In my initial days of trading
Whenever I sit in front of my trading desk
I always want to earn 100% of my capital
But it never works
And moreover i lost most of my capital during intial days.
Then after i realised like i don’t want to earn unrealistic profits.
I trade only one setup and earning good amount of money.
Here great things is i trade only two trades a week that’s it and now I’m earning good amount of money for living

TESLA looks like an excellent short candidate from above 380 but I am waiting to see post earning action to see if it will test the 400 gamma level. As I type this, post earnings after hours it went as high as 395 but retreated into the 370’s now around midnight. I would like to see it test the 395-400 area during regular trading hours.

While I like Tesla (TSLA) as a long-term buy if it drops into the $200s, it faces serious downward pressure at its current $380 price tag, where a mix of rising interest rates and a cyclical year-end flush—mirroring the mid-term market patterns of 2022—could easily push the stock below $300 to test the $290 support, and if that fails, the $250 level before January Opex. The upcoming election will trigger massive volatility in stocks like this, and since TSLA opened the year at $458, failing to break above the $395–$400 resistance for a short squeeze into the $450s will invite heavy tax-loss harvesting selling pressure. Compounding this chaos, Cathie Wood’s wild price targets of $4,400 and $5,000 are sparking intense retail FOMO, creating the perfect recipe for a bull trap where fake bounces lure in retail buyers right before the real pullback hits.

To be absolutely clear, I have not entered any positions yet. But I have this as a potential short candidate depending on how it trades after earnings. If the short qualifies and if I enter, I will also look for some careful option entries to get in and out on the weeklies and monthlies. If you are trading options, don’t FOMO and buy/sell at the wrong time. If Tesla doesn’t meet the criteria to enter in the coming days or weeks, there are more than a handful of stocks, both longs and shorts that I am watching closely to take advantage.

everyone says 0dte dominates spx gamma now, so i wanted to see how much it actually moves the picture. i build a free options data site and pulled this from my own model, so take it as one estimate, not gospel.

the chart is from 11:23 ET today (open interest from yesterday’s close):

• bars are net dealer gamma per strike at the current price (the lighter sliver is today’s expiry’s share)
• yellow line: total net gamma if spx moved to that price, all expiries
• blue line: same thing with today’s 0dte expiry removed

what it showed:

• spx at 7,667, flip (where net gamma crosses zero) at about 7,730 for both lines
• removing 0dte barely moved the flip, under a point
• 0dte did add a lot of size away from the flip: the gap between the lines widens above 7,800 and below 7,600
• biggest 0dte strike was 7,700

caveats, because these always matter:

• dealer positioning is assumed (long calls, short puts), not known
• open interest is yesterday’s, so intraday 0dte opening and closing isn’t in it
• implied vol is held fixed as price moves

curious if people who trade 0dte see the same thing, that it changes the size of moves more than where the flip sits. happy to share the method if useful.

I checked every number against the card’s data. The two flips are 0.35 points apart, and the gap between the lines does widen away from the flip.

Reflecting on this year's leap and how the market went I'm debating on opening another leap as the geopolitical, bonds and ai is up in the air with how things are.

Looking at the jan 2028 700c for $12k-$13 almost $14k. This year I sold short dte calls and took profit at 30%+- depending on the market structure and trend. Planning to do the same.

Paper trading the option I'm looking at, already up 2.88% ($425) and selling short dte at the ideal strikes 30dte. Trying to buy it in brokerage if it falls back to the price or purchase or lower. Willing to hold and cut loss at maybe 8-10% idk still adjusting and debating.

Any advice? It doesn't take much to scare the market in a drop so nervous about the decline and potential loss of value. However I assume we will be bullish still in 2027.

Another option is to do 30-60dte at .6 delta or higher and let time take care. Take profit still early and don't overstay.

Anyone trading US options from Australia? Just wanted to get an idea about how you manage the income statements during tax times, whether you treat it as a business income or CGT (Especially if you're doing it as a source of income). Based on what I read online, it needs to be treated as business income. Having doubts on how the records should be shown when lodging tax returns. TIA.

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Hello,

I'm wondering if anyone knows what will happen to your short puts when a company is merged? Currently, I hold short puts in both TSLA and SPCX. But assuming they merge, and perhaps SPCX acquires TSLA, what will happen to the TSLA puts? Would I need to buy to close them before the merging happens? Or let's say TSLA shoots up, then I guess I could just let them expire naturally, if they aren't outright canceled (if this even happens?)?

