Best Stocks To Sell Put Options Next Week

Next week (February 3–9, 2026) is marked by one major economic report: Nonfarm Payroll on Friday, February 6. That single data point will shape market volatility and opportunity for the entire week.

Here's how to navigate it and where the premiums will be.

The Economic Setup for Next Week

Big event: Nonfarm Payroll (NFP), first Friday of the month

• When: Friday, February 6, 8:30 AM EST
• Why it matters: Markets are extremely sensitive to employment data. Beat = rate cut hopes fade = stock rally. Miss = recession fears = stock decline

Secondary events:

• Monday: ISM Services (Feb 3) — confirms economic strength
• Throughout: Earnings continue (some mid-cap companies)

Impact on volatility:

• Monday–Thursday: Moderate IV; traders positioning ahead of Friday data
• Thursday night: IV will spike 10–20% as traders hedge before Friday open
• Friday: Wild open, VIX potentially hits 18–20 during the report, settles by afternoon

Strategy: Position Ahead of Friday Volatility

There are three ways to play this:

Option A: Conservative (Close By Thursday)

Sell puts Monday–Wednesday, close by Thursday before Friday's volatility spike.

Best for: Risk-averse traders, beginners Return: 50–70% of maximum profit (close early, avoid gamma risk) Stocks: Mega-caps (SPY, AAPL, MSFT), defensive utilities

Why it works: You capture 3 days of theta without the Friday overnight gap risk.

Option B: Moderate (Hold Through Friday, Ride It Out)

Sell puts early in the week, hold through Friday's report. This is the traditional 45-day wheel. Assume it goes one way or another; you're prepared.

Best for: Confident traders with adequate capital Return: Full 45-day theta (but with Friday volatility surprise) Stocks: Same mega-caps, but higher conviction (you'd own them even if assigned Friday)

Why it works: If you chose quality stocks, a single bad jobs report shouldn't destroy your thesis. Companies like JPM, AAPL, MSFT are affected by broad market moves but have strong fundamentals.

Option C: Aggressive (Fast Churn)

Sell puts Wednesday/Thursday knowing Friday will spike IV and crush your position if assigned. Close early for 50%+ profit.

Best for: Experienced, nimble traders Return: High %/day (but more stress) Stocks: High IV names that you'd be happy to own at your strike

Which option are you? Pick your risk tolerance. This guide will show all three approaches.

Best Candidates for Next Week

Tier 1: Big Enough to Ignore Friday

These stocks are massive and diversified enough that one jobs report doesn't swing them sharply.

SPY (S&P 500 ETF)

• 45 DTE put ($605 strike): Estimate $2.00 premium
• This week setup: Sell Monday morning, close for 40% profit Thursday afternoon
• Rationale: Diversified across 500 companies. Single employment data doesn't crater the whole index. SAFE
• Assignment risk: Very low (< 10% for $605 strike)
• Execution: Conservative play. Repeat every week if you want reliable income.

QQQ (Nasdaq-100 ETF)

• 45 DTE put ($495 strike): Estimate $2.50 premium
• This week setup: Can either close Thursday or hold through Friday (tech is less sensitive to employment than finance)
• Rationale: Tech mega-caps (NVDA, AAPL, MSFT, etc.) earn global revenue. U.S. jobs data has modest impact
• Assignment risk: Moderate (15–20% for $495 strike)
• Execution: Slightly riskier than SPY but still reasonable. Hold through Friday if confident.

AAPL (Apple)

• 45 DTE put ($235 strike): Estimate $2.10 premium
• This week setup: Sell Monday, close Thursday (play it safe)
• Rationale: No earnings coming. Consumer discretionary is weak during weak employment, but AAPL's installed base is sticky
• Assignment risk: Low-moderate (12–18% for $235 strike)
• Execution: Best for moderate traders. Close by Thursday unless you're very bullish.

Tier 2: Defensive Positions (Own If Assigned)

If employment misses and market sells off, safety assets like utilities, staples, and dividend payers rally. These are safer to hold through Friday:

Verizon (VZ)

• 45 DTE put ($42 strike): Estimate $0.85 premium
• This week setup: Hold through Friday if assigned (dividend support at $42)
• Rationale: Telecom behemoth. Employment data barely moves the needle. Dividend is 6.2%.
• Assignment risk: Moderate (22–28% for $42 strike)
• Execution: Good wheel candidate. If assigned, immediately sell covered calls at $44–$45. Dividend pays while you wait.

