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The Good Witch

Triple Witching, Illiquid Options & Food for Thought

Happy Friday, folks!

Not much movement in the market today. SPY was down just 0.25%—a pretty uneventful close, especially for a triple witching day. That’s the quarterly expiration where bonds, equities, and index futures all expire at once (March, June, September, December). Usually, that brings volatility… but not this time.

For me, monthly expirations like today are ideal for rolling covered calls and cash-secured puts, especially in stocks without weekly options. It’s when the long-term setups come due, and that creates plenty of opportunity.

Now, when I trade less liquid options, I am often asked: “Doesn’t that wide bid-ask spread hurt you?” Not if you’re strategic. I pick my price and let it come to me. When closing, I usually let it expire—even if that means assignment. Rolling some of these just doesn’t make sense with the added spread costs.

And if I do get assigned? No big deal. I can switch to cash-secured puts, which are synthetically similar to covered calls—just flipped around. If I want to get a little creative, I might even pick a lower strike and aim for some favorable movement.

Just a little options insight to kick off your weekend. See you next week.

#OptionsTrading #CoveredCalls #CashSecuredPuts #TripleWitching #WealthBuildingWithOptions


Options involve risk and are not suitable for all investors. Before trading options, please read Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Option (ODD) which can be obtained from your broker; by emailing investorservices@theocc.com; or from The Options Clearing Corporation, 125 S. Franklin St., Suite 1200, Chicago, IL 60606. The content posted by our authors is intended to be general education and / or general information in nature. We are NOT providing advice for any individual trader. No statement made by our authors or subscribers is intended to be a recommendation or solicitation to buy or sell any security or to provide trading or investment advice. Traders and investors considering options should consult a professional tax advisor as to how taxes may affect the outcome of contemplated options transactions. Futures and forex trading contains substantial risk and is not for every investor. An investor could potentially lose all or more than the initial investment. Risk capital is money that can be lost without jeopardizing one's financial security or lifestyle. Only risk capital should be used for trading and only those with sufficient risk capital should consider trading. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.

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