Also known as: Buy-Write · Covered Stock
Buy 100 shares + sell call. Shares cap upside, premium cushions downside.
Shape illustration on a normalized underlying — open the Lab below to price it on a real option chain.
Own 100 shares, sell one call against them. The premium is income; if the stock rises past the strike, your shares are called away at that price.
The most common income strategy in existence: on stock you own, in flat-to-mildly-bullish conditions, at strikes you would genuinely sell at.
The real risk is the shares themselves — the call only caps your upside. "Losing" here usually means watching a runaway rally from the sidelines above your strike.
Similar: Synthetically the same trade (put-call parity) — premium income, flat-to-up bias.
Different: One starts from shares, the other from cash; taxes and assignment mechanics differ, payoff barely does.
Similar: Both pair an option with shares you own.
Different: Covered call SELLS upside for income; protective put BUYS downside insurance for a cost. Combine them and you have a collar.
New to options? Start with the free curriculum — or see which strategy fits your outlook.
Educational content — not investment advice. Options involve substantial risk and are not suitable for every investor. All trading on Opus Options Trading is simulated.