JNJ (Johnson & Johnson)

• 45 DTE put ($155 strike): Estimate $1.10 premium
• This week setup: Hold through Friday; this is stable (healthcare buys in downturns)
• Rationale: Defensive healthcare. Bad employment data = defensive rally = JNJ rises or stays flat
• Assignment risk: Low (15–20% for $155 strike)
• Execution: Excellent for moderate to aggressive traders. If assigned, own JNJ long-term (dividend: 2.8%)

KO (Coca-Cola)

• 45 DTE put ($67 strike): Estimate $0.75 premium
• This week setup: Hold through Friday (consumer staples are recession-hedged)
• Rationale: People buy Coke in good times and bad. Employment data = limited impact
• Assignment risk: Low (12–16% for $67 strike)
• Execution: Safest dividend play. 3.1% yield if assigned. Great for compounding.

Tier 3: Higher Premium but Higher Risk

These pay more premium but carry more Friday volatility risk. Choose based on conviction:

NVDA (Nvidia)

• 45 DTE put ($130 strike): Estimate $1.80 premium
• This week setup: Close 70% profit Thursday, OR hold if AI thesis is strong
• Rationale: Semiconductor cycle; employment data doesn't drive chip demand directly. But if macro sentiment shifts, NVDA can drop 3–5%
• Assignment risk: Moderate-high (20–28% for $130 strike)
• Execution: For aggressive traders. Big premium but high gamma Friday.

JPM (JPMorgan Chase)

• 45 DTE put ($210 strike): Estimate $1.30 premium
• This week setup: Watch this closely Friday. Banking stocks are sensitive to rate outlook, which ties to employment data
• Rationale: If jobs miss → Fed cuts → rates fall → bank margins compress. Close to break-even. If jobs beat → rates stay high → banks profit
• Assignment risk: Moderate-high (24–30% for $210 strike)
• Execution: For experienced traders. Understand the rate dynamic. Close Thursday if not confident.

The Weekly Action Plan (Based on Your Risk Profile)

Conservative Route (Best for Beginners)

Monday (Feb 3):

• Sell puts on SPY ($605) and AAPL ($235)
• Collect ~$4.10 premium
• Set calendar alert: Thursday, 2 PM

Wednesday night:

• Check: Are you at 40%+ profit?
• If yes: Place closing orders Thursday morning

Thursday (Feb 5), 2 PM:

• Close both positions for 40–50% profit
• Pocket $1.64–$2.05 profit (out of $4.10 collected)
• Capital freed up; ready for next week's play

Friday: Sit on sidelines. Watch NFP report. Observe volatility. No new trades.

Profit on $29,500 capital deployed: ~$1.84 = 0.06% for 2 days = about 11% annualized (very safe)

Moderate Route (Best for Intermediate Traders)

Monday (Feb 3):

• Sell SPY ($605), JNJ ($155), AAPL ($235)
• Collect ~$5.20 premium
• Diversified: index + defensive + growth

Wednesday:

• Check profit on each. If SPY is at 40%, close it (lock in profit early)
• Hold JNJ and AAPL through Friday (own these long-term, would be happy if assigned)

Friday (Feb 6):

• NFP comes in at 8:30 AM
• If beat (strong jobs): Market rallies, puts likely expire worthless, you keep all premium
• If miss (weak jobs): Market sells, JNJ and AAPL might be assigned. You own solid companies (planned outcome)

Profit on $43,000 capital deployed: ~$3.50–$5.20 = 8.1–12% annualized

Aggressive Route (Experienced Traders Only)

Monday (Feb 3):

• Sell SPY, NVDA, JPM
• Collect ~$5.10 premium
• These have higher premium but higher gamma Friday

Wednesday:

• Reassess. NVDA or JPM showing profit? Close 70% for quick win

Thursday night:

• Close remaining positions if Friday is looming large and you're nervous
• Or: hold 1–2 if very confident (understand rate dynamics, earnings risk, etc.)

