Publications

5/26/11 Trade Alert: Emerging Market and Share Buyback Can-Do

“Sell to Open” July $40 Put on Crown Holdings (NYSE: CCK) Option Symbol: CCK110716P40 Limit Order Price: $1.30 or more ($130 per contract) Directional View for Underlying Stock: Neutral to slightly bullish Options for Income Portfolio: Conservative Income Approximate margin requirement per contract: $1,050 (depends on your broker) 50-day return on margin: 12.4 percent (90.4 […]… Read More

5/26/11 Trade Alert: Emerging Market and Share Buyback Can-Do

The summer is almost upon us, and nothing quenches the summer thirst like a frosty beverage. Jim’s latest trade will prepare you for a season of hot profits…. Read More

5/23/11 Weekly Briefing: Taking Advantage of Implied Volatility

The simplistic assumptions used in option valuation give savvy investors who engage in fundamental analysis a huge advantage when trading options…. Read More

5/19/11 Trade Alert: At Your Convenience

“Sell to Open” August $40 Put on Casey’s General Stores (NasdaqGS: CASY) Option Symbol: CASY110820P40 Limit Order Price: $1.85 or more ($185 per contract) Directional View for Underlying Stock: Neutral to slightly bullish Options for Income Portfolio: Conservative Income Approximate margin requirement per contract: $1,100 (depends on your broker) 92-day return on margin: 17 percent […]… Read More

5/19/11 Trade Alert: At Your Convenience

This Midwestern convenience store operator is an M&A growth machine. Its multinational competitors have tried their hardest to acquire the company–and failed. Now it’s your turn to get in on the action…. Read More

5/16/11 Weekly Briefing: “Credit” and “Debit” Vertical Option Spreads, More Similar than You May Imagine

Don’t fret over alarmist headlines from the financial press. The real economy is strengthening. Jim also gets into the nitty gritty of vertical option spreads…. Read More

5/12/11 Trade Alert: Garbage is Beautiful

Put Credit Spread on Stericycle (NasdaqGS: SRCL) “Buy to Open” August $85 Put and “Sell to Open” August $90 Put Option Symbols: SRCL110820P85 and SRCL110820P90 Limit Order Price: Net credit of $1.60 or more ($160 per spread) Directional View for Underlying Stock: Neutral to slightly bullish Options for Income Portfolio: Conservative Income Margin requirement per […]… Read More

5/12/11 Trade Alert: Garbage is Beautiful

A put credit spread on a waste disposal stock promises a 47% return and limits risk at the same time…. Read More

5/9/11 Weekly Briefing: Buying Puts Can Reduce Your Margin Requirement

Falling commodity prices don’t augur a stock market collapse. Also, Jim explains how to create spreads to lower risk and boost profits…. Read More

5/5/11 Trade Alert: Second Time’s The Charm

“Sell to Open” September $80 Put on Berkshire Hathaway Class B (NYSE: BRK-B) Option Symbol: BRKB110917P80 Limit Order Price: $3.35 or more ($335 per contract) Directional View for Underlying Stock: Neutral Options for Income Portfolio: Conservative Income Approximate margin requirement per contract: $1,900 (depends on your broker) 134-day return on margin: 18 percent (49 percent […]… Read More