The first photo listed above was taken in the year 1973 (is the year correct?). Dr. Ng’endo Mwangi, Kenya’s first woman physician. She is the woman on the left. This photograph was taken approximately 12 years after she graduated from Smith College in Massachusetts.
The second photo listed above consists partly of text taken from a letter written by Dr. Ng’endo Mwangi. Letter was written (year unknown) sometime after her 25 year class reunion at Smith College which was held in the year 1986. NOTE: It appears that this remarkable woman passed away sometime in the year 1991.
John Kwame Odongo, Supervisor of Obstetrics, is listed on (including his signature) Barack Obama’s 1961 Coast Province General Hospital (CPGH), Mombasa, British Protectorate of Kenya, certificate of birth.
The inhabitants of Obotopia contend that the name John Kwame Odongo cannot be located in the digitized annals of the Kenya Gazette under the section for The Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act (Cap. 253), and consequenlty, on account of that, he must never have existed in the first place.
James Ang’awa, listed as Attending Doctor on Barack Obama’s 1961 CPGH certificate of birth, can be found several times throughout the digitized annals of the Kenya Gazette under the section for The Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act (Cap. 253). The most recent listing of his name under Cap. 253 dates from the year 1969. He was murdered the following year in 1970.
Before I go any further I want to state here for the record that I don’t believe that data listed in the Kenya Gazette, under the sections for The Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act (Cap. 253), is a comprehensive listing. Furthermore, I’m not convinced that registration, or listing, in the Kenya Gazette, or anywhere, including the government agency where registration took place, was, in practice, really and trully compulsory or that work as a medical practitioner in Kenya was contingent upon such a registration.
For sometime now, more than a year or so, I have suspected that John Kwame Odongo might have changed his name or used various names througout different stages of his life and career. Throughout hundreds of man hours of painstaking research, including field work, I’ve gathered and amased a bundle of compelling and extraordinary data on the life and times of the man that I am condifent is known to many of us Birthers and Obotopians as John Kwame Odongo. NOTE: ‘field work’ is work that Obotopians define as having to pull their man-boobs up off their wine-and-meat bloated bellies and then relinquishing the manning of their computer keyboards followed by disconnect from their matrix-like tether to Wikipedia and Google and lastly followed up by freigtening venture outdoors into the real world where carnal man roams somewhat unrestrained. A frightening place for keyboard-detective-warrior Obotopians.
Throughout my research I’ve found other Kenyan doctors that have changed their names. One very curious case involves Kenya’s first woman doctor, Dr. Ng’endo Mwangi. See the below NOTICE OF CHANGE OF NAME, Kenya Gazette, 3rd day of January, 1967. Page 16:
On the 8th day, or the 23rd, of December 1966, Dr. Florence Gladwell changed her name to Dr. Ng’endo Mwangi.
What so curious about all of this?
a. The name Florence Gladwell is NOT listed in any of the digitized annals of the Kenya Gazette under the section for The Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act (Cap. 253).
b. The name Ngendo Mwangi is ONLY listed in ONE single edition of the digitized annals of the Kenya Gazette under the section for The Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act (Cap. 253). Moreover, its an edition from the year 1979, more than 12 years after she, the doctor, changed her name in Kenya in the year 1966. See the below, 0508 Mwangi, Ngendo, Kenya Gazette, 9th day of March, 1979. Page 298:
The only other quasi-listing for Mwangi Ng’endo in the Kenya Gazette under the section for The Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act (Cap. 253) is given under the subsection titled, REMOVAL OF NAMES FROM REGISTER ON ACCOUNT OF DEATH. See the below, 0508 Mwangi, Ngendo, Kenya Gazette, 1st day of November, 1991. Page 1705:
What else do we know regarding Dr. [Florence] Ng’endo Mwangi’s employment as a medical practitioner in Kenya?
a. She worked at Kenyatta National Hospital, in Nairobi, for several years. See 2nd photo listed at the head of this blog report.
b. She worked at, and created, the Athi River Clinic (a.k.a Athiriver Medical Clinic), some 35 kilometers southeast of Nairobi. See 2nd photo listed at the head of this blog report.
c. She also wanted to create, or perhaps started to create (or perhaps did create), a new clinic named Reto Medical Center. See 2nd photo listed at the head of this blog report.
