Weekly Rollup: June 27 - July 1, 2022 Trades: 7 Winners: 7 Losers: 0 Summary: Light week in terms of my own activity -- but most certainly not a light week for the markets! Did not expect that...not at all! I'm not even really sure how to explain it, because while we saw some serious downside this past week, the volume wasn't really high enough to indicate where it was all coming from (e.g. had it been several institutions dumping stock, the volume would've been much higher). So I'm really not sure...but what I am sure of is that many, many names are down to really attractive technical levels...it was hard not to start buying them up this past week. If the past 2x weeks were "unloading" weeks, then this one was definitely a "reloading" week. I just wonder what this coming week will be... Next Week: The pop we saw right at the beginning of the week caused me to roll most of my covered calls to the 8/05 option chain...otherwise, being ITM, those contracts were at risk. The downside we saw to close out the week brought all of those options OTM again...but there isn't really enough space (price or time-wise) to pull those options to a closer expiration....so I'll just let them sit & if price continues down, then I'll pull them back closer. Otherwise, I'll continue to look for names to pile in to. I'll likely add to some of my 0.5% ot 0.75% positions, bringing them to full 1% or 2% positions. But we'll see... Here is the latest snapshot of my trading portfolio; this account is now 60%, so plenty of capital left to maneuverif this market stays ugly. My TradeStaton-Robinhood split is still 70% / 30%. I hope everyone is having a good weekend -- thanks for stopping by, V
YTD Rollup: June 2022 Account Growth/Loss: +58.15% Return on Risk: +86.50% Net Gain/Loss: +3,563.54% Russell: -23.05% S&P 500: -19.74% NASDAQ: -28.87% Total Trades: 346 Winners: 339 Losers: 7 Scorecard: 97.98% Summary: My first month fully shorting stock (thanks, Tradestation!), with the exception of put plays on BMY...which given how 'steady' the company is, I feel more comfortable playing options here than I do other names. Interestingly, of the 31x "real" trades I made this month (the rest were option writing trades against my investment positions), 16x were shorts -- in other words, just over 50%. Perhaps that's obvious when you consider the kind of month we just had...but the data point really highlights (to me anyway) the balance I am trying to find in my trading portfolio. Not a single loser this month, but I did play more conservatively (e.g I cut winning trades early so as to not let them reverse against me...or...I closed trades that had been losers soon after they popped back into the winning category). In doing so, it brought my monthly ROI down slightly compared to previous months...but again, given the kind of month we just had, I am not complaining...simply making an observation. Lastly, I made somewhat significantly less trades this month than I have in the past several. I'd like to think that is because I'm getting more selective...but maybe it's just because I'm getting more busy doing other things...I suppose only time will tell. Here is a snapshot of my current investment holdings; I reduced my total investment portfolio cost basis by 2% this month through selling covered calls: Thanks for stopping by -- and good luck next month everyone, V Account Growth/Loss = dividing my total profit/loss for the year by my account balance from January 1, 2022 -- deposits & withdraws not included / do not affect % Return on Risk = dividing my total profit/loss for the year by the aggregated amount of money I had to put at risk for each trade Net Gain/Loss = simply adding up all the winning trades' % gains and subtracting out all the losing trades' % losses Scorecard = keep in mind, many of my trades are deep OTM option writing plays
Good to see the volatility is mellowing out.... Closed 2x swing trades today as the markets rallied into the close: CVNA +12.67% SE +8.65% But prior to that, the morning nose-dive in oil & silver allowed me to add to 2x existing swing trades: SLV -- my cost basis is now $18.57 with 5.75% of my trading portfolio GDX -- $28.06 // 2.25% Anyone's guess what tomorrow will bring, or the next day for that matter. Thanks for stopping by, V
