost: $2635.00

Downside Coverage (Current Price of 29.23): 13.95%
Possible Max Upside: 16.32%

Annualized Max Upside: 83.89%

Continuing Transaction - SPY (9/16/2009)

Continuing with my new strategy which was described in my previous post on the SPY call. I decided to roll it over to an October call. For this call to become appreciating the SPY would have to rise 3% from its current levels (from 107 -> 110). The purchase info is below:

8/24/2009 -- Bought 1 $106 SPY September Call @ 1.35
9/16/2009 -- Sold 1 $106 SPY September Call @ 0.58
9/16/2009 -- Bought 1 $110 SPY October Call @ 0.82

Continuing Transaction - Best Buy (BBY) (9/15/2009)

It would seem that I always have to be traveling the week before or the week after expiration. This has thus far presented a difficult decision on how to deal with positions that are in-the-money when nearing expiration as the decision has to be made to roll them up and out, or close the position early in order to open a new one. For Best Buy, the decision was made after earnings were announced causing the stock price to drop about 7% from a high of 41 pre-earnings announcement to around 39. With an upcoming dividend, relatively good option premiums, and my continued belief in future earnings potential, I decided to roll the position out at the same strike for the next month, while also purchasing a protective put to guard against a continued drop in the stock as well as a general drop in the market. The new profit/loss info is below:

6/12/2009 -- Bought 100 BBY @ 37.54
6/12/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 BBY July $39 Call @ 1.54
6/12/2009 -- Bought To Open 1 BBY June $35 Put @ 0.6
6/18/2009 -- Bought To Close 1 BBY July $39 Call @ 0.50
6/18/2009 -- Sold To Close 1 BBY June $35 Put @ 1.1
6/23/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 BBY July $38 Call @ 0.20
7/2/2009 -- Dividend @ 0.14
7/18/2009 -- Call Expired
7/20/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 BBY August $38 Call @ 0.65
8/12/2009 -- Bought To Close 1 BBY August $38 Call @ 0.6
8/12/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 BBY September $39 Call @ 1.20
9/15/2009 -- Bought To Close 1 BBY September $39 Call @ 1.52
9/15/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 BBY October $39 Call @ 2.39
9/15/2009 -- Bought To Open 1 BBY October $32 Put @ 0.35

The important purchase metrics are below for insight into possible profit and loss (these all include commissions):
Stock Purchase Cost: $3660.00

Possible Max Upside: 14.19%

Annualized Max Upside: 40.8%

Initial Transaction - Direxion 3x Small Cap Bear (TZA) (9/14/2009)

For the first time in the CCIP, I will be using an option strategy referred to as a put spread. This is essentially the same concept as a covered call in which you also buy a protective put, however it removes one of the legs of the trade. Instead, you sell a higher strike put, and buy a lower strike put. The perfect outcome is that both puts expire out-of-the-money and you collect the difference in the two premiums. For this particular position, I decided to create a put spread with TZA, which returns 3x the inverse of the daily return of the Russell 2000 index. The idea here is essentially that I believe the market cannot sustain this drive higher forever, and that its due time for a pullback. As such I would like to be hedged against such a pullback, and I think this is a perfect way to do so. It results in a potential profit of 6.8%, and the maximum loss is only 15%. I will most likely be using more of these type strategies with the more volatile positions in my portfolio. The profit/loss info is below:

9/14/2009 -- Sold To Open 1 $12.50 Strike Oct Put @ $1.10
9/14/2009 -- Bought To Open 1 $10 Strike Oct Put @ $.25

The important purchase metrics are below for insight into possible profit and loss (these all include commissions):
Stock Purchase Cost: N/A

Possible Max Upside: 6.8%

Annualized Max Upside: 75.21%