What’s all this got to do with John Kwame Odongo?
a. It appears that the name John Kwame Odongo is NOT listed in any of the digitized annals of the Kenya Gazette under the section for The Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act (Cap. 253). Neither is the name Florence Gladwell.
b. The name Ngendo Mwangi is ONLY listed in ONE single edition of the digitized annals of the Kenya Gazette under the section for The Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act (Cap. 253). Moreover, its an edition from the year 1979, more than 12 years after she, the doctor, changed her name in Kenya in the year 1966. Where’s the other entries of her name? Can we safely assume that the directory is NOT a comprehensive listing? Are there other doctors that are not listed for the years that they worked as medical practitioners in Kenya? Did the policy/regulation/law apply to doctos that were not citizens of Kenya?
c. It appears that if John Kwame Odongo changed his name (I believe he changed his name a few times or more) that that would not have been atypical for doctors in Kenya as we now have a record from December 1966/1967, of Dr. Florence Gladwell changing her name to Dr. Ng’endo Mwangi.
If you’d like to read a full crate of more data on the captivating life of John Kwame Odongo I welcome and implore you continue reading this blog.
Lucas,
Interesting article! It seems Dr. Ng’endo Mwangi (formerly Dr. Florence Gladwell) was graduating from Smith College in Massachusetts in the same year, 1961, that BHO-II was being born at the CPGH in Mombasa, Kenya.
You make a STRONG CASE that John Kwame Odongo, who is listed along with his signature as Supervisor of Obstetrics on Obama’s August 4, 1961 CPGH-BC:
(1) COULD, quite possibly, have actually changed his name, and/or
(2) COULD, quite possibly, not have even appeared under the same name in the digitized annals of the Kenya Gazette under the section, Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act, even though he did in fact serve in the function designated on the BC.
“It appears that if John Kwame Odongo changed his name (I believe he changed his name a few times or more”
Let me educate you smith.
After Kenya’s independence from Britain in 1963, many Kenyans GOT RID OF THEIR SO CALLED CHRISTIAN BAPTISMAL (colonial)NAMES.
Case in point , President Mwai Kibaki…..formerly Emilio Mwai Kibaki,Professor Ngugi wa Thiongo(UC, IRVINE CA) formerly JAMES Ngugi., Micere Mugo , Koigi Wamwere et al.
So it is no big deal for Ng’endo to get rid of Florence.
Your pathetic desperation to legitimize your own creation of the name John KWAME Odongo is sickening to any Kenyan.
You know KWAME is a West african , (Ghana) name.
Ever heard of KWAME NKRUMA the first president of Ghana? I don’t think so.
@ Jamuhuri:
Uhhhhh……
African Union Kwame Nkrumah Scientific Awards – 2011
Republic of Kenya
Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology
Directorate of Research Management and Development
African Union Kwame Nkrumah Scientific Awards – 2011
http://kenyanjobs.blogspot.com/2011/08/african-union-kwame-nkrumah-scientific.html
THE FOLLOWING IS A REPRODUCTION OF THE POST I MADE, UNDER THE USERNAME, WHIZCODGER, ON JUNE 9, 2010 ON THE ‘FREE REPUBLIC’ FORUM. (I tested the link referenced in the article on 8/13/11 and found that it is still working properly)
Hussein – vs – Kwame. President Barack Obama ‘s Kenyan birth certificate.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010 1:54:37 PM • 41 of 261
WhizCodger to InspectorSmith; Seizethecarp
“The skeptics claimed that no Kenyan would … give there son a name from Ghana. They claimed that tribes in Kenya would never do such a thing.”
