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Income Advisor
Conservative investing. Double-digit income.

July 1, 2025

The S&P 500 reached a new all-time high last week. And the market is moving higher to start this week.

The market is being propelled higher by technology as the artificial intelligence trade turned hot again. Technology had been dragging the market lower all year until recently after leading it higher for most of the bull market. The sector sold off after the DeepSeek news in late January and then took a further hit with the tariff panic in April.

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It’s a New High

The S&P 500 reached a new all-time high last week. And the market is moving higher to start this week.

The market is being propelled higher by technology as the artificial intelligence trade turned hot again. Technology had been dragging the market lower all year until recently after leading it higher for most of the bull market. The sector sold off after the DeepSeek news in late January and then took a further hit with the tariff panic in April.

The sector was due for a pullback. Nothing goes straight up. But AI has had its bear market. And AI demand and spending continue to grow at a fever clip and will likely do so regardless of what happens with tariffs or the economy. Portfolio positions Broadcom (AVGO), Constellation Energy (CEG), and Oracle (ORCL) have had huge runs already and are continuing to move higher.

But there is reason for caution. The bill currently under consideration in the Senate could go either way. The July 9th tariff deadline is rapidly approaching. The state of the economy is still highly uncertain. And all of this uncertainty abounds with stocks perched at the high.

Stocks have had a huge move from the April low. The market has gone from the precipice of a bear market to a new high in just a few short months. I remain bullish on stocks over the rest of the year. But the rest of the summer could be more of a problem. Anything can happen. But the impetus for disappointment is growing. That’s why the covered calls have been suggested for the recent beneficiaries of the market surge.

Past Month’s Activity

June 3rd

SOLD AVGO July 18th $250 call at $16.00 or better

June 10th

Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) – Rating change “BUY” to “HOLD”

June 18th

SOLD ORCL August 15th $210 call at $13.00 or better

June 20th

ABBV June 20th $210 call at $9.50 – Expired

LNG June 20th $230 call at $15.00 – Expired

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (LNG) stock – Called

June 24th

Sell QCOM August 15th $150 call at $10.00 or better

Portfolio Recap

AbbVie Inc. (ABBV)

Yield: 3.6%

AbbVie should have a bright future. The biotech innovator has moved beyond replacing Humira revenues after the patent expiration and is now growing revenue and earnings again. And healthcare is cheap. The sector is the cheapest it’s been since the pandemic, while the population is aging at warp speed. The problem is near-term uncertainty. The executive order tying U.S. drug prices to international prices has made investors cautious, although it is still unclear how that plays out. There is also the issue of pharmaceuticals being targeted for tariffs floating around after the administration said it is coming. The issue could have a negative impact on drug companies, and they are unlikely to move meaningfully higher until there is more clarity. HOLD

AGNC Investment Corp. (AGNC)

Yield: 15.5%

The mortgage REIT has moved well above the low of early April. That’s the most that can be said for it right now. AGNC has benefited from the better economic news and a more risk-friendly environment. Even though the strong jobs reports make the Fed less likely to cut rates soon, it is still likely that the Fed will lower the fed funds rate this year, which will reduce funding costs. It will also help with the net asset value (NAV), which tends to determine the share price direction. However, there is still a lot of uncertainty out there between the tariffs and the economy. Meanwhile, AGNC pays a huge yield while you wait. HOLD

Ally Financial Inc. (ALLY)

Yield: 3.1%

It’s really about the economy with this online banker. ALLY made a nice move over the past couple of months with the better economic news. But ALLY is still stuck in the upper range of where it has been bouncing around since the end of last summer. The price has spiked over 20% since late April. Rates are still high, and there is still a high degree of uncertainty regarding the direction of the economy over the rest of the year, but the prognosis is improving. ALLY gets a boost when there is positive economic news and investors are in a more “risk on” mood. As long as the economy stays solid and there aren’t a lot of ugly surprises, ALLY should be strong and eventually make up for some lost time. HOLD

Broadcom Inc. (AVGO)

