Week in Review – December 26 – 30, 2016

 

Option to Profit

Week in Review


December 26 – 30, 2016

NEW POSITIONS/STO NEW STO ROLLOVERS CALLS ASSIGNED/PUTS EXPIRED CALLS EXPIRED/PUTS ASSIGNED CLOSED EX-DIVIDEND
2  /   0 0 2 0   /   0 2   /   0 0 3

 

Weekly Up to Date Performance

December 26 – 30, 2016

Well, 2016 is over and the Christmas Rally came way too early and left nothing for the final week.

Surprisingly to me, I actually opened 2 new positions in the final week of the year.

Those new positions were 1.3% higher, as they outperformed the adjusted S&P 500 by 2.1% and the unadjusted S&P 500 by 2.4%, as the unadjusted S&P was 1.1% lower for the week to end the year 9.5% higher.

Existing positions outperformed the S&P 500 by 0.9%, but that still meant that they were lower 0.2% on the week.

Still it was a good 2016, even if the end wasn’t anything to write home about.

What was nice this week was the ability to rollover a few positions, even as 2 did expire and will begin 2017 uncovered.

There were also 3 ex-dividend positions on the week, although one of those was for only $0.01.

Also not much to write home about.

2016?

That I would write home about, though, even as there were so few closed positions for the year.


This was a mixed way to end the year, with the relative good news of outperforming the market, but without the good feeling that comes along with actually making money on paper.

Or the even better feeling of making money by closing a position.

What the week was good for was for generating some revenue and keeping the ball moving forward.

2016 was a good year for that as there were lots of rollover opportunities and lots of dividends, even as there weren’t anywhere near as many closed positions as I might have liked.

That leaves 2017 with cash on hand, stocks near their all time highs and a big question as to what the new administration will actually do.

I don’t have a clue, but I won’t be shy about using that cash and looking for opportunities.

Earnings season will be interesting as will the new President’s first State of the Union speech.

For now, I look at 2017 as being a continuation of where the past 2 to 3 weeks have been.

That means a continuing uncertainty about what tomorrow may hold.

But I think that tomorrow holds some good things regarding company profits and guidance and that there is more upside, but I would be very happy to see some profit taking bring us further away from the current levels.

That’s always easier to say than it is to live through and as I’m often reminded, you do need to be careful what you wish for.

I hope everyone has a Happy and a healthy New Year and is ready to enter 2017 with a continuing positive outlook.

This is the last Week in Review, but if you have the time and inclination, I’ll be posting periodically on TheAcsMan.com and will still try to have trades posted in real time.

Just much less of the other fare.

Thank you to all of the loyal subscribers that have stayed with me for so long and always in good humor and in constructive ways.

This week’s details may be seen in the Weekly Performance spreadsheet * or in the PDF file, as well as in the summary below

(Note: Duplicate mention of positions reflects different priced lots):



New Positions Opened:  BX, UA

Puts Closed in order to take profits:  none

Calls Rolled over, taking profits, into the next weekly cycle:   none

Calls Rolled over, taking profits, into extended weekly cycle:  MRO

Calls Rolled over, taking profits, into the monthly cycle: none

Calls Rolled Over, taking profits, into a future monthly cycle:  none

Calls Rolled Up, taking net profits into same cyclenone

New STO: none

Put contracts expired: none

Put contracts rolled over: CLF

Long term call contracts sold:  none

Calls Assigned:  none

Calls Expired:  none

Puts Assigned:  none

Stock positions Closed to take profits:  none

Stock positions Closed to take losses: none

Calls Closed to Take Profits: none

Ex-dividend Positions   CY (12/27 $0.11), GPS (12/30 $0.23)

Ex-dividend Positions Next Week: BMY (1/4 $0.39)

For the coming week the existing positions have lots that still require the sale of contracts:   AGQ, ANF, AZN, BBBY, BBY, CHK, CLF, COH, CSCO,  CY, DOW, FAST, FCX, GDX, GM, GPS, HAL, HFC, HPQ, INTC, IP, JCP, JOY, KMI, KSS, LVS, MCPIQ, MOS, NEM, RIG, WFM, WLTGQ, WY (See “Weekly Performance” spreadsheet or PDF file)



* If you don’t have a program to read or modify spreadsheets, you can download the OpenOffice Suite at no cost.