“I, Lucas Smith, gave several different explanations that would fit the scenario. IN ABSOLUTELY NO CASE IS THE NAME IMPOSSIBLE.”
I absolutely agree! CONGRATULATIONS ON SOME VERY PERCEPTIVE AND IMPORTANT RESEARCH HELPING AUTHENTICATE THE CPGH BC YOU OBTAINED IN FEBRUARY 2009 FOR BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA!
When I read your original post here on the topic, referencing the unusual Kenyan name “Hussein”, it inspired me to investigate the matter in greater detail. I am pleased to report that I found the following link, which shows use of the name “Kwame” by a man born in Kenya! His name is John Mark Kwame Atinga and a snip from his profile is reproduced below.
http://www.nabuur.com/en/user/intergelorg/profile
John Mark Kwame Atinga
Village / City:
Kisumu (Kajulu), Kenya
My motivation:
“My interest is to share my skills with other Nabuur Neighbours to find solution to some life challenges. Not all these challenges are common and hence vary from one region to the next. Through a common sharing with others solutions are easily found.”
More about myself:
“Occupation: Social Worker Biography: I was brought up in a family of six children (a brother and four sisters) in Siaya District at some historic region called Got Ramogi in Siaya District. The place anchors itself on Lake Victoria Basin- Western Kenya. It was the first settlement site of the Luo Community who are River Lake Nilotes in Kenya from Juba- Southern Sudan. Our family later moved to Kisumu where my father transfered to anew school. He was a teacher but has since retired from public service four years ago. I completed my Primary Education in 1985 and joined a High School. I sat for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education in 1989 and later joined the public service in temporary jobs with Government Research Institutions.”
MY CONCLUSION IS THAT A NAME, SUCH AS THAT OF JOHN KWAME ODONGO, THE CHIEF OF OBSTETRICS LISTED ON THE CPGH BC, COULD CERTAINLY BE POSSESSED BY AN INDIVIDUAL WORKING IN MOMBASA, KENYA.
btw – In case you have not already figured it out, “WhizCodger” (that’s me) is one and the same as “bsteadman1”, who posts regularly on your InspectorSmith forum! I plan on posting the above information regarding John Mark KWAME Atinga very shortly on that forum as well!
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Hi all,
Dr. (F.G.) Ng’endo Mwangi was my mother. Thank you for bringing her back to us.
I hasten to add that I have no opinions on the other questions under discussion here, but I am utterly charmed that you are thinking about my mum. Asanteni sana.
Wambui Mwangi
Oh, also–small correction. I believe the photograph of Ng’endo Mwangi, above, was taken not in 1973, but rather sometime in the late eighties. She was already ill (head-scarf is because of the chemotherapy) and I think she had gone back to Smith for one of her class reunions and also to receive an honorary doctorate that year. Being ill didn’t stop her dreaming, though, right to the very end. She died in 1989, but the RETO clinic had done a lot of good by then. The clinic also had a mobile component. She and a couple of nurses in a four-wheel drive vehicle would go around Kajiado for immunisation drives and etc., a few times a year.
I remember that when I came home for the holidays I would be ‘volunteered’ for clerical duties on these immunisation drives. I, in turn, ‘volunteered’ my friends and we all received a wonderful extra-curricular education in community-building while we were at it. She was very good at practical forms of love.
Thank you again for this memory of her.
WM
To Everyone:
Wambui Wwangi is the daughter of Dr. Ng’endo Mwangi and we are highly honored to have received her comments here.
I did a Google search for “Wambui Mwangi” in quotes, and found a number of important references to her. For example, her picture and a some brief background information (see below) is given under the ‘Aftrican Book Collective’ link! She is a highly educated and influential lady, just like her mother!
