Microsoft Stock Trades Articles Index

Microsoft Stock Symbol – MSFT

Microsoft stock first entered my portfolio in 2000 as the tech bubble burst. Many investors feel that Microsoft stock has gone nowhere in 13 years yet this tech stock has provided double-digit returns for my portfolio annually since 2000. My strategy has been put selling until assigned shares and then covered calls until exercised and then repeat the cycle.

This is the full index of all articles I have written about my Microsoft Stock trades. The purpose of having an index page for Microsoft stock is to assist readers is understanding the trading strategy being employed, its outcome and how it is implemented. Rather than focusing on duplicating my trades, I post my Microsoft Stock trades for investors to consider a variety of strategies and how to possibly change and implement them for their own portfolios. Consider reading How I Treat My Investing Like A Businessto understand how I approach investing.

Microsoft Stock Is Profitable

Microsoft is the world’s largest software maker by revenue and its products are used in everything from operating systems for servers to personal computers, mobile phones, video games, Xbox 360, Zune and productivity Software. While many analysts talk endlessly about Apple, Windows not only dominates in operating systems but with the release of Windows 7 in 2009, Windows now dominates 92% of the entire market share and 80% of enterprise customers. Internet explorer still controls 63% of web browsing. In short Microsoft is huge but to listen to analysts you would think Microsoft is disappearing and in trouble within the computer software industry. The truth is Microsoft stock represents a highly profitable company.

This Microsoft stock articles index is similar to the type of trading journal I keep for all my stocks. A trader’s journal allows me to glance at the Microsoft stock statistics and understand it’s performance, earnings, dividend increases and past trades. It allows me to recall my goal and the strategies I have employed to date. I am then able to reflect on how effective the strategies have been and ways to improve them for even more profit and income with Microsoft Stock.

Microsoft Stock Trading Journal Summary

Trading Journal	Statistics	All Figures In US Dollars					Billions
Select Year To Review Trades	Year	Earnings / Net Income Billions / Billions	Dividend	Payout Ratio	PE	Book	Shares Outstanding	Debt To Capital	Profit Margin
2009 Microsoft Stock Trades	2009	58.44 / 14.57	$.52	26.1x	13.5x	6.95	8.3	16.59%	29.55%
2010 Microsoft Stock Trades	2010	62.48 / 17.68	$.55	25.9x	12.5x	7.01	8.6	17.9%	31.77%
2011 Microsoft Stock Trades	2011	69.94 / 23.15	$.68	25.8x	11.7x	7.65	8.4	17.28%	32.57%
2012 Microsoft Stock Trades	2012	73.72 / 16.97	$.76	32.65%	11.9X	8.35	8.35	16.99%	29.75%
2013 Microsoft Stock Trades	2013	77.85 / 21.86	$.89	35.7%	12.5X	9.48	8.3	16.33%	28.17%

This Microsoft Stock link will take readers to Microsoft Corp’s fast facts for investors.

Microsoft Stock (MSFT Stock) Goal and Strategy Employed

The goal has been to earn profit and income through a strategy of put selling at the money puts and out of the money puts and a handful of stock trades when I feel the stock is undervalued or plunges. In 2008 and 2009 I was often selling in the money puts as the stock fell dramatically in the bear market, which it also did in the bear market of 2000 to 2003. I bought shares in Microsoft stock in March 2009 when the stock fell below $16.00. That marked an undervalued price for Microsoft Stock that I could not believe. I have subsequently sold those shares and continued with my strategy of put selling and if I do end up with stock then selling covered calls to be exercised out of the stock.

Microsoft Stock Profit and Income Articles

Most recent articles are on top. To read select the article title.

Microsoft Stock 2013 Articles

All Trades Down in Microsoft Stock in 2013

This is a spreadsheet style posting of all trades down in 2013 in Microsoft Stock.

Microsoft Stock Breakout and Time For The Put Selling Ladder

Nov 6 2013 – A breakout is a stock is often a cautious period as many times the break out fails. This article looks at a Put Selling ladder for Microsoft Stock to assist in continuing to earn income while protecting capital from possible losses should the break out fail.

Hide and Seek Covered Calls On Microsoft Stock

Oct 25 2013 – How to apply the hide and seek covered calls strategy on Microsoft Stock after the big jump in the stock following their stellar quarterly earnings.

Rescuing In The Money Options with Microsoft Stock

Sep 5 2013 – Microsoft Stock has fallen and left naked puts in the money and at threat of being assigned shares. Here’s a rescue strategy to save the position and keep the trade profitable.

Trade Strategy for Put Selling Microsoft Stock

Sep 3 – Put Selling trade strategy outlines for Microsoft Stock trade.