Week in Review – December 19 – 23, 2016

 

Option to Profit

Week in Review


December 19 – 23, 2016

NEW POSITIONS/STO NEW STO ROLLOVERS CALLS ASSIGNED/PUTS EXPIRED CALLS EXPIRED/PUTS ASSIGNED CLOSED EX-DIVIDEND
0  /   0 0 4 0   /   0 0   /   0 0 3

 

Weekly Up to Date Performance

December 19 – 23, 2016

One week left to go in 2016 and we are knocking on the door of 20,000 on the DJIA.

Unbelievable.

The market was basically unchanged for the week and there were no new positions opened.

For the most part, I haven’t minded going along for the ride, although the past week was another one where commodities and retail were weak, so I didn’t care for that part of things.

What I did like was the ability to rollover a number of positions and getting my share of dividends, while still keeping cash at a level that gives me lots of options as 2017 arrives.

Even with the weakness in commodities, 2016 continues to have been a great year.

I’m really looking forward to 2017, especially since I don’t think that I was able to say the same thing for each of the past 2 years.

While there’s no volatility in sight, I think that the next year is going to bring lots of opportunity the old fashioned way.

That means no artificially induced buying from low interest rates and no indiscriminate repurchasing of shares to move them higher.

Instead, I think that we are finally getting to that point that corporate earnings are actually going to be good.

Of course, that has to be balanced with what may be an increasingly high interest rate environment, with upward pressure on rates coming faster than may have ever been expected.

That may be what’s in store as we look at the possibility of an already fully employed work force and the possibility of infrastructure projects coming, as promised.

That may be a good combination for the economy, but a quicker rate of upward pressure on wages and prices may not be the best thing for stocks, unless the stocks are materials and commodity centric.

So that’s why I’m excited about 2017 just continuing the overall story of my 2016 experience.

Hopefully, the 2017 experience will also include more trades, more income and a continued ability to beat the S&P 500 at its own game.

We’ll see about that.

But for now, the only thing that matters is that everyone be in a best position as possible to have the Merriest possible Christmas and to have a happy and a healthy New Year.

This week’s details may be seen in the Weekly Performance spreadsheet * or in the PDF file, as well as in the summary below

(Note: Duplicate mention of positions reflects different priced lots):



New Positions Opened:  none

Puts Closed in order to take profits:  none

Calls Rolled over, taking profits, into the next weekly cycle:   none

Calls Rolled over, taking profits, into extended weekly cycle:  MRO

Calls Rolled over, taking profits, into the monthly cycle: DOW

Calls Rolled Over, taking profits, into a future monthly cycle:  none

Calls Rolled Up, taking net profits into same cyclenone

New STO: none

Put contracts expired: none

Put contracts rolled over: CLF

Long term call contracts sold:  none

Calls Assigned:  none

Calls Expired:  none

Puts Assigned:  none

Stock positions Closed to take profits:  none

Stock positions Closed to take losses: none

Calls Closed to Take Profits: none

Ex-dividend Positions   LVS (12/19 $0.72), GDX (12/19 $0.055), DOW (12/23 $0.46)

Ex-dividend Positions Next Week: CY (12/27 $0.11), GPS (12/30 $0.23)

For the coming week the existing positions have lots that still require the sale of contracts:   AGQ, ANF, AZN, BBBY, BBY, CHK, CLF, COH, CSCO,  CY, DOW, FAST, FCX, GDX, GM, GPS, HAL, HFC, HPQ, INTC, IP, JCP, JOY, KMI, KSS, LVS, MCPIQ, MOS, NEM, RIG, WFM, WLTGQ, WY (See “Weekly Performance” spreadsheet or PDF file)



* If you don’t have a program to read or modify spreadsheets, you can download the OpenOffice Suite at no cost.