Yield: 0.9%

The custom AI chipmaker is on the move again. It had leveled off and even pulled back a little for a couple of weeks after a huge 80% surge from the April low. But it has moved up 10% in just the last week. The AI trade is back, and technology is dominant once again. AVGO is a key player with rapidly growing AI revenue and some hot products. Although the fast part of the move higher is behind it, AVGO is certainly capable of moving higher from here over the rest of the year. HOLD

Constellation Energy Corporation (CEG)

Yield: 0.5%

Constellation announced another big energy deal. The company struck a 20-year deal to provide nuclear power to Meta (META) to power its AI-capable data centers from its nuclear plant in Clinton, IL. Financial details are not yet available. It is the latest in tech companies purchasing carbon-free nuclear power to provide for huge growth in electricity demand from data centers. Constellation indicated that such a deal, and maybe more, was imminent in the last earnings report. CEG had also pulled back after a huge surge from the April low. But it has been moving higher again, up about 12% over the last several weeks. HOLD

Eli Lilly and Company (LLY)

Yield: 0.8%

LLY is a juggernaut that’s lost its mojo over the past year. It’s down 20% from the 52-week high and is down over 13% over the past year. But even after the lackluster year, LLY has still returned more than 400% over the last five years. It’s a hot stock that has cooled off lately. That’s a big slowdown. Drugs are likely soon to be targeted for tariffs, and inputs for Lilly’s weight-loss drugs come from Ireland. However, the administration indicated that time would be given to relocate facilities to the U.S., and Lilly has already begun that process. Tariffs are unlikely to sting Lilly that much.

Lilly is still knocking the cover off the ball with huge demand for its weight-loss and other drugs. There is also likely approval for an oral weight-loss drug later this year. But until there is more clarity on these issues, LLY is unlikely to generate lasting upside traction. That’s why it is rated “HOLD” for now. But LLY should soar on the other side of this uncertainty and make up for lost time. HOLD

NextEra Energy, Inc. (NEE)

Yield: 3.0%

The regulated and clean energy utility stock had been trending higher since April, but it’s pulling back this week. The Senate bill is coming up for a crucial vote in the Senate this week, and that bill cuts clean energy subsidies. This week’s pullback in NEE indicates that investors believe the bill will likely pass. The subsidies had given support to much of the industry. It’s certainly negative for NextEra, which was a big beneficiary. The company can stand on its own and has before. In fact, NEE had recovered nicely since the bill was proposed. It should endure this storm in decent shape. HOLD

ONEOK, Inc. (OKE)

Yield: 5.1%

This midstream energy company stock performance has been disappointing. OKE is down 16% YTD while the overall energy sector is about even over the same period. OKE recently took a hit when it missed on earnings in an unforgiving environment. But earnings were generally solid, and ONEOK reaffirmed guidance for 2025 and 2026, which includes an earnings growth jump to 15% as new assets come online, including two sizable recent acquisitions. The story is still quite strong, but there has been some recent share dilution that somewhat mutes the earnings growth. This stock should pick up soon, but I’ll watch it closely. HOLD

Oracle Corporation (ORCL)

Yield: 0.9%

There’s more great news! The stock is again soaring this week after the company announced it has signed a single cloud deal worth $30 billion in annual revenue. That’s nearly three times the size of its current cloud infrastructure business. The revenue is expected to start coming in fiscal 2028. The stock climbed as much as 8.6% on Monday morning.

Management reiterated enormous growth with data centers and AI in the last earnings report. OCI revenue grew 49% last year. While that’s impressive, management has said growth should eclipse 70% this year. There isn’t nearly enough current data center capacity to meet demand. Management intends to double data center capacity this fiscal year and triple it by the end of next fiscal year. This news sends future revenue projections to a different level. BUY

Qualcomm Corp. (QCOM)

