SteadyOptions is an options trading forum where you can find solutions from top options traders. Join Us!

We’ve all been there… researching options strategies and unable to find the answers we’re looking for. SteadyOptions has your solution.

NikTam

CML TradeMachine Trade Ideas

1,717 posts in this topic

Recommended Posts

50 minutes ago, Maji said:

I think the markets are gyrating while waiting for the FOMC meeting outcome.. the announcement is at 2pm on 12/13/2017. 

I am hoping that the markets take off after that... before the so called correction that all the pundits are talking about :)

Not sure about markets, but I hope ADBE and COST take in the right direction. :)

Edited by IgorK

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

ADBE and COST perking up.  I will hold into tomorrow since CML back-testing indicates better results than selling the day before earnings (today).

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

COST sold for 3.1, 40% profit target hit. ADBE and ORCL back in the green. MU still looking grim, but not worth the commissions to close. Refraining from adding wood to that one.

  • Upvote 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
20 hours ago, IgorK said:

 

Added one contract for each position. Now 2.68 for ADBE and 2.35 for COST. Hopefully it recovers.

Sold COST for 3. 26.86% profit.

Sold ADBE one for 2.70, one for 3. Foes at 2.54 on average after accidental day trading.  3.69 profit. may reenter for ADBE.

Thanks guys.

Edited by IgorK

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, NikTam said:

ADBE and COST perking up.  I will hold into tomorrow since CML back-testing indicates better results than selling the day before earnings (today).

Cost starting up retreat. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Closed my second pass at adobe for 40% at 4.00, and it just kept popping. It's around 4.25 now. ORCL is threatening breakeven while MU will have to be saved in earnings. I'd need a pop of like 6% to save breakeven. Ugh.Ah well, win some lose some but it looks like I should have been strict with my stoploss.

  • Upvote 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 11/30/2017 at 7:51 AM, cuegis said:

I also bought bought the $1.50 calls before the breakout because , it was APRIL, you were probably REALLY paying .48 cents of extrinsic value, because they were in the money by .20 cents.

Then I loaded up on April $2 calls, There is SO much time, and it is happening now, in November

With rad delaying earnings  report, are you still holding onto this or is this a warning of bad news. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
17 minutes ago, Sirion said:

Closed my second pass at adobe for 40% at 4.00, and it just kept popping. It's around 4.25 now. ORCL is threatening breakeven while MU will have to be saved in earnings. I'd need a pop of like 6% to save breakeven. Ugh.Ah well, win some lose some but it looks like I should have been strict with my stoploss.

Looks like I was too eager with ADBE yesterday :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
4 minutes ago, siddharth310584 said:

With rad delaying earnings  report, are you still holding onto this or is this a warning of bad news. 

Well, as a general, or pretty absolute, rule, I never hold positions through earnings. And that applies to the mostly delta neutral trading I do.

But, with a directional trade, I would never hold through earnings.

This is a strange one though because of it's unique factors. Namely, that it is .30 cents, expires in april, and is so close to ATM.

I hate to use the word "hope" but, the CML software has shown that it is a common tendency among "certain" stocks, to historically move higher, in the 3,5, or 7 day period leading up to earnings.

Unfortunately, I don't see that coming up on CML as a normal tendency of RAD.

So, I am going to see how it behaves now that we are approaching the period leading up to earnings, and depending on what it does (i.e. IF it were to rally leading up to earnings), I would dump it just before, as I would with anything else.

If it does nothing, I will have to decide as we approach earnings.

Because it has SO much time on it, i might, in this case, hang on to part of it.

But, I want to see what develops ( or not) between now and then.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
5 hours ago, Sirion said:

Closed my second pass at adobe for 40% at 4.00, and it just kept popping. It's around 4.25 now. ORCL is threatening breakeven while MU will have to be saved in earnings. I'd need a pop of like 6% to save breakeven. Ugh.Ah well, win some lose some but it looks like I should have been strict with my stoploss.

