Using LEAPS to run a covered call on an expensive stock
Intermediate trader, comfortable with spreads
$25,000
Generate income from NVDA exposure without buying 100 shares
NVDA is trading at $145. That's $14,500 for 100 shares - 58% of Jenny's portfolio in one position, which is way too concentrated. IV is at 42% - elevated compared to NVDA's 52-week range of 35-65%. High IV means expensive options, but for PMCC that cuts both ways: the LEAPS costs more, but so does the short call premium. NVDA typically moves 2-3% daily, so she needs to be comfortable with volatility.
Jenny can't responsibly allocate $14,500 (58% of portfolio) to one stock, but she can allocate $4,500 (18% of portfolio) to a LEAPS. The PMCC lets her 'rent' 100 shares of NVDA exposure for about 70% less capital, then sell monthly calls against that position for income.
Opens The Greeks Report and selects "PMCC" from the strategy filter
Looks for deep ITM LEAPS with delta > 0.75 for stock-like exposure
Finds NVDA Jan 2027 $110 call (12 months out) for $46.80 with 0.81 delta
The LEAPS has $35.20 intrinsic value ($145.20 - $110) and $11.60 extrinsic (time value) - extrinsic is 25% of cost, under her 35% max threshold
Identifies short call target: March $155 call for $5.40 (0.30 delta, 38 DTE)
Calculates: LEAPS cost $4,680, short call brings in $540, net investment = $4,140 (vs. $14,520 for shares)
Jenny checks her broker - NVDA dropped $1.80 since data refreshed. The $155 call is now $4.85 at 0.28 delta. "Close enough to the 0.30 I wanted," she confirms the trade.
Why this trade: For $4,140 net (17% of portfolio), Jenny gets exposure similar to owning $14,520 of stock. Her LEAPS has 0.81 delta, so for every $1 NVDA moves, her LEAPS moves $0.81. That's 81% of stock ownership for 28% of the capital. The $155 short strike is 7% above current price.
Long: Jan 2027 $110 Call / Short: Mar $155 Call
LEAPS: 12 months / Short Call: 38 DTE
Paid $46.80 for LEAPS, Collected $4.85 for short call
1
$965 if NVDA at $155 at short call expiration
$4,195 (if both expire worthless - requires NVDA below $110 in 12 months)
$151.95 on the short call cycle
$4,195 net ($4,680 - $485)
62%
Position established. Net delta of 0.53 means Jenny profits $53 for every $1 NVDA goes up. Her net theta is +$4.20/day because the short call decays much faster than the 12-month LEAPS.
NVDA rallied $6.80. LEAPS gained $5.50 (0.81 × $6.80), short call lost $2.35. Net gain: $315. The rally slowed her gains because the short call gained value. This is the tradeoff.
NVDA blew past the $155 strike. Jenny's short call is now ITM but theta is crushing it. She could roll up to $165 for next month, but decides to let this play out.
NVDA pulled back below $155. Short call crushed by theta - down to $2.80 from $6.40 entry. LEAPS still healthy at $54.10. Time to close the short call.
Closed short call for $2.20, capturing $265 of $485 premium (55%). LEAPS gained $790 from NVDA's $8.80 rise (0.81 delta × $8.80 × ~110%). Ready for cycle 2.
Day 32
$2.20
+$265 on short call (55% captured), +$790 on LEAPS = +$1,055 total
25% in 32 days (on $4,195 capital)
Why exit here: Jenny closed the short call at 55% profit. She'll sell another April $160 call next week for ~$4.50 to start cycle 2. The LEAPS is her 'synthetic shares' that she'll keep for 6-9 more months before rolling to a new year.
PMCC lets you play expensive stocks with 70-80% less capital - Jenny controls $14,500 of NVDA for $4,195
Your LEAPS is the foundation - pick deep ITM (delta > 0.75) with extrinsic under 35% of the price
Net delta tells you your real exposure: 0.53 means you move $53 per $1 stock move vs. $100 with shares
Theta works FOR you in PMCC - Jenny earned $4.20/day on average from time decay
Roll or close short calls at 50-70% profit to free up the LEAPS for the next cycle
Always verify prices before trading - Jenny's short call premium changed by $0.55 in a few hours