Friday (Feb 6):

• Hold and observe, or close in the first 15 minutes post-NFP
• High stress, potentially high reward

Profit: 1–2% per day if executing well, but requires active monitoring

The Economic Scenario Analysis

If Nonfarm Payroll Beats (Jobs > 200k Added)

Market reaction: Stock rally (good jobs = strong economy, Fed might hold rates longer)

• SPY: Up 1–2%, your puts expire worthless, premium pocketed
• JNJ/KO: Flat to slightly up, puts expire worthless
• NVDA/JPM: Up 2–3%, puts expire worthless, you look brilliant

Best outcome: All puts expire worthless. You reset next week.

Worst outcome: None, if you diversified.

If Nonfarm Payroll Misses (Jobs < 100k Added)

Market reaction: Stock decline, rate cut expectations rise (good for bonds, bad for stocks)

• SPY: Down 1–2%, you might be assigned (but you predicted buying at $605, so it's fine)
• JNJ/KO: Up or flat (defensive rally), puts expire worthless
• NVDA/JPM: Down 2–4%, higher chance of assignment

Best outcome: You own JPM and NVDA at prices you wanted, ready to wheel them with calls

Worst outcome: You own assets you prefer given the lower trajectory, then sell calls for income

Managing The Friday Surprise

What to do if employment data is worse than expected and market gaps down 3%:

1. Check your individual positions (pre-market, before open)

   • SPY at $595 (vs. your $605 put)? Likely assigned
   • AAPL at $240+ (vs. your $235 put)? Likely safe
   • NVDA at $125 (vs. your $130 put)? Maybe assigned

2. Decide immediately:

   • "Would I be happy owning this now?" If yes → Let assignment happen (planned outcome)
   • "I'm glad I sold this put; now I'll sell calls." If yes → Execute covered call sale Monday morning
   • "This is worse than I thought." If so → Buy back the put at a loss, reassess

3. Take a deep breath

   • One bad employment report doesn't change long-term trends
   • Your fundamental filters (profitable companies, good valuations, you'd own them) still apply
   • You can sell calls against assigned shares the same week

Sizing for Next Week

If you have $50,000 total capital:

• SPY position: $12,100 (2 contracts)
• JNJ position: $15,500 (1 contract)
• AAPL position: $23,500 (1 contract)

Total deployed: $51,100 (slightly overleveraged, but reasonable) Premium collected: ~$5.95 Expected return if all expire: 11.6% annualized

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The Boring Truth About Employment Reports

Employment reports are important. They matter. Markets react.

But here's the question: Do any of the stocks you're selling puts on fundamentally change based on one Friday report?

Answer: No, not really.

• Apple still has 2 billion installed users, still makes iPhones
• JPM still has $4 trillion in assets, still has a fortress balance sheet
• JNJ still has a pipeline of products
• KO still sells Coke in 200 countries

A bad jobs report might mean a 2–3% decline. Then next Friday brings different data. By March, we forget about February 6.

Your edge: You sell puts on quality companies. Employment reports cause temporary volatility. You collect premium from that volatility. Volatility subsides. You repeat.

The traders who panic and close winners early, or who avoid putting sell puttd on quality stocks due to fear, lose this edge.

You don't. You execute with discipline.

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Calendar: Next Week (Feb 3-9, 2026)

Day	Event	Time	Impact
Monday 2/3	ISM Services	10 AM EST	Moderate (confirms economy)
Tuesday 2/4	(None)	—	Normal trading
Wednesday 2/5	(None)	—	Normal trading; position check
Thursday 2/6	Jobless Claims	8:30 AM	Moderate
Friday 2/7	Nonfarm Payroll	8:30 AM	MAJOR

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Next Week's Execution Checklist

• I've chosen my risk profile (conservative / moderate / aggressive)
• I have enough capital for assignment on my chosen strikes
• I've checked earnings dates (none coming for my stocks next week)
• My bid-ask spreads are tight (< $0.10 per contract)
• I understand that employment reports don't change the long-term thesis on my stocks
• I've mentally prepared for Friday volatility (might see a 2–3% swing)
• I've set calendar alerts (Thursday, Friday morning, exit times)
• I'm OK with being assigned (I would own these stocks at these prices)

If all boxes are checked, execute Monday morning.

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The Week After

After next week passes (whether all expire or some assignments happen), the following week looks normal. No major data until mid-month.

That's when you reset and repeat: find the best stocks to sell puts on that week, rinse and repeat.

That's the game. Every week is slightly different. Every week has the same playbook.

Execute next week. See what happens. Adjust. Repeat.