ORCL sold for 1.23, 18% gain. Crossing my fingers for MU.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

My Pre-Earnings Momentum trades this week were a mixed bag.  I sold ADBE this morning in the first 30 min for a 30% profit.  Very nice. Then I watched COST jump in first few minutes but missed the exit,  After that it was just teeth grinding until the finish when I got out in the final hour with a 15% loss.  COST had great back-testing results -- but past results are no guarantee of future behavior.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
16 hours ago, ykotowitz said:

No trigger yet.I think there are at least 2 more days to go.

Thanks.  I see. Had to read it again. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Its been a bit quiet on the CML board of late. I missed out on the pre-earnings trades for some of the biggies this week, but an interesting post-earnings trade is coming up for FDX.

http://www.cmlviz.com/cmld3b/index.php?number=11860&app=news&cml_article_id=20171217_how-to-trade-options-after-earnings-in-fedex-fdx&source=TM_insights

 

It's a IC to be opened 2 days after earnings, and closed 21 days after earnings.The history on this trade looks good with 338% return over the last two years.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
12 minutes ago, zxcv64 said:

Its been a bit quiet on the CML board of late. I missed out on the pre-earnings trades for some of the biggies this week, but an interesting post-earnings trade is coming up for FDX.

http://www.cmlviz.com/cmld3b/index.php?number=11860&app=news&cml_article_id=20171217_how-to-trade-options-after-earnings-in-fedex-fdx&source=TM_insights

 

It's a IC to be opened 2 days after earnings, and closed 21 days after earnings.The history on this trade looks good with 338% return over the last two years.

 

 

6 minutes ago, akito said:

Yup, that one does look to be a good one. I'm planning on trying it out. I think @krisbee had mentioned this one in the FDX trade idea topic.

Yes, it was mentioned in FDX topic. Just  caution for guys small accounts:  

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi everyone!  It's my first day in SO and my first post, but Ive been using CML Trade Machine for a few months.  I've had a pretty good success using the PE trades, not so much with the TTM squeeze trades.  I'm looking forward to learning and trading with everyone.  Lots of great discussions across the SO forums. 

Concerning the CML 2 day post FDX IC...it looks like IV has dropped pretty sharply to ~ 15%.  Down to levels below the last JAN. and will possibly rise 2-5% over the next 3 weeks.  I have never traded a 3 week IC, I usually us 45-60 day expirations.  When I model the P/L on the shorter IC, the 5% swing has a big impact.  What do you guys think?  BTW I am using Fidelity's IV/HV index comparison, so if you see something different let me know.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
22 minutes ago, cwerner376 said:

Hi everyone!  It's my first day in SO and my first post, but Ive been using CML Trade Machine for a few months.  I've had a pretty good success using the PE trades, not so much with the TTM squeeze trades.  I'm looking forward to learning and trading with everyone.  Lots of great discussions across the SO forums. 

Concerning the CML 2 day post FDX IC...it looks like IV has dropped pretty sharply to ~ 15%.  Down to levels below the last JAN. and will possibly rise 2-5% over the next 3 weeks.  I have never traded a 3 week IC, I usually us 45-60 day expirations.  When I model the P/L on the shorter IC, the 5% swing has a big impact.  What do you guys think?  BTW I am using Fidelity's IV/HV index comparison, so if you see something different let me know.

Kim opened unofficial test IC here. Not sure if it is still possible to get in.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, cwerner376 said:

Hi everyone!  It's my first day in SO and my first post, but Ive been using CML Trade Machine for a few months.  I've had a pretty good success using the PE trades, not so much with the TTM squeeze trades.  I'm looking forward to learning and trading with everyone.  Lots of great discussions across the SO forums. 

Concerning the CML 2 day post FDX IC...it looks like IV has dropped pretty sharply to ~ 15%.  Down to levels below the last JAN. and will possibly rise 2-5% over the next 3 weeks.  I have never traded a 3 week IC, I usually us 45-60 day expirations.  When I model the P/L on the shorter IC, the 5% swing has a big impact.  What do you guys think?  BTW I am using Fidelity's IV/HV index comparison, so if you see something different let me know.