Yield: 2.3%

The chipmaker got a boost after reporting a deal to buy Alphawave IP Group for $2.4 billion to move faster into the artificial intelligence data center market. Qualcomm is making a big push to get its central processing unit chips used in the fast-growing data center market. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026. The market likes that deal as the stock jumped about 4% on the day of the announcement. The company is broadening its offerings across a wider spectrum, which is good for the future. But the market wants to see rising smartphone demand for the stock to take off. That isn’t happening yet. HOLD

Realty Income Corp. (O)

Yield: 5.7%

This legendary income REIT is finally paying off. It was a subpar performer during the inflation and rising interest rates. But it recently showed some impressive defensive chops. It was higher through the market tumult of April. O has returned about 10% so far this year. It should continue to perform well if investors gravitate toward more defensive plays. O is still attractively valued and should have some pent-up upside as the environment of inflation and rising interest rates likely fades into the past. It was a nice holding in a dicey market and could have further upside when the Fed starts cutting rates. HOLD

Toll Brothers, Inc. (TOL)

Yield: 0.9%

This beleaguered homebuilder company stock has been moving higher following the better-than-expected economic news. A solid economy is good for housing demand. But TOL is still down 9% YTD and 30% from the 52-week high. It’s a problem that mortgage rates are staying stubbornly high, which hurts housing affordability. But if the economy proves to be strong for the rest of the year, TOL could make a sustained move higher. We will see how the economic news plays out. The longer-term supply/demand dynamic is hugely favorable to this company, and it should muster a sustained upside move eventually. HOLD

Existing Call Trades

Sell CEG July 18th $290 call at $24.00 or better

After leveling off for a few weeks following the huge spike in the price since the April low, CEG is on the move again. It has been trending higher and is now priced about 35 per share above the strike price. It looks like the stock will be called at options expiration in less than three weeks. But CEG can move fast, and you never know.

Sell AVGO July 18th $250 call at $16.00 or better

AVGO is also forging yet higher as the AI trade remains hot stuff. The price is now more than 25 per share above the strike price. It could peak and come back down or keep moving ever higher. But, either way, we will secure a huge income or a high total return in a short period of time.

Sell ORCL August 15th $210 call at $13.00 or better

The big news about the $30 billion deal is moving the stock well beyond the strike price this week. But there is still a long way to go before expiration with a market and a stock that can move fast either way.

Sell QCOM August 15th $150 call at $10.00 or better

QCOM has been struggling for a year. Yet, the stock generates high-priced call premiums because it can move fast when it gets going. I believe QCOM will have its day again at some point later in the year but most likely not for several months. This market is a great opportunity to milk the stock for a huge call premium and high income while we wait for better days.

