Best stocks for monthly covered calls
Top stocks for monthly covered calls — the lower-effort, more predictable cousin of weekly selling. Recommended tickers for the 30-45 DTE sweet spot.
Monthly covered calls (30-45 DTE) capture the bulk of theta decay with less trade-management overhead than weeklies. The names below have liquid monthly chains, predictable IV regimes, and yield profiles that make 30-day selling worthwhile.
The list
-
30-day SPY CCs at 0.20 delta typically yield 0.8-1.2% per month. Compounded monthly that's 10-15% annualized — the income-seller benchmark.
-
QQQ monthly CCs yield slightly higher than SPY (1.0-1.5% per month) due to tech IV. Still very predictable.
-
Apple monthlies are textbook — predictable IV, generous time premium at 30 DTE. The 'standard' large-cap CC underlying.
-
Microsoft behaves similarly to AAPL — both consistently produce 1-1.5% monthly yield at 0.20 delta.
-
Alphabet monthly chains are deep enough for size. IV slightly higher than AAPL — premium 10-15% richer per month.
-
Schwab Dividend ETF is a covered-call sleeper. Lower IV but solid dividend, so monthly CCs add 0.5-0.8% on top of 3.5% annual dividend.
-
Financial sector ETF — bank rotation cycles make IV interesting. Monthly CCs yield 0.7-1.1% with bank dividends underneath.
-
Vanguard Total Stock Market — the 'set and forget' covered-call underlying. Low IV but low maintenance.
Run the math live
The reasoning above is qualitative. For the quantitative side, click any ticker symbol to see live yields, or use the calculators directly:
- Live opportunities — top yields across the full universe
- Covered call calculator
- Cash-secured put calculator
- Strike screener
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Which is the single best stock from this list?
There's no single answer — it depends on your account size and risk tolerance. For small accounts, focus on the lower-priced names. For larger accounts, the more liquid mega-cap names typically win on consistency. Run the math on each in the linked calculator before committing.
How often is this list updated?
This list reflects analyst judgment as of 2026. The underlying tickers don't change frequently — businesses with deep liquid option chains stay that way. But IV regimes do shift; check the live opportunities dashboard for current premiums.
Where do I see live premiums for these tickers?
Click any ticker symbol to open its per-ticker dashboard with the live option chain ranked by annualized yield. Or use the live opportunities dashboard to compare across all 80+ tracked tickers in real time.