I think your analysis is very pertinent.  I think I will pass on this one.  Three week trades can be excruciating when starting at a disadvantage.  

Edited by NikTam

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

NKE had earnings today.  I looked up an after-earnings play in CML Trade Machine and came up with a trade selling a put spread 2 days after earnings that looks pretty decent.  For a 2 year study it's showing an average 16% return per trade, and 85.7% win rate.  That would be next Tues.

http://tm.cmlviz.com/index.php?share_key=20171222191253_eB1F0dbwOI4vSXDe

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Kirk, what parameters are you using for the backtest? When I open your link, I get a 45.9% return in three years (opening trade 2 days after earnings, closing 30 days), and the 'Days to expiration' is set at 40.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
47 minutes ago, zxcv64 said:

Kirk, what parameters are you using for the backtest? When I open your link, I get a 45.9% return in three years (opening trade 2 days after earnings, closing 30 days), and the 'Days to expiration' is set at 40.

It defaults to 3 years instead of the 2 that I was checking, plus it put in 40 days to expiration.  Also, it's open 2 days after earnings, close 29 days.  Although, 30 days to expiration gives a better return.

Edited by kirkr1517
spelling error

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
3 hours ago, krisbee said:

There is no way he can present this backtest seriously!

I'm looking at his link to this backtest , and although I have not gone through all 254 individual trades.  Just looking at the first 10 trades shows that he is buying the long call for .28, but, more importantly, selling the short call for .02 cents ,TO OPEN!.

Almost the same thing on the next trade, selling the short leg for .08 cents to open.

Either he is not serious , or I am reading the wrong test. But, I am using HIS link, and all of the other numbers coincide with the text of his description.

Do I even need to ask the question? Or, I would hope, it does not need any explanation.

Selling anything for .02, or .08, to open, as part of a position,....to what end?

It is not a hedge. It's purpose is to be the "short leg" of a calendar. Really? .02 cents.?..., .08 cents? Then it goes on, .12 cents, then, once again .02 cents.

It was not a one time mistake, it is done repeatedly . He is selling the short leg , of a calendar, for .02 cents to open, many, many times.

Why not just sell it for .00?

I'm surprised that nobody else has brought this up.

 

I have to add this. I just found several cases where he is selling the short leg for .01 cent to open!

Edited by cuegis

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
10 hours ago, krisbee said:

 

6 hours ago, cuegis said:

There is no way he can present this backtest seriously!

I'm looking at his link to this backtest , and although I have not gone through all 254 individual trades.  Just looking at the first 10 trades shows that he is buying the long call for .28, but, more importantly, selling the short call for .02 cents ,TO OPEN!.

Almost the same thing on the next trade, selling the short leg for .08 cents to open.

Either he is not serious , or I am reading the wrong test. But, I am using HIS link, and all of the other numbers coincide with the text of his description.

Do I even need to ask the question? Or, I would hope, it does not need any explanation.

Selling anything for .02, or .08, to open, as part of a position,....to what end?

It is not a hedge. It's purpose is to be the "short leg" of a calendar. Really? .02 cents.?..., .08 cents? Then it goes on, .12 cents, then, once again .02 cents.

It was not a one time mistake, it is done repeatedly . He is selling the short leg , of a calendar, for .02 cents to open, many, many times.

Why not just sell it for .00?

I'm surprised that nobody else has brought this up.

 

I have to add this. I just found several cases where he is selling the short leg for .01 cent to open!

