Hey all!! I'll keep this post kinda short as probably a "no duh" for you all if it works like I think.
I own 1300 shares of Mstr @ 44.50. I want to cover most of my initial investment at $200 and hold the rest for a good while.
I sold to open 2 calls nov 1st @ 200 for $11.50. Which netted me ~$2300. So if called away I get ~$42,300
I didn't realize I get the premium upfront. So I decided to buy 1 nov1 put @ 170 for $8.00 on mstr.
So, nov 1st comes. Mstr either above 200 and I get my sell(potentially). Maybe it's below 170 and I can execute and sell 100 shares at 170(potentially), or trade away the option on that day or before. Finally, the put expires worthless, but was paid for with call premium, so really no loss (in a sense).
Did I just get a "free" partial hedge? What am I missing? This seems too easy, and I never realized it before with options. Normally, I just tried to trade the contacts without holding a position in the name.
Is there a name for this strategy? Could I be doing something better to maximize the position? Are there any reading recommendations on this type of strategy?
Thanks in advance!
Help me find the flaw, if any.
byu/SignatureNo5302 inoptions
Posted by SignatureNo5302
1 Comment
Its called a collar when you give up your upside (covered call) in order to limit downside (protective put). It’s usually at a 1:1 ratio so you might be doing a different variation.
MSTR likely has a lot of call skew (calls same distance away more expensive than puts) because thats what happens with crypto, meme stocks, etc so its worth playing around with different expirations. If you are willing to go out to Jan for example you might see a higher call, but same put strike.