Capitalizing on Market Volatility with Options

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avatar程俊Dream
08-21 19:02

US Treasury Bond Purchases: Gold Surges, Dollar Plunges—But Is a Bull Market Really Here?

Last night, I shared my latest assessment of gold, equity indices, crypto assets, and the US dollar in the futures livestream room on the Tiger Brokers platform following the release of news regarding US Treasury purchases of government bonds. The central focus of the livestream was how to determine whether the market had shifted from a consolidation phase into a new trending phase by analyzing correlations among different asset classes. For those who were unable to attend, the replay of the video course is available below: Massive US Treasury Rescue Buying! Gold Surges, the Dollar Plunges: What Trading Opportunities Lie Ahead? I will now categorize and summarize the key information and trading-related insights fro
US Treasury Bond Purchases: Gold Surges, Dollar Plunges—But Is a Bull Market Really Here?
Selling Volatility For Income!  Market has been Quite volatile past 2 months and it's has been good for my tiger option selling Book. Selling cash secured puts, a slow and steady trade that has a high win rate or POP or 80-85%

Small Pullback

$SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust(SPY)$ QQQ suddenly initiated a small pullback, with the target being the starting price from August 3, around 710. SPY also looks like it's heading for a pullback to 760. This pullback isn't actually that small, but compared to July, it is. In terms of magnitude, it's simply giving back the excess gains from August 4. Even if it pulls back to 760, SPY's August gains would still be positive. The VIX 24 Call opened 146,600 contracts $VIX 20260916 24.0 CALL$ . Compared to the previous 28 Call opening, this is relatively moderate — suggesting that this pullback will likely push the VIX only into the low 20s. $SanDisk Corp
Small Pullback

GPU Rental Prices:The Wealth Code

$CoreWeave, Inc.(CRWV)$ $NEBIUS(NBIS)$ are in an awkward position — especially CRWV. The key takeaway from earnings isn't in the financial results themselves, but outside the filings: GPU rental prices. It's similar to how storage stocks are priced — earnings only become interesting after long-term agreements (LTAs) are signed; before that, it's all about whether storage prices are going up. For data centers, both of these companies are heavily leveraged and asset-heavy. Whether they can turn a profit depends entirely on whether GPUs can be rented at good prices. If GPU rental prices fall, even stellar earnings won't save the stock — because institutions will reason that if you're renting cheap but bought
GPU Rental Prices:The Wealth Code

IGV : 50,000 Contracts of 90 Puts Opened!

$SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust(SPY)$ The news came out the day before yesterday that Anthropic is planning an IPO in September or early October. That would be right after Triple Witching on 9/18 — which roughly translates to bullish after Triple Witching. The bullish playbook is probably similar to before: continue squeezing the shorts, with the broader market dipping first then rallying. Oh, SPY might not drop, but some sectors will. IGV opened 50,000 contracts of the September 18-expiry 90 put$IGV 20261218 90.0 PUT$ — a buy-side bearish bet with a notional value of approximately $13.5 million. On the same day, PLTR opened 28,000 contracts of the 140 put
IGV : 50,000 Contracts of 90 Puts Opened!

Semiconductor Sector Capped Again

$SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust(SPY)$ This week, SPY is being held below 780 — not my opinion, but dictated by the Bull Call Spreads: $SPY 20260814 780.0 CALL$ $SPY 20260814 788.0 CALL$ Rotation is back in play, with semiconductors once again becoming the sector being reined in. Last week's big regulator, NVIDIA, pulled back, while pharmaceuticals and software rebounded. $SpaceX(SPCX)$ There are two possible scenarios for this week: one is the stock being trapped in a 125–135 consolidation range; the other is breaking above 135 and trading in a 135–155 range. Either way, selli
Semiconductor Sector Capped Again

8/3–6 Seller Volatility Ranges & Simulation Recap

Color Legend 🔴 Red: Broke above/below the forecast range, or broke above/below the simulated strike alternative. 🟠 Orange: Briefly broke above/below the range, but closed within the strike range. I. This Week's Simulation Results: ✅ All 4 Trades Profitable TSLA Sell Call: 8/7 expiry 340 — Note: Ample buffer on the upside. AAPL Sell Put: 8/14 expiry 290 — Note: No material negative surprises from earnings. AMD Sell Put: 8/14 expiry 400 — Note: Sustainable (roll to next week's 400 Put). INTC Sell Put: 8/14 expiry 90 — Note: Sustainable (roll to next week's 90 Put). The seller environment was broadly favorable this week, but there is an important risk reminder in the broader market section below. II. Broader Market Assessment (SPY & QQQ) Coordinated U.S.-Japan FX intervention + surging eq
8/3–6 Seller Volatility Ranges & Simulation Recap

Elon Musk: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Buying Opportunity

$SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust(SPY)$ Friday's nonfarm payrolls data is the big test, but Wednesday's ADP small employment report showed only 44,000 new jobs — missing expectations — which has made the market less certain about a September rate hike. It's not out of the question that SPY could retrace to 760 over the next two weeks. After that pullback, it's expected to remain in a high-level consolidation range. $SK hynix(SKHY)$ All seven storage companies have now reported earnings: Samsung, Hynix, Micron, SNDK, Kioxia, WDC, and STX. There's nothing wrong with the earnings themselves — the only problem is that prices got too expensive and got in the way of the cloud providers. How could a Korean storage comp
Elon Musk: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Buying Opportunity

8/6 Pre-Market Thoughts: Storage, Gold, and SPCX

One-sentence theme for today: Storage earnings are wrapping up and entering a valuation re-pricing phase; gold is breaking out on rising rate-cut expectations; SPCX faces its first massive lock-up expiry. The common thread across all three: it's not a time to chase highs, but a stage to position cautiously at support levels via Sell Puts. I. Storage Sector: Earnings Behind Us, Entering Valuation Adjustment Phase SanDisk (SNDK): Down ~10.7% pre-market, breaking below the 120-day moving average, with next-quarter revenue guidance below consensus. Western Digital (WDC): Down ~14% pre-market, still holding above the 120-day MA; results fell short of the elevated expectations set by STX's earnings. Key variable: SNDK disclosed an aggregate LTA revenue floor of $93.9 billion — establishing a val
8/6 Pre-Market Thoughts: Storage, Gold, and SPCX

Buy S&P 500!

$SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust(SPY)$ This is the most aggressive single-leg bullish bet I've ever seen: $SPY 20260821 785.0 CALL$  — a block trade buying the August 21-expiry 785 call, opening 85,000 contracts. $SPY 20260814 775.0 CALL$— a block trade buying the August 14-expiry 775 call, opening 85,000 contracts. $SPY 20260918 820.0 CALL$ — a block trade buying the September 18-expiry 820 call, opening 26,000 contracts. Notably, the 785 call is a roll — the previously mentioned $SPY 20260821
Buy S&P 500!

SNDK Earnings Strategy: Price Action Likely to Kioxia

I. Fundamentals SanDisk and Kioxia are 25-year NAND partners, jointly operating the world's largest NAND production facility. Kioxia's earnings have a decisive impact on SNDK. Bullish: Kioxia's Q2 pricing rose +70%, and long-term agreements (LTAs) increased — signaling hyperscaler confidence in demand durability. Bearish: Kioxia's Q1 results and guidance missed expectations, raising concerns about a slowdown in the AI flash memory pricing cycle. Kioxia subsequently announced a 1-for-3 stock split and a buyback of up to ¥800 billion to stabilize sentiment. Key observation: With the stock having already fully corrected in July, Kioxia did not decline post-earnings. It is reasonable to expect SNDK may behave similarly, with price action likely oscillating within the expected range after earni
SNDK Earnings Strategy: Price Action Likely to Kioxia

The Huge Whale

$SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust(SPY)$ I think these two lines are all the headline this article needs today. No need to analyze any other stocks. SPY has rallied to 775 — just close your eyes and pick any stock, and you'd make money. SPY dropped a massive block trade on the market — the August 21-expiry 775 call $SPY 20260821 775.0 CALL$ opened 50,000 contracts (buy-side). And today, more large bullish call trades continued to open during the session: 49,700 contracts of the August 14-expiry 775 call l$SPY 20260814 775.0 CALL$ , and 20,000 contracts of the September 18-expiry 820 call
The Huge Whale

SpaceX's First Earnings: AI Business Is Almost Free

I. Fundamentals: Long-Term Value vs. Near-Term Supply Shock 1. Long-term bull case unchanged, but short-term price under four layers of pressure ① tactical concerns over the upcoming lock-up expiry; ② AI business uncertainty; ③ potential Tesla merger complexity; ④ lower-than-expected passive index buying. As the lock-up expiry passes, the stock is expected to stabilize at some level. 2. Valuation: SOTP stress test suggests AI business is nearly free At the current price of approximately $108/share (~$1.4 trillion valuation), a sum-of-the-parts (SOTP) stress test suggests that just the Space + Connectivity segments alone already support the bulk of the value: Space, benchmarked against Blue Origin, is valued at roughly $390–650 billion; Connectivity is conservatively valued at over $748 bil
SpaceX's First Earnings: AI Business Is Almost Free