Agree completely with cuegis on this one. I saw the XLF blog post the other day, then looked at XLF's price over the last 5 years and the current premiums on weekly calls and instantly knew the trade was a great example of why you have to look at trade details and not just trust the backtest alone. But since I'm not a current CML subscriber and they stopped letting non-subscribers view the trade details of the blog posted backtests, I never actually saw the trade details. I did wonder if there was another longer-term setup that might still produce good results. For example, buy a 180DTE long and sell/roll monthly shorts. In its current form, though, its a solid "pass and don't look back"

  • Upvote 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
9 hours ago, greenspan76 said:

 

Agree completely with cuegis on this one. I saw the XLF blog post the other day, then looked at XLF's price over the last 5 years and the current premiums on weekly calls and instantly knew the trade was a great example of why you have to look at trade details and not just trust the backtest alone. But since I'm not a current CML subscriber and they stopped letting non-subscribers view the trade details of the blog posted backtests, I never actually saw the trade details. I did wonder if there was another longer-term setup that might still produce good results. For example, buy a 180DTE long and sell/roll monthly shorts. In its current form, though, its a solid "pass and don't look back"

As I looked at more of the 265 trades, I was absolutely amazed that, they were selling the short leg of the calendar , to OPEN, at .01 cent, a significant percentage of the time , to call it part of the "norm" of this strategy.

Even without the fact that it is a majority of the time, that they are selling the short leg for .01 to .03 cents, I personally don't feel that this is a candidate worth considering at all, because, ALL options prices are way too low, all of the time, to make it a viable "calendar type" candidate.

Maybe there is another strategy that would make sense "in reality, not theory", for XLF.

They show what the total return of XLF was, over the same period of time. And This strategy , in a backtest, produced returns, that were approx 10 times greater. So you have to ask "where did those returns come from?"

They didn't come from accumulating .01 cent 256 times.

The only place left is using the "leverage" of the long gamma of options, that created the greater returns. If not, then what did?

The whole advantage , of a calendar, is that the part that you are selling having a reasonable amount of premium, to create a profit.

You are collecting .01-.03 cents, on the short leg, the majority of the time,  so I would guess that you would get a very similar result, if you ran this backtest, but only buying the long call part of the trade, and not selling anything against it.

It would have to be.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I couldn't get any details when I open the XLF link above, so I can a similar test for 1 year, and then looked into the details - the very first trade has an error.

Check out the price of the short call below - it is a long way OTM and yet it has three times the price of the long ATM call. This is clearly wrong.

I have found many bugs in CML in the last we week, and this is a good example. I have realised that any back-test which shows a %Return figure of 1000% + is due to an error in the data.

 

xlf.JPG

Edited by zxcv64

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
13 minutes ago, zxcv64 said:

I couldn't get any details when I open the XLF link above, so I can a similar test for 1 year, and the looked into the details - the very first trade has an error.

Check out the price of the short call below - it is a long way OTM and yet it has three times the price of the long ATM call. This is clearly wrong.

I have found many bugs in CML in the last we week, and this is a good example. I have realised that any back-test which shows a %Return figure of 1000% + is due to an error in the data.

 

xlf.JPG

It's enough to make consider cancelling it but, I was one of the 1st subscribers, so I got "grandfathered" in to their best "Pro" version for $49.

Anyway, I have never used their backtests to 100% recreate the plan right down to the exact way they do it.

More often, than not, I just use it to trigger ideas, which I then tweak on my own into something that makes sense.

There are many of their strategies that don't make  enough sense, by following their exact plan, but, with a few tweaks,can be a great underlying,at a specific time, to tweak into something of your own creation..

I have even looked at some of their suggestions,and when I just pulled up a basic, daily, price chart, said "wow, this is damn bullish" ,and just bought a vertical.

Or, if it was something I would plan to hold for 1-3 days, maybe even just buy outright 50-60 delta calls (or puts),and make it a purely directional trade.

Although the majority of my trading is delta neutral , premium selling strategies, mostly of commodities (they definitely provide higher premiums than stock, all things equal)....I am not opposed to an occasional directional trade.....Or a butterfly, for example, that is leaning in one direction.

 

In crude Oil futures options, for example,...if I go out to March (which expires in Feb), I am able to collect,as much as 75%+ of the distance between strikes, on a butterfly.