Week In Review – December 12 – 16, 2016

 

Option to Profit

Week in Review


December 12 – 16, 2016

NEW POSITIONS/STO NEW STO ROLLOVERS CALLS ASSIGNED/PUTS EXPIRED CALLS EXPIRED/PUTS ASSIGNED CLOSED EX-DIVIDEND
0  /   1  0 2 3   /   0 2   /   0 0 2

 

Weekly Up to Date Performance

December 12 – 16, 2016

New Record, new record and more new records.

OK, that wasn’t really the story this week, but after so many new records, it’s quite an achievement just to hold your ground, especially after an FOMC interest rate hike.

There was a single new position opened this week and it was 1.5% higher, while the adjusted and unadjusted S&P 500 were both unchanged for the week.

Unfortunately, due to the weakness in commodities on the week, existing positions under-performed the market on the eek. That was only fair because it was those same positions that have helped the existing positions out-perform the market for most of the year.

There were 2 more closed positions, but that still has the year at only 33, a very paltry number for all of the effort..

Ordinarily I would have said tat this was a great week.

There was one new position, were 2 rollovers, 3 assignments, 2 ex-dividend positions.

Those would have ordinarily allowed me to overlook the 2 expired positions.

Unfortunately, existing positions really did poorly this week as commodities let me down, just as they have carried me through most of the year.

What this week did was to add even more to my cash reserve, which I actually do like, even as we continue to set new closing highs.

As much as I think that we are still going higher, I very much like the idea of having some cash to pick up bargains that I believe are going to come, even as there is every reason to think that markets are going higher.

With some more cash in reserve I don’t mind spending some of it in the coming week, even as we may be at near term highs.

That’s the nice thing about having cash. You can take some risks and still be able to bail yourself out.

With the FOMC now having weighed in, in just a few weeks we are all set to start earnings season all over ag
ain.

This time around, it’s reasonable to think that those earnings are going to be better than expected, but those expectations are probably climbing, too.

Still, I think that the coming quarter is going to give markets a reason to move higher, as may the reality of the President-Elect becoming the President.

With a couple of expiring positions next week and cash on hand, along with one dividend position, there’s really not a compelling reason to add any new positions, but the volatility in commodities, as there is almost no volatility elsewhere, continues to be really hard to pass up.

This week’s details may be seen in the Weekly Performance spreadsheet * or in the PDF file, as well as in the summary below

(Note: Duplicate mention of positions reflects different priced lots):



New Positions Opened:  CLF puts

Puts Closed in order to take profits:  none

Calls Rolled over, taking profits, into the next weekly cycle:   MRO

Calls Rolled over, taking profits, into extended weekly cycle:  none

Calls Rolled over, taking profits, into the monthly cycle: none

Calls Rolled Over, taking profits, into a future monthly cycle:  none

Calls Rolled Up, taking net profits into same cyclenone

New STO: none

Put contracts expired: none

Put contracts rolled over: CLF

Long term call contracts sold:  none

Calls Assigned:  HFC, HPQ, IP

Calls Expired:  AGQ, ANF

Puts Assigned:  none

Stock positions Closed to take profits:  none

Stock positions Closed to take losses: none

Calls Closed to Take Profits: none

Ex-dividend Positions   M (12/13 $0.38), BBBY (12/14 $0.125)

Ex-dividend Positions Next Week: LVS (12/10 $0.72)

For the coming week the existing positions have lots that still require the sale of contracts:   AGQ, ANF, AZN, BBBY, BBY, CHK, CLF, COH, CSCO,  CY, DOW, FAST, FCX, GDX, GM, GPS, HAL, HFC, HPQ, INTC, IP, JCP, JOY, KMI, KSS, LVS, MCPIQ, MOS, NEM, RIG, WFM, WLTGQ, WY (See “Weekly Performance” spreadsheet or PDF file)



* If you don’t have a program to read or modify spreadsheets, you can download the OpenOffice Suite at no cost.



