COVERED CALLS
A call option for which the owner of a security grants the buyer of the call option the right to purchase a security owned by the option seller. The opposite of naked calls. In theory, selling covered calls can be a hedging strategy. If investment prices fall, the investor's loss will be offset by the income from the covered call. (When prices fall, the call option is likely to expire unexercised because the call buyer can buy the security on the open market at a lower price.) On the other hand, if prices rise, the seller's gain is limited to the difference between the seller's book value and the option strike price (which in this case is probably less than the market price), but the seller also retains the proceeds of the option sale. For banks, regulatory restrictions as well as practical difficulties may restrict the suitability of covered calls as hedging tools. American Banker Glossary