And, defying the "science" of options theta...they lose value very fast . Sometimes just as fast as equity options that have 1/2 as much time remaining.

Edited by cuegis

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I like CML, it's a really fun toy, but am cautious until the results prove themselves. So, for a month now, I have been on a mission to take as many CML trades on as possible (on a tiny allocation, of course) and see what my results look like. By the end of Jan, I will have probably completed about 50-70 CML trades and will document my findings here.

If the results look good, then I'll formulate a structured approach and create a separate CML portfolio with a sizable deposit.

 

(PS - I opened that GC butterfly trade you mentioned last week. Am dipping my toes at the moment in commodities.)

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
6 minutes ago, zxcv64 said:

I like CML, it's a really fun toy, but am cautious until the results prove themselves. So, for a month now, I have been on a mission to take as many CML trades on as possible (on a tiny allocation, of course) and see what my results look like. By the end of Jan, I will have probably completed about 50-70 CML trades and will document my findings here.

If the results look good, then I'll formulate a structured approach and create a separate CML portfolio with a sizable deposit.

 

(PS - I opened that GC butterfly trade you mentioned last week. Am dipping my toes at the moment in commodities.)

 

I really like GC and CL (Crude).

Crude futures options , unlike equity/etf options, are x1000, rather than x100. It is 1000 barrels of oil.

So, .50 cents, for example, is $500, not $50.

I have been selling $3.00 wide iron butterflies, with about 50-60 DTE, for more than $2.00. I shoot for $2.20, which is nearly collecting 75% of the distance between strikes.

 

The real, reality of these trades, is that you can sell them between $2.00- $2.20 credit, with 50-60 DTE, and buy them back for $1.40 in 2-3 weeks.

I have seen studies that show that a 10 delta CL option, with 60 DTE,  loses half of it's value in 2 -3 weeks.

You don't get anything close to this in stocks and etf's. If you are a premium seller.

There is also great liquidity,and just as good, or better opportunities, in Soybeans, Sugar, etc.

Lately I have been having a "logistical" problem, that is driving me crazy.

Even with a fairly large account, like 6  figures, I find that I have a lot of commodity based positions on, so the cash has to be swept over to the commodity section of my account, leaving me with less than $25,000 in the equity section, and I'm not allowed to open new equity/etf positions, because of the pattern day trader rule.

The PDT rule does NOT require that you have a net liq value of $25,000 to make day trades.

You have to have $25,000 in the "Securities" portion of your account. You, theoretically, could have a $1 million account, and have $976,000 in commodity positions, and your account is considered too small to meet the PDT rule!

It's crazy!

That rule is just about the sickest rule ever, and needs to be revoked immediately.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Do you always go to the atm strike ? Are there any times that you look to open ? Can I just open on Tuesday morning or is there anything to keep in mind ? What is your exit criteria if it moves?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
22 minutes ago, siddharth310584 said:

Do you always go to the atm strike ? Are there any times that you look to open ? Can I just open on Tuesday morning or is there anything to keep in mind ? What is your exit criteria if it moves?

I do look at charts. But, I never use any indicators, because they can "suggest" a direction that you might want to see.

Strictly looking at price, is looking at reality.

I try not to predict the future, if I can help it. But, for example, if we are in a clear uptrend, or just broke out of a sideways pattern into a new direction, then I will center the Iron Butterfly above ,(or below) the market, depending which way the price is trending.

Crude has been in a sideways range for awhile now, which has been good for selling delta neutral premium.

But, I do unusual things. For example, I will center more of my I butterflies ATM, but have a few above, and below the market, which widens out my potential range of profitability.

Crude has been especially good because you get a large up day, immediately followed by a large down day....all within the larger range.

So, on a large up day, I might buy back some (profitable, for that day) short put spreads. Then on a reversal, put it back on. But, only on a small piece of it.

You want to keep the base position pretty close to how you set it up...as long as it is behaving itself.