Took some more profits off the table as energy, particular oil, sold off just a little more in the morning: Closed XOM short +20.22% Closed USO short +13.43% I also continued my shopping spree, adding to multiple existing swing trades & shorts: NFLX swing trade -- my basis is now $188.97 with 6% of my trading portfolo SQ swing trade -- $71.24 // 4.5% GLD swing trade -- $167.97 // 3.33% JPM swing trade -- $119.21 // 3.2% META swing trade -- $180.58 // 3% ORLY short -- $635.18 // 2% Lastly, I entered into 2x new trades: FCX swing trade -- my basis is $26.42 with 1% of my trading portfolio Pullback option play against UUP using $28 10/21 puts -- my basis is $0.47 with 0.25% of my trading portfolio As with every day these days, we'll just have to see what the market gives us tomorrow -- thanks for stopping by, V
Closed my TDOC swing trade +3.4% -- I got into this name back in April, right before price fell off a cliff after their ER. However, since I entered with a small starter position, I had the flexibility/capital to pick up 2x more tranches after price went off that cliff. This brought my cost basis down to an acceptable level (e.g. what was a -25% trade went to a -10% trade)...this positioned me to take advantage of the little pop we saw this past week...so I'm able to close what was once an epic loser, as a small winner. Phew! Speaking of losers -- I added to my CGC swing trade. My basis is now $3.60 and accounts for roughly 3.5% of my trading portfolio. Heading into the midterms, I am trying to keep my cost basis within something of a striking distance for when these marijuana names get the pop they historically have enjoyed. I am also in MJ for another 0.75% of my trading portfolio. The rise these last couple days allowed me to get back into some covered calls which I could not get into when we were selling off earlier in the week. CCL $10.50 7/15 SLV $19 7/15 F $12.50 7/15 I also brought my BABA puts from the $110 7/29 to the $115 7/22 Yet another wild session -- thanks for stopping by, V
Weekly Rollup: July 5 - 8, 2022 Trades: 12 Winners: 12 Losers: 0 Summary: Slightly more busy week than average, with slightly over half of my trades being deep OTM options and the rest swing or short trades. Still feel as though my trading portfolio is well "balanced," because of the trading I did, half were swings and the other were shorts. Being able to capitalize on the volatility seems critical given just how much volatility there is (and has been). Next Week: I feel like writing this section now is somewhat cheating...so I won't! Here is the latest snapshot of my trading portfolio; this account is now 70.5% invested -- which is a ful 10% more than last week, but still plenty of maneuver space to handle whatever the market gives us. My TradeStaton-Robinhood split is still hovering around 70% / 30%, as my longer trades are basically "stuck" in my Robinhood account. I hope everyone had a great weekend -- thanks for stopping by, V
Busy little day today... New pullback option play using UUP $29 10/21 puts -- my cost basis is $0.82 with 0.5% of my trading portfolio New swing trade in IQ -- my cost basis is $4.00 with just under 1% of my trading portfolio Re-entered my swing trade in CVNA -- my basis is now $22.34 with only 0.5% of my trading portfolio -- will look to add another 0.5% if it reaches the lower range of its most recent wide body green candle The move lower across QQQ, and specifically Chinese tech, caused me to roll my suddently ITM BABA $115 7/22 puts out to $105 9/16 -- my adjusted basis, if put the shares, is now $87.62 Thanks for stopping by, V
Added to 2x existing swing trades as SPY QQQ IWM sold off during the open after that hot CPI number: - GLD now $164.77 with 5.75% of my trading portfolio - CVNA now $21.82 with 1% of my trading portfolio We will see what tomorrow gives us... Thanks for stopping by, V
Closed the week by doing a little more shopping on Thursday & Friday -- sorry for the late posting: Added to my GDX swing trade -- my basis is now $27.15 with 3.3% of my trading portfolio Added to my FCX swing trade -- $25.67 // 2% Re-entered a swing trade in SE -- my basis is $68.51 with 0.75% of my trading portfolio Re-entered a swing trade in ZM -- $97.76 // 1% Entered a new swing trade in NET -- my basis is $44.58 with just under 1% of my trading portfolio I hope everyone is enjoying their weekends -- thanks for stopping by, V
Weekly Rollup: July 11 - 15, 2022 Trades: 0 Summary: Well...did not expect to see a trade-less week in my trading portfolio!...yet here I am. I did not close any trades this week, and all of my covered calls are at further expiration dates so they did not expire either. This is definitely a first since I re-started this trade joural. On the flip side, I did a ton of shopping this week, and in doing so I sunk another 10% of my portfolio into new or existing trades. We're sitting at about 80% invested. Next Week: If the market chops (or goes lower) over this coming week, I will probably add another 5-7% into my existing positions. If Thursday & Friday's upside carries through the weekend & continues next week, then I'll take profits as my positions hit either near-term resistance or that +10% - +15% sweet spot. We'll see... Here is the latest snapshot of my trading portfolio; as I said, this account is now 80% invested. My TradeStaton-Robinhood split is still hovering around 70% / 30%, as my longer trades remain "stuck" in my Robinhood account until we see something of a true bear market rip. Thanks for stopping by -- hope everyone had a great weekend, V