AMD Q2 Earnings Strategy: Targeting 530

I. Fundamentals Citi maintains a Buy rating, naming AMD its top growth semiconductor pick for the second half of 2026. Q2 revenue is expected at $11.3 billion / EPS $1.66, and Q3 revenue at $14.0 billion / EPS $2.28 — both above consensus, driven primarily by upside in server CPUs and AI GPUs. Data center sales for 2026 are projected at $33.7 billion (+103% YoY). Meta has emerged as a key new customer (custom MI450, six-year gigawatt-scale deal with ~$15 billion revenue per GW). AI sales are expected to reach $33 billion in 2027 and $50.8 billion in 2028. TAM has been significantly revised upward: AI accelerators to $1.4 trillion by 2030, data center CPUs to $220 billion (both with CAGRs exceeding 45%). Risk: The stock is already fully priced, with capacity sold out, limiting near-term ups
AMD Q2 Earnings Strategy: Targeting 530
Noteworthy Points 1. AMD and SPCX Report Earnings After the Close on 8/4 (Tuesday) Given that both ARM and INTC delivered earnings beats, AMD, as the leading competitor in the same space, is unlikely to post numbers inferior to those two. Furthermore, AMD's post-earnings price movement will likely have a knock-on effect on ARM and INTC (sector-linked co-movement). 2. SPCX: High Growth Potential, But Two Near-Term Wildcards While SPCX possesses extremely high growth potential, two factors warrant attention: On 8/6 (two trading days after earnings), $116 billion in locked-up shares will become eligible for sale — the potential selling pressure should not be overlooked; On 8/3, Elon Musk echoed a follower's view on X that "this is a once-in-a-lifetime buying opportunity" — a bullish sentiment

The Team Can Lose, But SPY Must Not Fall

"Stock God" Leopold was margin-called and forced to transfer his holdings — Citadel Securities swooped in and picked them up at a bargain price. The very next day, the market rebounded sharply with a massive surge. There's something worth reminding everyone about: Citadel Securities acquired Morgan Stanley's options market-making business in 2025 and is likely the largest options market maker in the market today. As we all know, options liquidity is provided by market makers, so Leopold's large block buy orders were essentially visible chips in the eyes of the market makers. This reminds me of the old saying — "the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind." The large block trades I've been tracking might just be fat lambs waiting to be sheared in the eyes of the market makers
The Team Can Lose, But SPY Must Not Fall
avatarMkoh
07-30
Pullbacks suck. One day everything's grinding higher on AI euphoria, the next you're watching the major indexes drop 5-10% while your portfolio takes a beating. I've lived through enough of these—2022, the 2025 wobbles, and now this latest bout of volatility—to know that sitting there frozen isn't a plan. Options can be a powerful tool here, but only if you use them with discipline. They're not lottery tickets. First, Get Your Mindset Right A pullback isn't automatically a crash. Markets can correct on profit-taking, Fed jitters, or rotation out of overvalued names while the economy stays decent. Your goal isn't to call the exact bottom. It's to protect what you have, reduce risk, or position for the bounce without blowing up your account. Practical Options Strategies for Pullbacks 1. Prot

Amazon Earnings Options Strategy: 225 Is the Toggle, 265 Is the Ceiling

I. Spending + Debt Issuance + Cash Flow Risks For this earnings report, Amazon faces the risk of upward revisions to capital expenditures or operating cash flow falling short of expectations. Competition for retail market share remains intense, which could further pressure retail margins. Amazon commands a significant share of the credit market, coupled with persistent oversupply from ongoing bond issuance — its credit performance is expected to lag behind the sector. Amazon is projected to add another $25–35 billion in debt by the end of 2026. Even the bond market is pricing in risks from Amazon's debt issuance and spending — this originates from the same valuation-killing dynamic seen with META and GOOGL. The make-or-break factor on the equity side is whether AWS growth can justify these
Amazon Earnings Options Strategy: 225 Is the Toggle, 265 Is the Ceiling

Apple Earnings Options Strategy: Has the Upside Already Priced In?

I. Core Perspective: Apple's Key Factor Is Not Capex, but Expectation Realization Unlike MSFT / META / GOOGL, Apple is not a story of heavy AI spending and compressed free cash flow — it is a cash cow by nature. Therefore, for this earnings report, the specific numbers are not the most critical factor. The key question is: Apple has already risen 16.88% this month — have the good news already been priced into the stock? The current price sits at approximately 32x FY27 P/E, approaching valuation peaks. That is the true variable that will determine post-earnings price direction. June quarter iPhone likely beat slightly, but September quarter gross margin guidance may be on the low side, with gross margins expected around 46.8% (consensus 47.4%). Services growth faces headwinds, with the App
Apple Earnings Options Strategy: Has the Upside Already Priced In?

MU and SKHY Rebound Sharply — Worried About a Pullback?How to Manage Risk with Options?

$Micron Technology(MU)$ $SK hynix(SKHY)$ recently rebounded alongside the broader memory and semiconductor sectors after pulling back sharply from their recent highs. Both stocks surged around 18% on July 30, quickly recovering part of their earlier losses. The rally was mainly supported by improving market expectations for the memory supply outlook, as well as continued investment in AI infrastructure by major technology companies. From a fundamentals perspective, Micron’s latest results showed record revenue and earnings for the third quarter of fiscal year 2026. Management also provided a stronger outlook for the fourth quarter. However, a sharp one-day rebound does not ne
MU and SKHY Rebound Sharply — Worried About a Pullback?How to Manage Risk with Options?