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Options Strategy
Covered Calls, Explained
A popular income strategy with a hidden cost: you get paid now, but you sell your upside to do it.
NoVo Options Trading · 2026
A covered call is selling a call option against shares you already own (100 shares per contract). You collect the premium upfront. If the stock stays below the strike at expiration, you keep both your shares and the premium; if it rises above, your shares are called away at the strike.
The trade-off
The premium is income — a small, steady yield on stock you hold. But you've sold your upside above the strike. If the stock rockets, you miss everything above where you sold the call; you keep the premium and the gains up to the strike, and no more. You're trading unlimited upside for a modest, certain payment.
The underestimated risk
Covered calls do not protect your downside meaningfully. If the stock falls hard, the small premium barely cushions the loss on your shares. The payoff profile is "small gains capped, full downside" — which feels safe in calm markets and hurts in a selloff. It's an income strategy, not a hedge.
A covered call pays you to give up your best-case scenario. In a rip, that's an expensive check.
Where it fits
Covered calls suit flat-to-mildly-bullish views on stock you're content to sell at the strike, in calm or rangebound conditions. It's structurally different from directional long-options trading — you're selling volatility and time decay works for you. Understand that you're capping upside and keeping downside before the premium tempts you.
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NoVo is a software tool for market analysis and for executing trades you initiate, not financial advice. This article is general education, not investment advice. Options trading involves substantial risk of loss, up to and including your entire capital. NoVo makes no guarantee of profit, win rate, or performance, and past results do not predict future outcomes. You are responsible for your own broker account, configuration, and trading decisions.