When A CEO Leaves – Put Selling Strategy

Aug 29 – The announced departure of Steve Ballmer as CEO has the stock jumping. Often when a key person leaves a stock can react one way or the other. Here’s how I handle the departure of a CEO in Microsoft Stock (MSFT)

Peering Into The Future – Microsoft Stock Without Ballmer (MSFT)

Aug 24 – The depature of Steve Ballmer leaves a murky outlook. Here is what I see for my strategies going forward.

Profiting From Microsoft Stock Collapse (MSFT)

July 19 2013 – The collapse of Microsoft Stock provides many opportunities to apply a variety of Put Selling strategies. Here is how I handle a stock collapse like Microsoft Stock.

Selling Covered Calls On Microsoft Stock For Anxious Investors

May 4 2013 – Microsoft Stock has risen over 8.6% in a week and many investors are anxious to be selling covered calls. Here is the strategy I use to determine when to be selling covered calls and when to wait.

Selling Covered Calls For Anxious Investors

May 4 2013 – When a stock rises quickly covered call investors get anxious wondering when is the best time to sell covered calls. This article explores selling covered calls as a stock rises rapidly in value.

Put Selling The Earnings Season

Apr 20 2013 – A lot of investors worry about earnings releases. Here’s how I handle getting ready for earnings season.

Color Coding System For Determining Microsoft Stock Trading Values

Apr 4 2013 – Many stocks trade within ranges that can be set up in a color coded strategy to help determine valuation for Put Selling, stock buying, stock selling and a host of other profit and income strategies.

Advanced Options Repair Strategies For Microsoft Stock

Mar 23 2013 – As its title implies, this article looks at advanced repair strategies for a variety of trades.

Covered Calls Repair Strategies for Microsoft Stock (MSFT)

Feb 7 2013 – This article looks at repair strategies for covered calls trades that have turned unprofitable.

Repair Strategies for MSFT Stock Trades

Jan 24 2013 – This articles looks at Repair Strategies for stock trades in Microsoft Stock.

Understanding Goals When Put Selling MSFT Stock

Jan 8 2013 – To be consistently profitable with Put Selling, you have to understand the importance of goals, how to set them and how to carry them through to profits.

Microsoft Stock 2012 Articles

All Trades Done In Microsoft Stock in 2012

This is all the trades I did in Microsoft Stock in 2012.

Earnings Miss and Put Selling Opportunities

Oct 18 2012 – A look at why pullbacks in a stock can be incredibly profitable if an investor simply understands that stock and its directional trading.

Put Selling Ladder Explained For Microsoft Stock

Nov 18 2012 – The Put Selling ladder remains probably one of the more profitable strategies to use on a stock like Microsoft Stock. This article explains how the Put Selling ladder is adjusted as a stock falls.

Microsoft Stock and Put Selling Continues

Nov 7 2012 – This article looks at the role of the Ultimate Oscillator and Fast Stochastic in determining Put Selling entry levels and whether or not Microsoft Stock puts are at a good level for optimum income potential.

Microsoft Stock and Put Selling To Continue The Put Ladder

Oct 15 2012 – This article looks at the technical tools used to determine the appropriate time to consider continuing with a Put Selling ladder on Microsoft Stock.

Microsoft Stock and Put Selling During A Decline

Oct 12 2012 – Microsoft Stock has seen relentless selling. How do I know that now is the time to do Put Selling. This article discusses some simple steps an investors can follow to learn when to consider Put Selling and when to pull back.

Microsoft Stock Question On Buying Puts Options VS Put Selling

June 19 2012 – A reader asks wouldn’t it be better to just buy put options on Microsoft stock when it appears a decline is underway rather than sell put options.

Microsoft Stock Jumps 3.8% Leaving My Put Selling On Hold

June 19 2012 – My put selling strategy on Microsoft stock had to be put on hold as the stock rose rather than fell on the news of the Tablet called Surface being unveiled. Here are the reasons why put selling is a great strategy even when my stock direction outlook ends up being wrong.

Microsoft Stock Poised To Head Lower After Tablet Announcement

June 18 2012: Microsoft announced a new tablet to compete with the iPad. I sold a handful of naked puts on today’s weakness but I am expecting the stock to fall back to support over the next couple of weeks. In this article you can see how I pick my support levels to sell puts against. By selecting to sell just 5 Microsoft Stock naked puts, I have left a lot of capital free to selling larger quantities for better premiums for when Microsoft stock falls further.

Microsoft Stock And Using The Fast Stochastic

May 2 2012 – In this article I explain how my latest trade was developed around the Fast Stochastic technical indicator and how it can be used by investors for put selling and covered calls.

Microsoft Stock And Profiting From MACD

April 13 2012 – While Day Trading for many investors seems to be a losing strategy, I have never had much trouble day trading or swing trading my favorite stocks. Using the market timing technical tool MACD and in particular the weekly MACD Histogram, provides me with a very strong analysis of when to buy a stock on weakness and sell it into strength. I often use the MACD Histogram strategy for one or two day trades when my favorite stocks pull back or are under stress. I then watch for when the histogram shows a bounce is about to occur and step in for a quick profitable trade. This article discusses how I apply the weekly MACD Histogram and daily Histogram to assist in adding profit and income to my portfolio.