“Wambui Mwangi was born in Nairobi and currently lives in Nairobi and Toronto. She attended Loreto Convent Valley Road and St. Mary’s School, Nairobi before graduating from Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts. She has post-graduate degrees from McGill University, Montreal, and the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. She has taught at Vassar College, New York and the University of Toronto. She has a passion for post-colonial theory and Kenyan political history. Her scholarly work, fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry and photography have been published in various journals worldwide. She is the Director of GenerationKenya and a member of Concerned Kenyan Writers.”
btw — I just ordered a copy of Wambui Mwangi’s 2008 book, “Internally Misplaced” from Amazon. It sounds extremely interesting. The following is a brief description:
“In this story, Seth Karanja, Madam’s professional driver, is having an extremely bad day. Tribe has risen against tribe and his niece, Wacera, has fallen pregnant. To do Madam’s bidding, move from place to place and think calmly of a solution to his niece’s pregnancy, Seth has to watch out for the machetes on the street. Wambui Mwangi revisits a Nairobi under siege after the 2007 elections, and presents a day in the life of this character as Kenya burns.”
Extraordinary snapshot history of an extraordinary trailblazer. I hope someone writes her biography one day. These are vital herstories that we didn’t learn in school – and are the poorer for being denied.
@ Wambui Mwangi:
Hello Wambui Mwangi,
Its an honor to have the daughter of Dr. (F.G.) Ng’endo Mwangi show up here on this blog! Thank you for telling us more about your mother´s incredibly facinating life. Thank you also for pointing out the likely erroneous dating (1973) of the photograph. I will go over my notes again and see if I can ascertain the dating of the photograph. For the time being I have added “(is the year correct?)” after the 1973. Text that I add post-publication appears in bold red.
Thank you again for making an appearance on this blog!
@ Shailja Patel:
Thank you for posting your thoughts here. I too hope that someone writes her biography.
To Everyone:
As a follow-up to my November 4th comment, I am now reporting that I finished reading the fictional short story, “Internally Misplaced”, written by Wambui Mwangi. I found her work to be very creative, interesting, insightful and informative.
As only a superbly talented author can do, Ms. Mwangi places the reader in the passenger seat of Madam’s Mercedes, driven by her driver Seth Karanja, and simultaneously in the ‘passenger seat’ of his worried mind. I’m sure many Kenyans in all economic strata experienced similar fears as those expressed by Seth in early 2008.
While driving, Seth’s thoughts range from the mundane to the terrifying as he faithfully performs his assigned, dangerous task, which forces him to drive alone through the streets of Nairobi during a time of great turmoil in Kenya.
The story caused me to do a little Internet research regarding the widespread violence that occurred in Kenya after the 2007 election period. Probably like many others visiting this blog, I was well aware of the Muslim violence against Christians that occurred during this period in Kenya, since this was widely covered in the ‘Birther Press’. However, I did not have an appreciation for the massive extent of the tribe-on-tribe violence that occurred.
The following link, pages 1 through 13, give details regarding some of the extensive post-election violence in Nairobi.
http://www.marsgroupkenya.org/pdfs/2008/10/Waki_Chapters/Chapter_5_Violence_in_Nairobi_central_coast_provinces.pdf
It was in December, 2006 at a hotel in Concord, New Hampshire that Dr. Alan Keyes
and I had our first “birther” talk about Barack Obama. I had finished reading “Dreams
from My Father” several month prior and was interested to know when and how then
United States Senator Barack Obama, was naturalized as a United States Citizen. It was Dr. Keyes that recalled in India he had to deal with the issue of Section 301(g) INA, which covered births between 24 December 1952 through 13 November 1986. Since at the date of birth Obama’s mother was to young to pass on citizenship to her son, because she was only in her 18th year.
I had recalled from my studies of East Africa history that Mombasa Island was under
the sovereignty of the Sultanate of Zanzibar, at the time of Obama’s birth and how easy
it was to get an Hawaiian Birth Certificate, because I meet a person when I was a student at the University of Hawai’i in 1970, that had an Hawaiian Birth Certificate
but was born outside of Hawai’i, viz., she was born on Midway Island in the Pacific
Ocean, but she got an Hawaiian Birth Certificate anyway.