Bitcoin finally caught a little bit of a bid today, which allowed me to close 2x related swing trades: MARA +36.52% RIOT +30.77% Additionally, the upside this morning finally gave me some room to sell another round of covered calls at level which are still acceptable if I do get the shares called away. Some of these have been down to their COVID lows as of late. On average, I reduced each cost basis by about 0.5% F $13 7/22 SLV $19 7/22 NCLH $14 7/22 CCL $11 7/22 Thanks for stopping by, V
Nice move today across several fronts, some moves to the upside & others to the downside. Being positioned in both swing & short trades allowed me to take profits across both: Closed 1/2 of my BMY puts +30.32% Closed my UUP $29 10/21 puts +21.95% -- I am still in my $28 10/21 puts Closed NVDA swing trade +16.61% Closed SE swing trade +9.94% With the move NFLX is making after hours, I intend to close this position either in the pre-market or right at the opening bell. I am kicking myself for not buying a couple "lottery ticket" calls...I had wanted to & kept trying to remind myself throughout the day, but alas, I forgot & the closing bell rang... Thanks for stopping by, V
Another day of primarily selling, taking profits & risk off the table as SPY QQQ IWM climbed higher. Perhaps a little more upside to go, but all three indices are reaching major resistance levels in my opinion. As mentioned yesterday, I closed my NFLX swing trade +6.78% -- given how deep this position went against me, I'm glad to be walking away with anything at this point. Still kicking myself for not taking some "lottery ticket" calls yesterday right before the close...ah well. Closed 4x other swing trades today: NET +18.8% CVNA +11.32% FCX +10.58% ZM +7.97% Rolled those profits right into my existing NEM swing trade as gold continues to struggle. My cost basis is now $56.39 with 2.5% of my trading portfolio. Thanks for stopping by, V
Playing a bit of catch up once again... I closed my IQ swing trade +17.5% -- I will look to re-enter this swing trade if price drifts back to that $4 support area. I was very close to shorting UNG, but I didn't because in the recent past it's run a little after gapping up like it did on Friday. We will see what Monday gives us... I did, however, enter a new swing trade in AEM -- my cost basis is $41.19 with 1.25% of my trading portfolio. This new swing trade represents my 4th play in gold. My existing gold swing trades are: - GLD -- $164.77 // 6% -- I'll add if we get to the Weekly 200MA $155 - GDX -- $27.15 // 3.5% -- I'll probably hold what I got for now - NEM -- $56.39 // 2.15% -- I'll add at-or-below $50 Compared to the broaded market, gold is still holding up "better than most." If you also factor in how ridiculous the dollar has surged, gold is holding up much better than one would expect. Thanks for stopping by, V
Weekly Rollup: July 18 - 22, 2022 Trades: 17 Winners: 17 Losers: 0 Summary: Busy week, especially when compared to the last one (0x trades) & also when considering 12x trades were through my trading portfolio vs. 5x deep OTM options. Speaking of options, my BABA puts are now ITM; I am assuming risk by not rolling these to a further expiration...but their current expiration is later this year, so I'll just keep my fingers crossed. If I am put the shares, I've collected over $17/share in premium thus far, so my adjusted basis is still safe. Next Week: With the SPY QQQ IWM all approaching short term resistance, while we could get a little more upside, I expect the next leg down is approaching. That said, with so many events this week (Fed, ERs, etc)...who knows what this market will give us. So long as there is volatility, then my trading portfolio will be happy. I am still fairly well balanced in terms of swings-to-shorts, but if we do see upside to those resistance levels, then I will likely add more shorts than swings. Here is the latest snapshot of my trading portfolio; this account is now down to 65% invest, as I took a lot of risk off the table last week (approximately 10%)...this leaves plenty of capital to put into play based on what the market does this week. My TradeStaton-Robinhood split is now slightly better, 75% / 25%. I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend -- thanks for stopping by, V
