IMO Poor Man's Covered Call: Strike Selection, Premium & Risk
How to sell poor man's covered calls on Imperial Oil Limited — optimal strikes, expected premium, and the risks that actually matter for a large-cap energy name.
Is IMO a good poor man's covered call candidate?
IMO (Imperial Oil Limited) is a large-cap energy name with a mid-range share price and good options liquidity. Implied volatility is moderate — enough premium to make selling options worthwhile, without the heart-stopping price swings you get on speculative names. It also pays a dividend, which adds a second income stream on top of the premium you collect.
Strike selection for a IMO poor man's covered call
For a IMO PMCC, buy a long-dated call with 0.80+ delta (typically 12-18 months out) as your synthetic long, then sell short-dated calls 5-8% above the stock price at 0.20-0.30 delta. The LEAPS tie up roughly 30-50% of the capital of buying 100 shares, which is especially valuable on a mid-range share price ticker like IMO.
Expected premium and income on IMO
Typical monthly premium collected on IMO runs around 1.0-2.0% of capital, which annualizes to roughly 12-24% if you sell new contracts every cycle. Capital required to run a single contract wheel on IMO is $5,000-$20,000 — the share price and the 100-share lot size set the minimum, not the strategy.
Risk management for IMO poor man's covered call trades
PMCC risk is concentrated at the LEAPS expiration: if the stock collapses, the long-dated call can lose significant value quickly. You also have to manage the short call not going deep in the money against you before your LEAPS appreciates equivalently. IMO moves in a moderate-volatility range most of the time, but earnings week and sector rotations can still produce 5%+ single-day prints. Energy names track crude and natural gas prices closely — OPEC headlines and inventory prints drive intraday moves far more than company fundamentals most weeks.
IMO Poor Man's Covered Call FAQ
Can you run a poor man's covered call on IMO?
Yes. Buy a 0.80+ delta LEAPS on IMO dated 12-18 months out as your synthetic long, then sell short-dated calls 5-8% above the stock at 0.20-0.30 delta. Capital tied up drops from $5,000-$20,000 to roughly 30-50% of that — a meaningful improvement when the share price is a mid-range share price.
What expiration should I use for IMO poor man's covered call trades?
Use 30-45 DTE as a default for IMO. This is the classic theta sweet spot and works well on a stable ticker like this.
Is IMO suitable for beginners selling options?
Yes — it's a well-known, liquid name with established options markets, which is what beginners need. Always check the bid/ask spread before entering — anything wider than 5% of the mid price is a warning sign.
Related IMO strategies
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