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system
why would someone want to sell call options?
user
i have an example of a trade i made some time ago.  by entering the position as a covered call, i was out of pocket $5.10, and if the stock traded flat, i.e. closed at the same $7.10 16 months hence, i was up 39% or nearly 30%/yr. as compared to the stock holder, if the stock fell 28%, i'd still break even, vs his loss of 28%. last, if the stock shot up, i'd get 7.50/5.10 or a 47% return, vs the shareholder who would need a price of $10.44 to reflect that return. of course, a huge jump in the shares, say to $15, would benefit the option buyer, and i would have left money on the table. but this didn't happen. the stock was at $8 at expiration, and i got my 47% return. the option buyer got 50 cents for his $2 bet.  note, the $2 option price reflected a very high implied volatility.
assistant