ETFs

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The Power Of The Options Hedge

One of the more intriguing aspects of 2021 has been the relatively high levels of expected volatility in the equities markets.  The VIX, a widely-used barometer of broad market volatility, has been consistently higher throughout the year compared to its long-term median.  Despite the high levels of anticipated volatility, the market hasn’t yet seen that […]

Protecting Your Downside Exposure with Options

Protecting Your Downside Exposure with Options

It’s never a bad idea to know how to minimize your equity exposure, especially right now, as the market is showing some cracks in its armor lately. The S&P 500 was down roughly 5% in September, the first down month in 2021 since January, and the largest since the pandemic hit in March 2020. Granted, […]

Is This Closed-End Fund Living Up to Expectations?

Is This Closed-End Fund Living Up to Expectations?

Recently, I have found myself going down the rabbit hole leading to ETFs and closed-end funds (CEFs) that use covered call strategies. These funds offer the promise of investment exposure to major asset classes or indexes, plus a high level of dividend income. Closed-end funds aren’t generally my cup of tea as many remain murky […]

Buy This Hated Monthly Dividend Investment Paying 9.5%

Buy This Hated Monthly Dividend Investment Paying 9.5%

Last week, Seeking Alpha put out a list of low-valuation ETFs with strong performance year-to-date for 2021. The short discussion pointed out how investors may benefit from a shift away from high-valuation growth investments, to those with lower valuations that are also out of favor with the “hot stocks” crowd. The low-valuation list sports some […]

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How To Make 344% From Stocks Going Higher

When buying options, it’s generally a good idea to keep the capital outlay to a minimum whenever possible, because options typically lose value at a regular rate due to time decay. As such, minimizing the option premium paid (the cost) is essentially the same as lowering risk. Using vertical spreads is one way to take […]