I had the honor to meet Lucas Daniel Smith one time near the Santa Ana Courthouse
in California. I am the current Chairman of the American Independent Party of California.
The events the day of Obama birth on Mombasa Island was most interesting, Stanley
Ann Obama was at the airport trying to take a flight out for a connection flight to London. Yet she went into labor at the airport. A West German national who I met
at SFO in 2008, came to her help until Dr. Ang’awa showed up from the hospital across from the airline terminal and drove her to Mombasa where she gave birth.
Stanley Ann left Mombasa Island by ship with the baby and sail to London Docklands
on the Uganda. From London she flew to Montreal and then Vancouver. She made
no entry at a Port of Entry with the baby Barack Obama on entering the United States
in September, 1961. She moved to Capitol Hill, Seattle and started the extension program at the University of Washington, because she was underage to enter the
regular university. I found this out by spending a full week of research at the University of Washington, Seattle in 2008.
@ Mark Seidenberg:
VERY INTERESTING COMMENT.
Thanks so much for your valuable input!
@ Mark Seidenberg:
Its good to see you here on the blog!
Can you share more regarding your friend who was born on Midway Island in the Pacific
Ocean who was issued a Hawaiian Birth Certificate?
I understand if you can’t comment in public but at, very least, please email me. Thanks!
Again, my sincere thanks to Mark Seidenberg for his valuable input.
I have have long believed that Ann Dunham, after giving birth to BHO-II at the CPGH in Mombasa, flew from London to Vancouver, Canada via BOAC in August 1961, prior to crossing the border and starting extension classes at the University of Washington in Seattle in September. Mr. Seidenberg’s account agrees with this scenario.
However, I had previously assumed that Ann had first traveled by train from Mombasa to Nairobi, Kenya with BHO-II and then flown from there to London and then on to Vancouver. Flying all the way from Nairobi to Vancouver would have been the FASTEST way to get there.
However, I think Mr. Seidenberg’s account of Ann’s trip back to North America makes a lot of sense, although that itinerary would have taken somewhat longer to accomplish. I strongly believe Ann, after leaving Honolulu in the Spring of 1961, arrived in Mombasa by SHIP. It seems natural that she would have left Mombasa by SHIP.
S.S. Uganda, British India Steam Navigation Co. – http://www.merchantnavyofficers.com/KenUg.html
Thus, we know it took about 3 weeks to travel via the S.S. Uganda between Mombasa and London. If Ann left Mombasa via the S.S. Uganda on about August 9, 1961 after giving birth to BHO-II on the 4th, she and her newborn baby could have arrived in London Docklands by about September 1st.
The flight time from London to Vancouver would only have taken about 23 hours:
http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/ba60/ba60-02.jpg
I think Mr. Seidenberg’s account of Ann’s trip from Mombasa back to Seattle in August 1961 has great merit.
There’s no evidence to support Seidenberg’s fantasy, but it must be fun for you to fantasize.
Logical Obama Nativity Timeline, Including Birth in Kenya
I believe the following timeline presents the most logical and correct explanation for all the major events that transpired during the time period surrounding the birth of Barack Hussein Obama II in Kenya:
*Early November 1960: Ann Dunham becomes pregnant while a student at the University of Hawaii. I believe Frank Marshall Davis is BHO-II’s real bio father. http://www.wasobamaborninkenya.com/InspectorSmith/showthread.php/1337-I-think-Frank-Marshall-Davis-revealed-BHO-II-s-REAL-FATHER-with-Obama-s-poem-Pop-!
*February 2, 1961: Ann Dunham, now about 3 months pregnant, and BHO Sr. the claimed bio father, allegedly are married on Maui.
