Closing covered calls and selling naked puts on ASTS — is this a stupid idea?
I own 1,000 shares of ASTS at a very low cost basis (\~$4.69/share). About 6 months ago I sold 5x Jan 2028 $150 calls against my position and deployed that premium elsewhere. ASTS has since pulled back significantly and the calls are now much cheaper to buy back, so I want to close them and redeploy.
**The trade:**
* Buy to close 5x ASTS Jan 2028 $150 calls (locking in \~$2K profit)
* Sell 5x ASTS Jan 2028 $70 puts for \~$30 premium (\~$15K total credit)
* Net credit: \~$5,500
I'm Tier 3 / margin approved on Fidelity. This makes the short puts technically naked from a cash collateral standpoint despite having significant equity in the account. Do my shares in other stocks count as collateral?
I think $68 is near a bottom and ASTS will be 2-4x from here by Jan 2028. If I'm wrong I'm happy to be assigned more shares at $70 — it's a price I'd buy at anyway. Ultimately i believe in the long term and would like them to expire out of the money
1. What are the real risks of naked puts on this stock at fidelity?
2. What should I understand about margin loan costs and margin call triggers in this setup?
3. Am I missing any downside to this strategy given my basis and conviction?
4. Are there interest costs with this strategy?
Thanks!