Current Recommendations

Open RecommendationsTicker SymbolEntry DateEntry PriceRecent PriceBuy at or Under PriceYieldTotal Return
AbbVie Inc.ABBV12/17/24$175.38$182.31NA3.60%5.92%
AGNC Investment CorpAGNC9/24/24$10.47$9.28NA15.53%-0.84%
Ally Financial Inc.ALLY11/26/24$39.42$38.91NA3.08%0.39%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO1/28/25$207.36$269.35NA0.88%30.60%
Constellation Energy Corp.CEG8/27/24$196.14$320.17NA0.48%64.01%
Eli Lilly and CompanyLLY4/22/25$827.54$775.45NA0.77%-6.11%
NextEra Energy, Inc.NEE4/25/23$77.50$70.89$75.003.20%-2.65%
ONEOK, Inc.OKE2/25/25$95.77$81.25NA5.07%-14.07%
Oracle CorporationORCL5/28/25$163.85$210.24$175.000.95%28.31%
Qualcomm Inc. QCOM5/5/21$134.65$158.54NA2.25%29.09%
Realty Income Corp.O6/27/23$60.19$57.03NA5.66%6.03%
Toll Brothers, Inc.TOL10/22/24$148.02$114.30NA0.87%-22.43%
Open RecommendationsTicker SymbolInitial ActionEntry DateEntry PriceRecent Price Sell To Price or betterTotal Return
CEG July 18th $290 callCEG250718C00290000Sell5/20/25$24.00$35.45$24.0012.23%
AVGO July 18th $250 callAVGO250718C00250000Sell6/3/25$16.00$22.46$15.007.72%
ORCL Aug 15th $210 callORCL250815C00210000Sell6/18/25$13.00$9.70$13.007.93%
QCOM Aug 15th 150 callQCOM250815C00150000Sell6/24/25$10.00$8.90$10.007.43%
as of close on 6/27/2025
SOLD STOCKS
XTicker Symbol ActionEntry DateEntry PriceSale DateSale PriceTotal Return
Innovative Industrial Props.IIPRCalled6/2/20$87.829/18/20$100.0015.08%
QualcommQCOMCalled6/24/20$89.149/18/20$95.007.30%
U.S. BancorpUSBCalled 7/22/20$36.269/18/20$383.42%
Brookfield Infras. Ptnrs.BIPCalled6/24/20$41.9210/16/20$458.49%
Starbucks Corp.SBUXCalled8/26/20$82.4110/16/20$886.18%
Visa CorporationVCalled 9/22/20$200.5611/20/20$2000.00%
AbbVie Inc.ABBVCalled6/2/20$91.0412/31/20$10012.43%
Enterprise Prod. Prtnrs.EPDCalled6/24/20$18.141/15/21$2015.16%
Altria GroupMOCalled 6/2/20$39.661/15/21$407.31%
U.S. BancorpUSBCalled 11/25/20$44.681/15/21$451.66%
B&G Foods Inc,BGSCalled10/28/20$26.792/19/21$284.42%
Valero Energy Inc.VLOCalled8/26/20$53.703/26/21$6011.73%
Chevron Corp.CVXCalled12/23/20$85.694/1/21$9612.95%
KKR & Co.KKRCalled3/24/21$47.986/18/21$5514.92%
Digital Realty TrustDLRCalled1/27/21$149.177/16/21$1555.50%
NextEra Energy, Inc.NEECalled2/24/21$73.769/17/21$8010.00%
Brookfield Infras. Ptnrs.BIPCalled1/13/21$50.6310/15/21$5511.65%
AGNC Investment CorpAGNCSold1/13/21$15.521/19/22$155.92%
ONEOK, Inc.OKECalled5/26/21$52.512/18/22$6019.62%
KKR & Co.KKRSold8/25/21$64.522/23/22$58-9.73%
Valero Energy Inc.VLOCalled11/17/21$73.452/25/22$8315.53%
U.S BancorpUSBSold3/24/21$53.474/13/22$51-1.59%
Enterprise Product Ptnrs EPDCalled3/17/21$23.214/14/22$2411.25%
FS KKR Capital Corp. FSKCalled10/27/21$22.014/14/22$2313.58%
Xcel Energy Inc. XELCalled10/12/21$63.005/20/22$7012.66%
Innovative Industrial Props.IIPRSold3/23/22$196.317/20/22$93-51.23%
One Liberty PropertiesOLPSold7/28/21$30.378/24/22$25-12.94%