Week In Review – December 5 – 9, 2016

 

Option to Profit

Week in Review


December 5 – 9, 2016

NEW POSITIONS/STO NEW STO ROLLOVERS CALLS ASSIGNED/PUTS EXPIRED CALLS EXPIRED/PUTS ASSIGNED CLOSED EX-DIVIDEND
0  /   0  0 1 1   /   0 0   /   0 0 5

 

Weekly Up to Date Performance

December 5 – 9, 2016

New Record, new record and more new records.

How often can you say that?

That pretty much sums things up, as the S&P 500 was up 3.1%

This week had no new positions opened as I was happy just going along for the ride.

More importantly, while conserving cash from the previous week’s assignments, there was again opportunity to put some idle positions to work with the sale of calls on 3 uncovered positions.

Existing positions did well, but with Friday’s decline in commodity pricing, ended up not being able to keep up.

With one more closed positions this week we did break the 30 mark for the year. Still a paltry number as there are almost 1000 closed positions in the nearly 5 years of recommendations.

This was mostly a week to watch.

I don’t mind doing that and haven’t minded as long as that means things are moving higher.

Despite a bit of lagging this week as commodities saw declines on Friday, I was pretty happy.

That’s because there were 5 ex-dividend positions and I was able to keep alive that DOH trade, without losing the position to assignment.

What i didn’t do, and in hindsight should have, was to have recommended more of those DOH trades to subscribers.

Even though i do post them, I decided that it was just too much to have to juggle several of those at one time.

That would have been the case this week.

While I don’t mind the risk – reward imbalance, it’s definitely not for everyone.

Plus , it also requires being glued to the ticker, especially as trading nears the end of tr
ading for the day.

That’s what happened with a short position I opened late this afternoon and I was prepared to make an offsetting trade heading into the closing bell.

The problem is that doesn’t leave much time for anyone else to follow that lead.

Oh well, it was still a good week and the rally continues.

Next week the FOMC reports and I think there’s even more to come, but I am happy to be squirreling away some cash.

 

This week’s details may be seen in the Weekly Performance spreadsheet * or in the PDF file, as well as in the summary below

(Note: Duplicate mention of positions reflects different priced lots):



New Positions Opened:  none

Puts Closed in order to take profits:  none

Calls Rolled over, taking profits, into the next weekly cycle:   MRO

Calls Rolled over, taking profits, into extended weekly cycle:  none

Calls Rolled over, taking profits, into the monthly cycle: none

Calls Rolled Over, taking profits, into a future monthly cycle:  none

Calls Rolled Up, taking net profits into same cyclenone

New STO: none

Put contracts expired: none

Put contracts rolled over: none

Long term call contracts sold:  none

Calls Assigned:  none

Calls Expired:  none

Puts Assigned:  none

Stock positions Closed to take profits:  none

Stock positions Closed to take losses: none

Calls Closed to Take Profits: none

Ex-dividend Positions    GME (11/29 $0.37), MOS (11/29 $0.275), ANF )11/30 $0.20), BAC (11/30 $0.075)

Ex-dividend Positions Next Week: HPQ (12/12 $0.13), M (12/13 $0.38), BBBY (12/14 $0.125)

For the coming week the existing positions have lots that still require the sale of contracts:   AGQ, ANF, AZN, BBBY, BBY, CHK, CLF, COH, CSCO,  CY, DOW, FAST, FCX, GDX, GM, GPS, HAL, HFC, HPQ, INTC, IP, JCP, JOY, KMI, KSS, LVS, MCPIQ, MOS, NEM, RIG, WFM, WLTGQ, WY (See “Weekly Performance” spreadsheet or PDF file)



* If you don’t have a program to read or modify spreadsheets, you can download the OpenOffice Suite at no cost.



Week In Review – November 21 – 25, 2016

 

Option to Profit

Week in Review


NOVEMBER 21 – 25, 2016

NEW POSITIONS/STO NEW STO ROLLOVERS CALLS ASSIGNED/PUTS EXPIRED CALLS EXPIRED/PUTS ASSIGNED CLOSED EX-DIVIDEND
0  /   0  3 0 0   /   0 0   /   0 0 1

 

Weekly Up to Date Performance

November 21 – 25, 2016

New Record, new record and more new records.