*Sometime in the approximate time period 2/2/1961 (alleged marriage date) and 4/10/1961 (INS memo date): Ann and BHO Sr. attempt to make arrangements with the Salvation Army in Hawaii for the baby to be placed for adoption. ( http://www.wnd.com/2011/11/365749/ ) Apparently, the attempt to place the baby up for adoption in Hawaii was not successful.
*Sometime in the approximate time period, February 1961 to April 1961[/U]: Ann, pregnant and now embarrassingly starting to show it, departs ALONE from Hawaii, via passenger cruise SHIP, ( http://www.lastoceanliners.com/cgi/lolschedule.pl?l=0&p=0&r=EW ) and slowly heads across the ocean toward Kenya, with the intent of giving the baby to the Kenyan relatives of BHO Sr. for adoption. An extended sea voyage by Ann to Kenya, starting in the Spring of 1961, would help explain why there have not been any photos of her, while pregnant in Hawaii, publicly released. ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2329932/replies?c=56 )
*August 4, 1961: BHO-II is born at the CPGH in Mombasa.- http://wasobamaborninkenya.com/1961%20Kenyan%20Birth%20Certificate%20of%20Barack%20Hussein%20Obama%20II,%20Copy.pdf
*Neither BHO Sr nor either one of Ann’s parents are present at the birth. ( http://thedailypen.blogspot.com/2012/03/ins-doc-found-us-certificate-issued-to.html )
*However, Obama’s paternal grandmother, ‘Momma Sarah’ IS present at the birth. ( http://obamareleaseyourrecords.blogspot.com/2010/06/obamas-step-grandmother-momma-sarah-in.html )
*BHO Sr’s relatives choose not to adopt BHO-II so Ann had no choice but to return with him to the USA. It is also possible, but less likely that Ann, feeling very maternal after the birth, decides to forget about any pre-arranged adoption with the relatives and chooses to keep her new baby son. However, there has been some unconfirmed reports that Ann was trying to fly back to the USA from the Nairobi airport but delayed too long and was refused permission to travel by the airline. According to the report, she was then transported to Mombasa by an American Christian Missionary*, ‘Mama Lois’ Anderson, for delivery of the baby. It has also been reported that the birth doctor, Dr. Ang’awa, may even have driven Ann from Nairobi to Mombasa. If it was pre-arranged with BHO Sr’s relatives for them to adopt the child, it is not likely she would have been trying to fly back to the USA prior to the birth of BHO-II!
*August 9, 1961: Ann, BHO-II and possibly the American Christian Missionary *, who may have accompanied them, depart from Mombasa , via the S.S. Uganda, British India Lines, and sail to Docklands, London, arriving there about September 1st. The voyage from Mombasa to London took about 3 weeks. http://www.merchantnavyofficers.com/KenUg.html
*September 2, 1961: They then fly via BOAC from London to Vancouver, Canada. According to INS records, Barack Obama Sr. traveled from Kenya to Hawaii, via New York City in 1959 on BOAC. ( http://www.scribd.com/doc/54015762/Barack-Hussein-Obama-Sr-Immigration-File ) It seems reasonable that he would have recommended that his new wife travel on the same airline to cover the even shorter distance from London to Vancouver on her way to Seattle. BOAC was a major international airline servicing at the time of Obama’s birth as shown in this linked 1960 BOAC World Air Routes Map. ( http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/ba60/ba60-13.jpg )
* September 3, 1961: Ann and BHO-II, possibly still accompanied by the American Christian Missionary*, travel the approximate 141 miles via ground transportation from Vancouver to Seattle, Washington, where Ann starts night school extension courses at the University of Washington for the Fall 1961 Semester ( http://www.wnd.com/2009/09/107889/ ).
