Basic Training: Alternative Income Strategies: Writing covered straddles vs. covered calls. What are the benefits of writing covered straddle vs. calls? What are the drawbacks? Remember your synthetics: Covered straddle = short two puts. Some additional pros and cons of this strategy. Mail Call: Listeners Take the Mic Comment from Ronald Yuravich: I heard your podcast of the Option Boot Camp episode talking about straddles. I don't like straddles because I would have a gain on one side, but it didn't cover the loss on the other side. I prefer strangles better, but only when vol is high, like in 2008. On September 15 I placed a trade on XOM after I got home from work that would be placed for the opening of the next day. I bought 3 JAN 09 90.00 strike calls and I bought 2 JAN 09 45.00 strike puts. XOM was trading around 65.00 a share at that time. The next morning when the markets had opened, I checked to see if my trades were placed, and they were. I was watching Bloomberg around 11:00 AM and saw that XOM was trading around 58.00 a share. I went online and closed the put side for an 18% gain. Later, when I was at work I received a text message that told me that my call side was in money, so I went online and sold the call side for a 34% gain, altogether I made 42% in less than a day. Ron Question from Theodore Roland - To what do the hosts attribute the rise in popularity of the VXX ETF? How can an ETF based off the implied volatility of the VIX be such a popular product? Do you think retail traders should be using options on this product versus the actual VIX options? Question from Alex K- What is a risk reversal and when should a trader use this strategy?