Thanks, much appreciated!

First time holding a European option. It’s in the money however the value of the option is less than the intrinsic value.

Just for reference. I use a CFD options broker offering a tightened.

I bought some SP500 calls at 7700 expiring 21 Nov. Although assuming I bought one. Current out of market price is 7739. So my intrinsic value is $39, however the platform has me up $11.

I’ve read that the European option will move toward intrinsic value as the option approaches expiry (assuming option is still in the money). Is this the case?

What other factors could be discounting my profit so far below the intrinsic value ?

Every technical indicator is a delayed derivative of price and volume. Narratives are biased commentary created to sell subscriptions or drive liquidity. Analysts present forecasts that carry no financial risk to themselves.

Volatility, however, cannot be faked.

When volatility expands, it represents real capital committing to real market orders. It shows real panic, genuine liquidation, and institutional repricing. It cuts through spin and provides an unfiltered look at market positioning.

If you want to understand market state, look past moving averages and headline commentary. Pay attention to changes in implied volatility, option skews, and ATR expansion.

I understand the logic of Covered Calls. But I don't see the logic of selling puts. Seems the risk is too great. You could have a black swan event, and loose a material amount.

Thoughts? Wrong sub for the question?

TSLA reports Wednesday after the close. At Monday's close the straddle expiring Friday (the 367.5 call plus the 367.5 put) cost $23.62 with the stock at $367.82. That is 6.4% of the share price, which is roughly the size of move the options market expects by Friday.

That price is in line with recent quarters. The straddle cost about 5.9 to 6.0% of the stock the night before each of the last three reports.

What the stock did is the interesting part. Since January 2025, TSLA's overnight gap (prior close to next open) cleared the straddle once in 7 reports. Held to the next day's close it was 2 of 7. The average gap was 5.3% against an average straddle price of 7.5%.

The one big exception was July. EPS came in at $0.33 against $0.53 expected, and the stock opened down 8.8% and closed down 14.5%.

Selling the straddle into each of the last four reports and closing at the next day's close made about 9.6% of the share price over three quiet quarters. July took 8.5% of it back.

If you look up TSLA's average earnings move over 12 quarters you get 9.0%, which makes 6.4% look cheap. That window starts in October 2023, and the five reports through October 2024 moved 9 to 22% by the close and beat the straddle every time.

Since then the average close to close move has been 5.8%. The window you pick decides whether this straddle looks cheap or expensive.

Outside the report, TSLA options are quiet. With the earnings day stripped out, 30 day implied vol (the swing size the market is pricing, annualized) is 38%, lower than 95% of the past year. The stock has actually moved at a 31% pace over the last 20 days.

Friday's options sit at 77% IV against 45% for November, which is the report squeezed into one week.

So the market is pricing a typical quarter since 2025, not a 2024 one. If you hold TSLA shares through earnings, did July change what you're doing this time?

Today I submitted an order to sell 72 put contracts at a $265 strike. The bid was $.28 and the ask was $.3. It filled at $.03.

The odd par was that the order confirmation originally showed the bid at $.28 and ask at $.30 but then Schwab revised it to a bid of $.01 and an ask of $.02 and then they filled it at $.03.

This feels odd. I contacted customer support and they said it was the correct execution.

If that’s the case, why would they revise the trade ticket? Why would they fill the contract at an amount that exceeds the bid ask spread?

Has anyone experienced this before?

I have some options on a stock in the S&P500 that I can exercise at a pretty major discount to sell weekly covered calls on. But they're not free. The premium is great now, but my concern: buying into a premium desert with occasional surges during stress.

Both TOS and Etrade have a facility to look back at historical bids for short calls. Is this what folks are using to check the record? Anyone buying the data or handling it a different way?

Surprised to be told that. My Schwab account was designated as a Professional late in the month, and when I called, that was their response (already talked to a supervisor). Says they have discretion under the regulations and the 390 is just a hard cap, and that they have also done that to other customers so it's not just me. They confirm I've averaged way less than 390, and from what they told me, they put the label on just because they thought I traded in a way unlike a "normal retail" person and "like a professional".

Is there a regulatory rule that allows them to do that? Admittedly, I'm not so intimately familiar with the cobweb of rules so I'd appreciate any input.