ONEOK, Inc.OKECalled5/25/22$65.141/20/23$652.66%
Xcel Energy, Inc.XELCalled10/26/22$62.571/20/23$654.67%
Realty Income Corp. OCalled9/28/22$60.372/17/23$635.41%
Medical Properties TrustMPWSold1/24/23$13.223/21/23$8-38.00%
Brookfield Infrastructure Cp.BIPCCalled11/9/22$42.437/21/23$458.72%
Star Bulk Carriers Corp.SBLKSold6/1/22$33.308/8/23$18-31.38%
Visa Inc.VCalled12/22/21$217.168/18/23$2359.16%
Global Ship Lease, Inc.GSLSold2/23/22$24.968/29/23$19-13.82%
ONEOK, Inc.OKECalled3/28/23$60.989/15/23$659.72%
Hess CorporationHESCalled6/6/23$132.2510/20/23$15517.87%
Tractor Supply CompanyTSCOSold9/26/23$203.0311/28/23$200-1.02%
Digital Realty TrustDLRCalled7/18/23$117.311/19/24$13517.16%
Intel CorporationINTCCalled7/27/22$40.181/19/24$439.76%
AbbVie Inc.ABBVCalled7/25/23$141.633/15/24$16015.11%
Marathon Petroleum Corp. MPCCalled10/24/23$149.453/28/24$16512.06%
The Williams Companies, Inc.WMBCalled8/24/22$35.585/17/24$357.14%
Main Street Capital Corp.MAINCalled3/26/24$46.409/20/24$4910.91%
Brookfield Infrastructure Cp.BIPCCalled2/27/24$32.649/20/24$3511.00%
American Tower Corp.AMTCalled1/23/24$202.269/20/24$2105.43%
ONEOK, Inc.OKECalled8/27/24$79.5910/18/24$8811.18%
Alexandria Real Estate Eq.ARESold12/19/23$129.5411/19/24$108-12.82%
FS KKR Capital Corp.FSKCalled4/23/24$19.4212/20/24$2014.06%
Enterpise Product Ptnrs.EPDCalled2/27/24$27.611/17/25$2912.60%
Cheniere Energy Prtns.CQPCalled1/22/25$53.043/21/25$6014.67%
Cheniere Energy, Inc.LNGCalled2/25/25$216.046/20/25$2306.69%
EXPIRED OPTIONS
SecurityIn/out moneySell DateSell PriceExp. Date$ ReturnTotal % Return
IIPR Jul 17 $95 callout-of money6/3/20$3.007/17/20$3.003.40%
MO Jul 31 $42 callout-of-money6/17/20$1.607/31/20$1.604.03%
ABBV Sep 18 $100 callout-of-money7/15/20$4.609/18/20$4.605.05%
IIPR Sep 18 $100 callin-the-money7/22/20$5.009/18/20$5.005.69%
QCOM Sep 18 $95 callin-the-money6/24/20$4.309/18/20$4.304.82%
USB Sep 18 $37.50 callin-the-money7/22/20$2.009/18/20$2.005.52%
BIP Oct 16 $45 callin-the-money9/2/20$1.9510/16/20$1.954.65%
SBUX Oct 16 $87.50 callin-the-money10/16/20$3.3010/16/20$3.304.00%
V Nov 20 $200 callin-the-money9/22/20$10.0011/20/20$10.004.99%
ABBV Dec 31 $100 callin-the-money11/18/20$3.3012/31/20$3.303.62%
EPD Jan 15 $20 callin-the-money11/23/20$0.801/15/21$0.804.41%
MO Jan 15 $40 callin-the-money11/25/20$1.901/15/21$1.904.79%
USB Jan 15 $45 callin-the-money11/25/20$2.001/15/21$2.004.48%
BGS Feb 19 $27.50 callin-the-money12/11/20$2.402/19/21$2.408.96%
VLO Mar 26 $60 callin-the-money2/10/21$6.503/26/21$6.5012.10%
CVX Apr 1 $95.50 callin-the-money2/19/21$4.304/1/21$4.305.02%
AGNC Jun 18 $17 callout-of-money4/13/21$0.506/18/21$0.503.21%
KKR Jun 18 $55 callin-the-money4/28/21$3.006/18/21$3.006.25%
USB Jun 16 $57.50 callout-of-money4/28/21$2.806/18/21$2.805.24%
DLR Jul 16 $155 callin-the-money6/16/21$8.007/16/21$8.005.36%
AGNC Aug 20 $17 callout-of-money6/23/21$0.508/20/21$0.503.00%
OKE Aug 20 $57.50 callout-of-money6/23/21$3.508/20/21$3.506.67%
