Best Stocks To Sell Put Options This Week

This week (January 31–February 6, 2026) presents solid conditions for put sellers: volatility is moderate, no major economic data is due until Thursday, and earnings season is winding down. Here are your three best opportunities.

Market Setup This Week

Macro context:

• Fed is on hold (next meeting mid-March)
• VIX is at 15.8 (calm, suitable for selling)
• IV Rank across major indices: 42–48% (neutral—not rich, but adequate)
• No significant economic reports until Thursday (Jobless Claims, ISM Services)

What this means:

• Good: Low gap risk; theta decays steadily
• Watch: Thursday data could shift sentiment; close or monitor positions closely

Opportunity #1: SPY – The Safe Bet

Stock: SPY (S&P 500 Tracking ETF)

• Current price: $614
• IV Rank: 44%
• 45 DTE expiration: March 21, 2026
• Recommended strike: $605
• Estimated premium: $2.00 per share ($200 per contract)
• Delta: 0.21 (21% probability of assignment)
• Bid-ask spread: $0.01 (extremely tight)
• Open interest: 50,000+ contracts (extremely liquid)

Why sell puts on SPY this week:

1. Broadest diversification: You're not betting on one company; you're selling puts on the entire S&P 500
2. Exceptional liquidity: Tightest bid-ask spreads in options markets; perfect for entry and exit
3. Theta advantage: Every day that passes, your position profits $0.04–$0.05 per share (time decay)
4. Earnings neutral: No single stock earnings can gap you; diversification protects
5. Repeatable: You can run this trade every 45 days indefinitely

Execution:

• Action: Sell to Open
• SPY 45 DTE $605 Put
• Limit price: $1.98 (slightly below the mid-price to ensure fill)
• Quantity: 1–2 contracts (depending on your capital)
• Capital required: $6,050 per contract (or about 60% on margin if your broker allows)

What to expect:

• Next Friday: Check if premium has decayed to ~$1.20 (you've made 40% profit; consider taking it)
• Mid-cycle (23 DTE): Premium is ~$0.40–$0.60 (profit maximized; decide: hold or close)
• Expiration (0 DTE): Stock < $605? Assigned (you own 100 SPY shares at $605). Stock > $605? Expires worthless (premium pocketed)

Pros: Safest put-selling opportunity this week Cons: Lower premium (only 0.33% per 45 days); returns are modest but consistent

Opportunity #2: JPMorgan (JPM) – The Dividend Trade

Stock: JPM (JPMorgan Chase Bank)

• Current price: $218
• IV Rank: 36%
• 45 DTE expiration: March 21, 2026
• Recommended strike: $210
• Estimated premium: $1.30 per share ($130 per contract)
• Delta: 0.26 (26% probability of assignment)
• Dividend yield: 2.8% (~$0.77 per share if assigned)
• Bid-Ask spread: $0.03 (tight)
• Open interest: 15,000+ contracts (liquid)

Why sell puts on JPM this week:

1. Banking sector strength: Fed on hold, which benefits banks (net interest margins remain stable)
2. Earnings just passed: No surprises for 3+ months; clearer visibility
3. Dividend cushion: If assigned, the dividends you collect while holding are bonus income
4. Valuation: Trading near historical valuations; no extreme froth
5. Call follow-up: If assigned, you'll immediately sell covered calls at $222–$225, creating a wheel

Execution:

• Action: Sell to Open
• JPM 45 DTE $210 Put
• Limit price: $1.28 (slightly under mid-price)
• Quantity: 1 contract
• Capital required: $21,000

What to expect:

• If it expires worthless: You pocket $130 profit and repeat next month
• If you're assigned: You own 100 JPM shares at $210. Immediate action: sell calls at $215–$220 strike (collect another $0.80–$1.20 premium). Over the next 30–45 days, you'll collect dividends (~$19.25) while waiting to either get called away or repeat the call sale.

Three-month wheel example (if assigned):

• Sell puts, collect $130 premium
• Get assigned at $210
• Sell covered calls, collect ~$100 premium on $215 strike
• Get called away at $215 (or hold and collect dividends)
• Total profit: $130 + $100 + $19.25 (dividends) = $249.25 (1.16% gain in 90 days)

Pros: High dividend yield; natural hedge against moderate downside; good precursor to a wheel Cons: Slightly lower IV than we'd like; moderate premium; assignment likely

Opportunity #3: Apple (AAPL) – The Volume Play

Stock: AAPL (Apple)

• Current price: $251
• IV Rank: 38%
• 45 DTE expiration: March 21, 2026
• Recommended strike: $235
• Estimated premium: $2.10 per share ($210 per contract)
• Delta: 0.20 (20% probability of assignment)
• Bid-Ask spread: $0.02 (extremely tight)
• Open interest: 80,000+ contracts (highest among individual stock puts)