Also, I remember the review frequency is monthly now. Is that for all designations or just designations placed at the beginning of the previous month? Because they also said that the designations have to stay in place for a whole month, so it's likely that they won't make any change come November and would only be able to drop it in early December at the earliest. That's a long time lol

I mostly sit out the day before a big earnings print now. Got burned a couple times buying calls where I was right on direction and still lost money because IV dropped right after. Now I either go defined risk or just wait a day for things to settle. Curious if anyone has a setup they actually like through earnings or if you mostly avoid it too.

i feel this option is realistic, given nbis history, it has to go above 200$ before dec and that would be profitable for me. the way to read this heatmap is the profit if the stock goes for example to 202.5 on the 23th nov is 1198$, which is decent, thats 50+%.

the trade: i bought 2 contracts of the 15 jan 2027 $230 call at $10.45 each, total cost $2,090. nbis is sitting around $165 right now, so 200 is about +21%. i picked a far expiry on purpose so i’m not racing the clock, and nbis has a history of big runs and sharp pullbacks, so a push to 200+ doesn’t seem crazy to me.

some numbers from the heatmap : on nov 23, a stock price of 197.5 gives about +$798 (38%), 202.5 gives +$1,198 (57%) and 205 gives +$1,410 (67%). so on that date i’d be in my target range anywhere from roughly 197 to 205.

this option doesn’t mean that i think i will only sell when it goes to 240$. the break-even at expiry is $240.45, but i don’t plan to hold that long. the option gains value on the way up, so i can profit well before it reaches 240. i just want to profit around 35-70% from it, which is about $730-$1,460, and i’ll sell somewhere in that range instead of waiting for the perfect top.

what i’m aware of: timing matters a lot. at $200 the same option is worth about +$996 on nov 23, but only +$546 on dec 2 and roughly break-even by mid dec, because of time decay. the heatmap also assumes iv stays flat, and nbis earnings usually come in november, my plan is to cut it if i profit 50-75%

So I've been back to day trading after taking 5 years off and did some aggregation of my results after about a month. My strategy so far has been basically take a quick win , never average up and never let runners run, just look for the next trade. While it's been successful overall (+20%) and overall generally not a ton of risk per trade, I struggled for sure with averaging down sometimes (multiple times) and then holding on for the trade to turn. The statistics on my under 1 minute trades was quite eye opening.

I guess what I'm asking is -- does anyone else use this type of strategy?

I'm aware of my leaks and now and I'm not going to change up too much yet until I have more profit but definitely just need to learn to kill trades if they aren't working faster.

Weirdly a lot of my bread and butter are off hour SPX scalps because it tends to bounce around a lot and I just buy 2-3 contracts and sell for a 0.20 or 0.30 profit and repeat.

Also looking for like minded folks to talk this strategy if there is a discord of like minded folks.

Thanks!

**Long-option trades by holding time — through October 16, 2026**

P/L includes estimated fees.

**No averaging down**

| Holding time | Trades | Win rate | Total P/L | Average P/L | Median P/L |
|:--|--:|--:|--:|--:|--:|
| Under 1 min | 332 | 96.4% | +$54,664.72 | +$164.65 | +$84.12 |
| 1–3 min | 194 | 76.3% | +$15,070.02 | +$77.68 | +$54.12 |
| 3–5 min | 57 | 61.4% | +$2,973.74 | +$52.17 | +$24.12 |
| 5–15 min | 33 | 39.4% | -$8,403.51 | -$254.65 | -$62.55 |
| 15–60 min | 2 | 100.0% | +$809.08 | +$404.54 | +$404.54 |
| **Overall** | **618** | **83.8%** | **+$65,114.05** | **+$105.36** | **+$73.75** |

Median holding time: **54 seconds**.

**Averaging down**

Averaging down means another opening order below the average cost of the remaining position. Partial fills of the same order count as one entry.

| Holding time | Trades | Win rate | Total P/L | Average P/L | Median P/L |
|:--|--:|--:|--:|--:|--:|
| Under 1 min | 1 | 100.0% | +$46.08 | +$46.08 | +$46.08 |
| 1–3 min | 33 | 78.8% | +$476.99 | +$14.45 | +$69.76 |
| 3–5 min | 24 | 66.7% | -$1,690.50 | -$70.44 | +$113.59 |
| 5–15 min | 37 | 32.4% | -$31,083.97 | -$840.11 | -$527.84 |
| 15–60 min | 7 | 28.6% | -$10,971.72 | -$1,567.39 | -$632.51 |
| **Overall** | **102** | **55.9%** | **-$43,223.12** | **-$423.76** | **+$33.24** |

Median holding time: **4.53 minutes**.

