Comparison of Poor Man's to #coveredcalls (1st in a Series)

https://www.1trade.pro/comparison-of-poor-mans-to-regular-coveredcalls-part-3-in-a-series

Comparison of PMCCs to Traditional Covered Calls

Both Poor Man's Covered Calls (PMCCs) and traditional covered calls are options strategies that aim to generate income and profit from an underlying stock while limiting potential losses. However, they differ in their capital requirements, risk profiles, and profit potential.

Capital Requirements

PMCCs require significantly less upfront capital compared to traditional covered calls. In a traditional covered call, the investor must purchase 100 shares of the underlying stock, which can be expensive for certain stocks. PMCCs, on the other hand, replace the long stock position with a long-dated, in-the-money (ITM) call option, which is typically less expensive than 100 shares of the stock.

Risk Profiles

Traditional covered calls offer limited downside risk, as the investor's potential loss is capped at the difference between the purchase price of the stock and the strike price of the short call option. However, PMCCs have a slightly different risk profile. The investor's potential loss in a PMCC is limited to the premium paid for the long call option. While this downside protection is still significant, it is slightly higher than in a traditional covered call.

Profit Potential

The profit potential of PMCCs is also different from that of traditional covered calls. In a traditional covered call, the investor can profit from both the premium income from the short call option and any potential appreciation of the underlying stock. However, PMCCs are limited in their ability to benefit from stock price gains. This is because the long ITM call option acts as a substitute for owning the stock, and it already captures a portion of the stock's intrinsic value.

Overall, PMCCs offer a more capital-efficient alternative to traditional covered calls, but they also have a slightly higher downside risk profile and a more limited profit potential. The choice between the two strategies will depend on the investor's individual risk tolerance and investment goals.