Microsoft Stock Looking For Support

April 11 2012 – In this article I explain how I apply the same market timing technical tools that I use to determine market direction, against a stock like MSFT. I present a number of charts including a chart showing how some investors prefer to trade a stock’s range throughout the year rather than commit capital to put selling every month. It’s an interesting read and short enough to take only a few minutes, but the trading of stock through the range a stock is in might be of interest to investors.

Microsoft Stock Weakness Gives Put Selling Opportunity

April 3 2012 – Microsoft stock is experiencing weakness at this stage of the rally in the stock which is presenting very good put selling opportunities. The strategy at this stage is to begin selling small quantities of put contracts on the stock. For example today I sold 5 put contracts. In this article I explain the merits of building a put selling position in a stock such as Microsoft.

Microsoft Stock and Covered Calls

March 28 2012 – On March 23 I sold the May $33 covered call strike for Microsoft Stock in my retirement account. I did this because the stock has had a spectacular run-up and while I do believe there is more upside left in Microsoft Stock I do not believe it will happen overnight. This article discusses the reasons behind selling covered calls and the steps I normally take to determine the strike price I select and the timing behind the actual trade. This article is in response to reader’s questions.

Microsoft Stock And Put Selling A Rising Stock

March 27 2012 – For more than 10 years investors and analysts alike have complained that Microsoft Stock is a go nowhere stock. This is such a shame as investors need to learn how to apply profit and income oriented strategies against Microsoft Stock. Since it entered my portfolio in 2000, Microsoft Stock has generated double-digit returns annually, but to do this I have applied a variety of money-making strategies. This article discusses the put selling strategy I use when a stock begins a rise out of its normal trading pattern such as Microsoft stock is now doing as it rises above the usually trading range and moves higher.

Microsoft Stock and Hedging With Covered Calls

March 23 2012 – Many investors and analysts believe that covered calls limit the return an investor can make once that covered call is sold. This is based on the belief that once the stock moves higher above the covered call strike price sold, the investor has locked in his profit and cannot participate in any further rise in the stock. Nothing could be farther from the truth. To apply covered calls properly to a trade an investor needs to learn how and when to place covered calls. This article looks at my Microsoft stock and the covered calls I did today to explain the strategy behind covered calls.

Microsoft Stock Put Selling History Lessons Part 1

March 10 2012 – Last year Microsoft Stock again turned in double-digit returns for my USA Stock Portfolio. Since 2000 when I started put selling and using covered calls with Microsoft Stock I have tripled my profit and income with Microsoft Stock. This article looks at the role historical charting plays in deciding what put strikes to sell and what to expect from Microsoft Stock in the future by looking to the past.

Microsoft Stock Put Selling With The Bank’s Money – Margin

Feb 14 2012 – In this article I explain how I use margin or basically borrowed money to apply to my put selling trades in Microsoft stock to increase the monthly returns. While many investors worry about using margin too liberally, the strategy I have used increases my profit and income in Microsoft stock while protecting from actually having to call upon margin to pay for the shares if assigned.

Microsoft Stock 2011 Articles

All Trades Done In Microsoft Stock in 2011

These are all the trades I did in Microsoft Stock in 2011.

Microsoft Stock – Selling Puts By Design

Sept 8 2011 – Many people think that put selling is simply a matter of looking at the price of the underlying stock and then selling puts possibly slightly out of the money or at the money. Usually investors determine their put strike by the amount of put option premium they can earn. This is not how I successfully and consistently sell naked puts on any of my stocks including Microsoft Stock. In this article I explain the steps I take to determine proper put strike prices to earn profit and income while protecting my capital from assignment or loss.

Microsoft Stock Is Better Than Gold

April 6 2011 – In this article I explain how Microsoft Stock returned to my US Portfolio 33% annualized each year for the past 8 years, making it a better investment than gold. None of the figures in this article take into account inflation. The price of gold in April 2003 was around $325 US an ounce. Today (April 6 2011) it is around $1455.00 – This is a 347% return but annualized this is a 20% gain while Microsoft Stock has beaten a return in gold during a period when analysts and investors have shunned Microsoft Stock and considered it as non-performing.

Microsoft Stock The Ultimate Utility Stock

April 2 2011 – In April 2003 I could have bought Microsoft stock at $24.50. This article looks at how an investment in Microsoft stock through put selling since April 2003 would have returned an incredible profit and income gain making Microsoft Stock the Ultimate Utility Stock. Despite the fact that Microsoft Stock basically went nowhere between April 2003 and April 2011, the returns from put selling have been incredible. Many investors fail to understand that Microsoft Stock is more a utility stock than a tech stock and as such it is providing decent returns annually through a steady strategy of put selling.