That pretty much sums things up, yet the S&P 500 is up only 8.3%.

Still a good year, but record after record, after record.

This week had no new positions opened as the S&P 500 advanced 1.5%, or about 20% of the year’s gain.

I was, once again, though pretty happy with this week, even though I didn’t open any new positions.

More importantly, while conserving cash from the previous week’s assignments, there was again opportunity to put some idle positions to work with the sale of calls on 3 uncovered positions.

With one ex-dividend position and those 3 call sales there was some generation of income, but there was also the ability to keep up with the advancing market.

Existing positions actually bested the market by 0.1% on the week, adding to their very good performance in 2016.

On paper, anyway, they are well ahead of the 8.3% advance in the S&P 500, but I’m always reluctant to talk about things like that until the profits are booked and not just on paper.

There were no new closed positions this week, so performance of closed positions in 2016 goes unchanged, still sitting with only 27 closed on the year, but still hoping to at least make it to a paltry 30 by the year’s end.

This was another week with  really not too much going on.

If anything, we just got one week closer to the FOMC’s next meeting and increasing certainty that there will be an interest rate increase at that time.

No panic, yet, and it’s looking as if there may not be any panic.

While we do hit these new highs, we’re not doing it in a way as to raise any eyebrows.

That’s exactly the way i
t was in 2007. We just wore higher and higher.

Nothing really spectacular, just hard earned positive days, but without those triple digit moves to make people giddy or nervous.

Because of that, I think that we are still headed even higher, unless something stunning happens in the next month or so.

Anything larger than a 0.25% rate increase, or anything that might question the validity of the Presidential election, could create some angst, but I’m not counting, nor hoping for either.

Next week does have the GDP and then the Employment Situation Report, nut unless they too have some really big surprises, there isn’t even anything any of the FOMC members speaking next week can really do or say to change investor sentiment.

With cash still on hand and with nothing on schedule for expiration next week, I take some solace in having about 4 ex-dividend positions. I wouldn’t mind a little bit of profit taking before considering spending any of that cash, but I’m very unlikely to go chasing the market if it moves higher.

If it does, I’ll just be happy to get some more paper profits and perhaps get a chance to sell some more calls or be in a better position to roll some positions over when the December 2016 option cycle is up for its expiration.

I otherwise expect to remain quiet again next week, but certainly wouldn’t mind another week like this one.

 

This week’s details may be seen in the Weekly Performance spreadsheet * or in the PDF file, as well as in the summary below

(Note: Duplicate mention of positions reflects different priced lots):



New Positions Opened:  none

Puts Closed in order to take profits:  none

Calls Rolled over, taking profits, into the next weekly cycle:   none

Calls Rolled over, taking profits, into extended weekly cycle:  none

Calls Rolled over, taking profits, into the monthly cycle: none

Calls Rolled Over, taking profits, into a future monthly cycle:  none

Calls Rolled Up, taking net profits into same cyclenone

New STO: GMC, INTC, WY

Put contracts expired: none

Put contracts rolled over: none

Long term call contracts sold:  none

Calls Assigned:  none

< p>Calls Expired:  none

Puts Assigned:  none

Stock positions Closed to take profits:  none

Stock positions Closed to take losses: none

Calls Closed to Take Profits: none

Ex-dividend Positions    HFC (11/23 $0.33)

Ex-dividend Positions Next Week: GME (11/29 $0.37), MOS (11/29 $0.275), ANF )11/30 $0.20), BAC (11/30 $0.075)

For the coming week the existing positions have lots that still require the sale of contracts:   AGQ, ANF, AZN, BBBY, BBY, CHK, CLF, COH, CSCO,  CY, DOW, FAST, FCX, GDX, GM, GPS, HAL, HFC, HPQ, INTC, IP, JCP, JOY, KMI, KSS, LVS, MCPIQ, MOS, NEM, RIG, WFM, WLTGQ, WY (See “Weekly Performance” spreadsheet or PDF file)



* If you don’t have a program to read or modify spreadsheets, you can download the OpenOffice Suite at no cost.