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What Is a Covered Call?
The covered call is the gateway options strategy for stock investors — get paid to be willing to sell your shares higher.
NoVo Options Trading · 2026
A covered call is selling a call against stock you already own — collecting premium income in exchange for capping your upside. It’s a popular, relatively conservative income strategy (unlike a naked call).
How it works
You own 100 shares and sell a call above the current price. You collect the premium immediately. If the stock stays below the strike, the call expires worthless and you keep the premium (and your shares). If it rises above, your shares get called away at the strike — you sell at a profit plus the premium, but miss further upside. It’s “covered” because your shares back the call.
Why it's popular
Covered calls generate recurring income on stock you already hold, and they’re lower-risk than naked selling (the shares cover the obligation, so no unlimited risk). The tradeoff: your upside is capped at the strike. It suits investors wanting income and willing to sell their shares higher — a very different game from 0DTE scalping.
A covered call gets you paid to cap your upside: keep the premium if the stock stays put, sell higher (plus premium) if it rallies. Income for a ceiling.
The takeaway
A covered call is income on owned stock, with capped upside and defined risk (the shares cover it). It’s a conservative, long-term-investor strategy — not intraday scalping. Its cousin is the cash-secured put. NoVo trades directional 0DTE options, a different discipline entirely.
More on this: The Poor Man's Covered Call (PMCC), Explained
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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.