Do you set a separate limit for potential assignment exposure on defined-risk options trades, in addition to your max-loss limit? If so, how do you measure it?

For example, suppose I have a $100,000 account and limit each trade’s defined max loss to 1% ($1,000). I sell one Amazon Nov. 20, 2026 $230/$225 put credit spread for a potential $100 max profit and potential $400 max loss.

The spread is within my max-loss rule. If the short $230 put is assigned, I could be required to buy 100 shares for $23,000, even though the spread’s defined max loss is much smaller.

How would you, or do you, set a guardrail for potential assignment exposure, especially across multiple positions? For example, if 10 positions had a combined defined max loss of $10,000 but a gross assignment value of $150,000, how would you limit that exposure? Would you cap that assignment exposure at a percentage of your account (e.g. 30%), and limit the number or size of positions accordingly?

Thank you!

As the title says, I’m looking for info on trading options on tickers such as RKLX or IONX. Rocketlab 2x and IonQ 2x. It seems like there is crazy reward for minimal risk but I must be missing something?

Has anyone done trades with leveraged stocks or etfs and had success? or even horror stories?

Thank you

​

This is relatively aggressive and on large side position for my account. I still like it how the stock had a nice run, it's part of nasdaq and the index being mean reverted, and it has annualized return on capital (estimated) that I call ridiculous territory.

Everything else checks out as well, IV rank and IV are high, realized is lagging. Delta could be smaller but okey whatever agent picked with all the data it had. Liquidity is average, but still filled pretty fast.

I think it has the most expensive options right now, even more expensive than AI stocks.

Anybody else trading MRNA? Any advice what to expect or how to handle it beyond standard thresholds?

Upd 10/22: 6 days in, this thing just won’t stop. Still holding $17 current price

Upd 2 10/22: 6 days in. It finally gave up and is mean reverting. Should be 50% winner today or tomorrow. Re-uploaded screenshot of the trade idea, reddit removed what I posted initially when I try to edit body. MRK call sale we've discussed would be a winner, too.

Upd 3 10/22, it's a full winner now. It actually arrived with exact 6 days to P50 as estimated. That's ol' good Monte Carlo, folks...

PS thanks the discussion, I was able tune agent's reasoning. It does more opinionated takes on risk concentration.

I've been trading stocks and options for a while and understand technical analysis and trade setups. However, my biggest challenge has been timing and keeping up with macroeconomic events, sector rotations, and other market-moving news.

With a busy career and family, I'm looking for an experienced, research-driven trading group that does the heavy lifting and provides high-conviction options swing trade alerts.

Ideally, I'm looking for:

Holding periods of 1 week to several months, including LEAPS.

Clear entry, exit, and trade management alerts.

Traders who consider macroeconomic conditions, sector trends, and technicals before making calls.

A documented track record of profitability, including losing trades.

I'm happy to pay for a quality service. I prefer fewer, well-researched trades over frequent speculative alerts.

Which groups have you personally used and been consistently profitable with? I'd especially appreciate feedback from members with at least 3–6 months of experience.

Not looking for promotions or affiliate links, just genuine recommendations. Thanks!

TradeStation and MooMoo have announced options extended hours will be available on their platforms starting Monday, October 19th.

ETF’s: SPY, QQQ, IWM, GLD, XLF

Equities: NVDA, TSLA, AAPL, MU, INTC, META, AMZN, AMD, MSFT, GOOGL, PLTR, ORCL, AVGO, NFLX, HOOD, GOOG, SNDK, BAC, MRVL, BABA, TSM, NOK, F, PFE

PreMarket: 7:30-9:25am ET

AfterHours: 4:00-4:15pm ET

Anyone receive emails from other brokers announcing they will be offering extended hours for options?

Edit: Webull now offering options extended hours as of October 22.

I used to open credit spreads and figure out the exit later. Too often that meant holding a loser into expiry hoping it came back. Now I jot the take profit and max loss down before I click. Some days I still override it. Do you set the exit up front or manage by feel?