———————————————–
*It has been theorized that ‘Mama Lois’ Anderson, the American Christian missionary, was murdered in January 2007 because of her intimate knowledge about the events surrounding the birth of BHO-II in Kenya in August 1961 – http://triblive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/regional/s_491031.html#axzz3OM3Ler57
See also: Traveling in 1961 from Hawaii to Kenya and then back to Seattle was relatively easy!
http://www.wasobamaborninkenya.com/InspectorSmith/showthread.php/1169-Traveling-in-1961-from-Hawaii-to-Kenya-and-then-back-to-Seattle-was-relatively-easy!
@ Bruce:
>>> HEY BRUCE , YOUR POST REGARDING OPTIONS TRADING IS CLOSED , SO I WILL TRY TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOU HERE . SEVERAL TIMES RECENTLY FROM A VERY RELIABLE SOURCE , THE SUGGESTION WAS MADE FOR A VERY SAFE AND SUCCESSFUL METHOD OF PROFIT ~ ” SELL OPTIONS ” . PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT WITH YOUR BROKER AND TELL ME WHAT YOU LEARN , I DESPERATELY NEED TO MAKE SOME PROFIT . THANKS – CARL . <<<
AMERICAN ADVOCATE wrote:
First, I am not a ‘certified financial adviser’ and have absolutely no intention of trying to play one here on the LDS Blog.
That being said, I think dabbling in the options market, either buying or selling, is an exceedingly poor pastime for anyone “desperate” to make some profit.
SELLING options has one inherent, very significant advantage over BUYING options in that the TIME VALUE of the option decreases for the buyer, thus giving an edge to the seller.
With options, a single CONTRACT that one works with involves control over 100 shares of stock. Thus, most people selling options work with LOW PRICED and typically high volatile stocks. For example, selling a single COVERED CALL for a $6 per share stock requires that you own 100 shares ($600) worth of that stock. Selling a single covered call on the relatively low volatile SPY (ETF for the S&P 500), currently selling at about $200 per share, requires that you own 100 shares ($20,000) of SPY.
COVERED CALL options selling involves a ‘bet’ that the stock is going DOWN in price, typically over the next few week. THE NATURAL DIRECTION OF THE MARKET IS UP so with covered call selling one is always fighting the natural trend of the market. Also, the entire reason that one owns the stock is to have it go UP in price over time.
I have done a limited amount of covered call option selling with some low-priced, volatile stocks that I have owned, and have continued to own for many years. I have found that it is a ‘useful’ tool to supplement profits a little on the stock in range-bound or down markets. However, if one doesn’t want to risk losing your 100 shares of stock to the options buyer, one tends to sell slightly ‘out of the money’ options, whose price is quite low. Consequently, the profit potential is also quite low. Of course, if one doesn’t mind loosing the 100 shares of stock to the options buyer, one can RISK making a decent profit by selling a significantly ‘in the money’ option. Still, as a general technique, I wouldn’t call OPTIONS SELLING a “safe and successful method for making a profit”.
Selling CASH COVERED PUT options is a technique that can be used when one ‘bets’ that the market is going up in price. It requires that the seller maintain in the account the amount of cash necessary to buy the option contract back at the strike price, if the contract is exercised by the options buyer. For example, if one sells a $6 strike-price put option on a stock, one must maintain $600 in one’s account to cover the cost of the 100 shares of the underlying stock that the options buyer can ‘put’ to you at the strike price.
@ Bruce:
BRUCE , THANK YOU FOR THE INFO . I WILL TRY TO FIND THE MESSAGE SENT TO ME RE : ” SELL OPTIONS ” AND POST IT HERE . I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT USE THE IDEA YOURSELF TO INCREASE YOUR PROFITS . I HAVE TOO LITTLE MONEY TO INVEST IN ANYTHING EXCEPT THE ” KARATBARS ” GOLD I POSTED HERE TWICE . I THINK IT WAS WILL ROGERS WHO SAID ” THE RETURN ‘OF’ MY CAPITAL IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE RETURN ‘ ON ‘ MY CAPITAL “.