As I had hoped, I entered into a new pullback option play on UNG using Jan 2023 $28 puts -- my basis here is $6.70 with about 0.75% of my trading portfolio. Another trade I mentioned previously was adding to one of my gold miners; I wanted to get another tranche of NEM below $50 -- my basis is now $50.98 with almost 4% of my trading portfolio. Thanks for stopping by, V
Nice little surge across the board these past few days. The volatility allowed me to get back into my weekly covered calls: SLV $18 7/29 which I then rolled to $20 10/21 NCLH $12.50 7/29 CCL $9.50 7/29 which I then rolled to $14 9/16 I also rolled my BABA $105 9/16 puts to $100 11/18 puts and added another $0.50 of net credit to my adjusted basis if I'm put the shares. Doubled down on my pullback play on UNG Added to my puts $28 1/20/23 puts -- my cost basis is now $6.35 with 1.25% of my trading portfolio Shorted the stock outright -- my entry is $30.56 with 0.65% of my trsading portfolio Added to my ORLY short as price filled a gap & hit resistance today. My basis here is now $663.64 withalmost 3.5% of my trading portfolio Added to my CGC swing trade today -- my cost basis is now $3.25 with just over 4.25% of my trading portfolio If SPY, IWM, QQQ have another day like today, I will likely begin shorting the indices as well as some of these other big tech names. I will also likely take some risk off the table, as several of my holdings crossed that +10% threshold today. Thanks for stopping by, V
QQQ gapped up through its initial resistance level yesterday, and hit a secondary level, so I "shorted" the index using a swing trade in QID -- my basis is $20.52 with 1% of my trading portfolio. SPY and IWM got close, but not quite, to their resistance levels...so hoping to see them hit Monday if this upside continues. Thanks for stopping by, V
Weekly Rollup: July 25 - 29, 2022 Trades: 6 Winners: 6 Losers: 0 Summary: Quieter week; my only trades were the weekly covered calls which either expired OTM, or I closed to rolled out to further expirations. Continued weakness in GLD allowed me to add to a few gold & miner plays; money rotated into growth & tech names after the Fed & economic data this week suggests the major hiking is done...so the weakness made sense...and I welcomed the ability to add to my position sizes. Next Week: Hoping to see a little more upside early in the week so I can take some swing trades off the table, and roll those profits into short trades. QQQ is already into major resistance, and SPY + IWM are very, very close. Many big tech names are also getting very overextended in the short term, for example: AAPL. We will just need to see if the upside can carry through the weekend or not; this year that's been the million-dollar question: will positive momentuum from the week before carry into the coming week? Negative momentuum has been easier to 'transfer' week to week, which makes sense given the bear market. Time will tell... Here is the latest snapshot of my trading portfolio; this account is now 60% invest, after I put in a deposit. The inject improved my TradeStaton-Robinhood split: 80% / 20%. Thanks for stopping by, V
YTD Rollup: July 2022 Account Growth/Loss: +52.98% Return on Risk: +99.77% Net Gain/Loss: +3,840.99% Russell: -16.04% S&P 500: -13.34% NASDAQ: -20.66% Total Trades: 381 Winners: 374 Losers: 7 Scorecard: 98.16% Summary: Good month, and an interesting month. My trade volume was half what I've done in previous months. As a result, the amount of risk capital I used was down by about a third; I increased my position sizes, but took fewer positions. While this caused my net gain to be also be about half of what it has been, my actual rate of return was about the same as previous months. In short, I traded less, but the trading I did do was on par return-wise to what I have been able to accomplish...so no complaints here. On the investment side of my account, here is a snapshot of my current long term positions; I reduced my cost basis by 0.9% this month through selling covered calls: Thanks for stopping by -- and good luck next month everyone, V Account Growth/Loss = dividing my total profit/loss for the year by my account balance from January 1, 2022 -- deposits & withdraws not included / do not affect % Return on Risk = dividing my total profit/loss for the year by the aggregated amount of money I had to put at risk for each trade Net Gain/Loss = simply adding up all the winning trades' % gains and subtracting out all the losing trades' % losses Scorecard = keep in mind, many of my trades are deep OTM option writing plays
