er 20: The Sale of a Straddle 303 
aracteristics of a covered call write are the same for the covered straddle write. 
There is limited upside profit potential and potentially large downside risk. 
Readers will remember that the sale of a naked put is equivalent to a covered 
call write. Hence, a covered straddle write can be thought of either as the equivalent 
of a 200-share covered call write, or as the sale of two uncovered puts. In fact, there 
•• some merit to the strategy of selling two puts instead of establishing a covered 
straddle write. Commission costs would be smaller in that case, and so would the ini­
tial investment required (although the introduction of leverage is not always a good 
tlting). 
The maximum profit is attained if XYZ is anywhere above the striking price of 
50 at expiration. The amount of maximum profit in this example is $800: the premi­
um received from selling the straddle, less the 1-point loss on the stock if it is called 
11way at 50. In fact, the maximum profit potential of a covered straddle write is quick­
ly computed using the following formula: 
Maximum profit = Straddle premium + Striking price - Initial stock price 
The break-even point in this example is 46. Note that the covered writing por­
tion of this example buying stock at 51 and selling a call for 5 points - has a break­
even point of 46. The naked put portion of the position has a break-even point of 46 
as well, since the January 50 put was sold for 4 points. Therefore, the combined posi­
tion - the covered straddle write - must have a break-even point of 46. Again, this 
observation is easily defined by an equation: 
B ak . Stock price + Strike price - Straddle premium re -even pnce = 
2 
Table 20-1 and Figure 20-1 compare the covered straddle write to a 100-share cov­
ered call write of the XYZ January 50 at expiration. 
The attraction for the covered call writer to become a covered straddle writer is 
that he may be able to increase his return without substantially altering the parame­
ters of his covered call writing position. Using the prices in Table 20-1, if one had 
decided to establish a covered write by buying XYZ at 51 and selling the January 50 
call at 5 points, he would have a position with its maximum potential return anywhere 
above 50 and with a break-even point of 46. By adding the naked put to his covered 
call position, he does not change the price parameters of his position; he still makes 
his maximum profit anywhere above 50 and he still has a break-even point of 46. 
Therefore, he does not have to change his outlook on the underlying stock in order 
to become a covered straddle writer. 
The investment is increased by the addition of the naked put, as are the poten­
tial dollars of profit if the stock is above 50 and the potential dollars of loss if the stock