Why sell puts on AAPL this week:

1. Earnings just passed: No earnings surprises for 3+ months; low event risk
2. Stable business: iPhone installed base of >2 billion; recurring revenue model
3. Valuation plateau: Stock has consolidated post-earnings; probability-weighted to trade sideways
4. Premium relative to risk: $210 strike implies needing a 16-point drop for assignment—very safe
5. Liquidity: Tightest spreads, deepest option chain; perfect for entry/exit

Execution:

• Action: Sell to Open
• AAPL 45 DTE $235 Put
• Limit price: $2.08 (slightly under mid-price)
• Quantity: 1 contract
• Capital required: $23,500

What to expect:

• By next Friday (Day 8): Premium decays to ~$1.40 (33% profit available)
• By Week 3 (24 DTE): Premium is ~$0.35–$0.50 (83% profit available; theta acceleration kicks in)
• At expiration (0 DTE): Expires worthless or AAPL < $235 (unlikely)

Pros: Large absolute premium; historical stability; high probability of expiring worthless Cons: Low IV (38%); won't get rich on a single trade; requires discipline to avoid closing too early

The Weekly Execution Plan: Your Checklist

Monday (Feb 3):

• Open your broker's platform during market hours (9:30 AM–4 PM EST)
• Pull up the option chains for SPY, JPM, AAPL
• Verify bid-ask spreads are tight (< $0.05 for SPY, < $0.03 for JPM/AAPL)
• Enter your limit orders for all three (or whichever you choose)

Expected order fill rate: 70–90% will fill same-day, especially if entered in first hour

Thursday (Feb 6):

• IMPORTANT: Jobless Claims data at 8:30 AM EST
• If market falls hard (VIX spikes), your puts might gain value. Don't panic. You're collecting theta daily.
• If market rallies, your puts decay faster. Bonus theta profits.
• Either way, your positions are solid.

Friday (Feb 7):

• Review your positions. If SPY or AAPL have made 40%+ profit, consider taking them off (frees capital)
• If JPM is near assignment, prepare to sell covered calls Monday morning if assigned
• Set calendar alerts for middle of February (23 DTE for all positions—decision point)

Capital Allocation: How to Size

If you have $50,000 liquid capital:

• Allocate $25,000 to SPY (multiple contracts) — safest
• Allocate $21,000 to JPM (1 contract) — dividend cushion
• Keep $4,000 reserved for rolling or fresh opportunities

If you have $25,000 liquid capital:

• Allocate $12,000 to SPY (2 contracts)
• Allocate $10,000 to JPM (but wait until next week, or sell at higher strike)
• Keep $3,000 reserved

If you have $10,000 liquid capital:

• Pick one: SPY or JPM
• Don't try to run all three; over-leverage kills consistency
• Master one trade, then add a second

Risk Management Checkpoint

Before you place a single order, confirm:

• Do I have adequate capital to cover assignment? (SPY = $60,500 margin requirement, JPM = $21,000, AAPL = $23,500)
• Have I read the stock fundamentals? (JPM earnings report, AAPL guidance, SPY composition)
• Do I understand I might own these shares? (Would I be happy holding them long-term?)
• Am I checking IV Rank correctly? (Not IV percentile; IV Rank compares current IV to 1-year historical range)
• Are my spreads tight? (If more than $0.05 wide, don't execute—it kills profit)

A Word on Timing: Why This Exact Week?

You might be asking: "Why can't I do this next week? Isn't every week similar?"

Technically, you can. But this week is optimal because:

1. No major earnings: No surprise gap risk
2. Moderate IV: Not depressed, but not inflated either
3. Full theta window: 45 DTE gives perfect decay trajectory before April
4. Economic calendar: Minor data (Jobs Claims Thursday); no Fed speakers or CPI
5. Market structure: No month-end positioning panic (that was last Friday)

Next week will have Nonfarm Payroll (biggest monthly report). Volatility may spike or crash. Premiums will shift. Better to execute today.

After This Week

Once you've completed these trades:

• Week 2 (Feb 10–16): Monitor your positions. Check premium decay mid-week.
• Week 3 (Feb 17–23): Mid-way decision point. Decide: close for profit or hold to expiration.
• Week 4 (Feb 24–28): If options expire, reset for March. Earnings season ramps up; select Q1 earnings reporters accordingly.

The Real Edge

The reason this week is best for selling puts isn't some secret pattern. It's simply:

Low event risk + moderate IV + steady theta decay = ideal conditions

Once you master this week, you'll see the same setup recurs every 2–3 weeks. That's when you sell puts. The other weeks you wait, monitor, or close early.

That discipline—knowing when not to trade—is what separates consistent put sellers from frustrated traders chasing premiums everywhere.

Execute your three trades this week. Watch them decay. Repeat next month.

That's the game.