NEE Sep 17 $80 callin-the-money8/11/21$3.509/17/21$3.504.75%
BIP Oct 15 $55 callin-the-money9/1/21$2.0010/15/21$2.003.95%
USB Nov 19 $60 callout-of-money9/24/21$2.3011/19/21$2.304.30%
OKE Nov 26 $65 callout-of-money10/20/21$2.2511/26/21$2.254.28%
KKR Dec 17 $75 callout-of-money10/26/21$3.5012/17/21$3.505.42%
QCOM Jan 21 $185 Callout-of-money11/30/21$9.651/21/22$9.657.17%
OLP Feb 18 $35 Callout-of-money11/19/21$1.502/18/22$1.504.94%
OKE Feb 18 $60 Callin-the-money1/5/22$2.752/18/22$2.755.24%
USB Feb 25 $61 callout-of-money1/13/22$2.502/25/22$2.504.68%
VLO Feb 25 $83 callin-the-money1/18/22$4.202/25/22$4.206.13%
EPD Apr 14th $24 callin-the-money3/2/22$1.254/14/22$1.255.69%
FSK Apr 14th $22.50 callin-the-money3/10/22$0.904/14/22$0.904.09%
XEL May 20th $70 callin-the-money3/30/22$3.005/20/22$3.004.76%
SBLK July 15th $134 callout-of-money6/1/22$1.607/15/22$1.604.80%
OKE Oct 21st $65 callout-of-money8/24/22$3.4010/21/22$3.405.22%
OKE Jan 20th $65 callIn-the-money11/25/22$3.701/20/23$3.705.68%
XEL Jan 20th $65 callin-the-money11/25/22$5.001/20/23$5.007.99%
O Feb 17th $62.50 callin-the-money12/28/22$3.002/17/23$3.004.97%
QCOM Sep 16th $145 callout-of-money7/20/22$11.759/16/22$11.758.73%
V Mar 17th $220 callout-of-money1/24/23$12.003/17/23$12.005.51%
OKE May 19th $65 callout-of-money4/11/23$2.705/19/23$2.704.43%
V Jun 2 $230 callout-of-money4/21/23$10.506/2/23$10.504.82%
BIPC $45 July 21st callin-the-money5/23/23$3.257/21/23$3.257.66%
V $235 Aug 18th callin-the-money7/11/23$9.008/18/23$9.004.13%
GSL $20 Aug 18th callout-of-money7/11/23$1.258/18/23$1.255.00%
OKE $65 Sep 15 callin-the-money9/15/23$3.207/25/23$3.204.92%
INTC $35 Oct 20th callout-of-money9/8/23$3.7810/20/23$3.789.41%
HES $155 Oct 20th callin-the-money9/8/23$9.0010/20/23$9.006.81%
DLR $135 Jan 19th callin-the-money11/22/23$6.001/19/24$6.005.11%
INTC $42.50 Jan 19th callin-the-money11/29/23$3.501/19/24$3.508.71%
ABBV $160 Mar 15th callin-the-money1/10/24$7.003/15/24$7.004.94%
MPC $165 Mar 28th callin-the-money2/14/23$10.003/28/24$10.006.69%
QCOM $200 July 19th callout-of-money6/5/24$12.007/19/24$12.008.91%
MAIN $49.4 Sep 20th Callin-the-money6/27/24$2.009/20/24$2.004.31%
BIPC $35 Sep 20th Callin-the-money7/16/24$3.009/20/24$3.009.19%
AMT Sep 20 $210 callin-the-money7/30/24$15.009/20/24$15.007.42%
OKE Oct 18 $87.50 callin-the-money8/27/24$3.5010/18/24$3.504.40%
FSK Dec 20 $20 callin-the-money10/25/24$0.9512/20/25$0.954.89%
CEG Dec 29 $260 callout-of-money9/25/24$24.0012/20/24$24.0012.24%
EPD Jan 17 $29 callin-the-money11/12/24$2.001/17/25$2.006.34%
CEG Mar 21 $20 callBuyback1/7/25$20.003/4/25$16.508.41%
CQP Mar 21 $60 callin-the-money1/22/25$3.003/21/25$3.005.66%
QCOM Mar 21 $160 callout-of-money1/7/25$10.003/31/25$11.008.17%
ABBV June 20 $210 callout-of-money4/1/25$9.506/20/25$9.505.42%
LNG June 20 $230 callin-the-money5/7/25$15.006/20/25$15.006.64%


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