But, a sideways market is one of the main criteria for a good candidate to sell delta neutral premium.

So, I would'nt put on a position like that , in something that is in a clearly trending market, which most stocks have been for awhile now, as you know.

That is why I like commodities, because there is enough stuff that is not all correllated the same way.

I also found that going out further in time, and collecting a lot of premium, can give back great returns faster than you would think.

Like the TLT trade that everyone has been doing.

I'm looking out to June , where I can collect $4.20 , on the same $5.00 wide fly that everyone else is collecting $2.50 with 40 DTE.

My risk is MUCH less, and if it pops out of the range, it allows much more time to recover back.

with Jan or Feb, you are not collecting enough premium, and if it does pop out of the range, you 

1- do not have enough premium to protect yourself and

2- do not have enough time for it to return to some sort of mean reversion.

Try doing strategies that you have already been doing (premium collection strategies), but go much further out in time.

You might be surprised how quickly they lose value. while giving you more protection.

Edited by cuegis
  • Upvote 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The comments regarding CML go in line with what I've been saying from the very beginning - you have to dig into the trade details to validate things.   Its a powerful tool and fairly easy to use, and its great for that 1st level of trade research, but don't take the summary stats at face value until you validate things.   Its a pretty new tool and with that comes bugs, IMO they need to add some sanity check logic to their trades.   Some of the problems may be with their data, but that doesn't excuse not filtering for things that just don't look right.   Some particular things to look out for when looking at trade details (in addition to the out of whack pricing that Cuegis mentioned in his post):

  • Selling a vertical for more than the width of a spread.
  • non-equal wing widths on condors/butterflies, sometime the difference is minimal but I've seen quite large differences too.
  • Non equal weighted trade iterations.  Technically not a bug, but when you have backtests of stocks whose price has changed greatly over time (GOOG, AMZN, VXX, SVXY come to mind off the top of my head) you wind up with some trade iterations factoring into the overall gain much more than others.  Also, if you are backing during both earnings and non-earnings periods then options are more expensive during earnings and this causes earnings trades to count more toward the overall than non-earnings trades do.  This could be solved by simply taking the average of each trade iteration, but is something you can't do right now in CML.
  • Going short options for a few cents, or selling credit spreads for a small fraction of the spread width.  Again, technically not bugs, but something you would never do in your actual trades.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 12/23/2017 at 12:09 PM, cuegis said:

I do look at charts. But, I never use any indicators, because they can "suggest" a direction that you might want to see.

Strictly looking at price, is looking at reality.

I try not to predict the future, if I can help it. But, for example, if we are in a clear uptrend, or just broke out of a sideways pattern into a new direction, then I will center the Iron Butterfly above ,(or below) the market, depending which way the price is trending.

Crude has been in a sideways range for awhile now, which has been good for selling delta neutral premium.

But, I do unusual things. For example, I will center more of my I butterflies ATM, but have a few above, and below the market, which widens out my potential range of profitability.

Crude has been especially good because you get a large up day, immediately followed by a large down day....all within the larger range.

So, on a large up day, I might buy back some (profitable, for that day) short put spreads. Then on a reversal, put it back on. But, only on a small piece of it.

You want to keep the base position pretty close to how you set it up...as long as it is behaving itself.

But, a sideways market is one of the main criteria for a good candidate to sell delta neutral premium.

So, I would'nt put on a position like that , in something that is in a clearly trending market, which most stocks have been for awhile now, as you know.

That is why I like commodities, because there is enough stuff that is not all correllated the same way.

I also found that going out further in time, and collecting a lot of premium, can give back great returns faster than you would think.

Like the TLT trade that everyone has been doing.

I'm looking out to June , where I can collect $4.20 , on the same $5.00 wide fly that everyone else is collecting $2.50 with 40 DTE.

My risk is MUCH less, and if it pops out of the range, it allows much more time to recover back.

with Jan or Feb, you are not collecting enough premium, and if it does pop out of the range, you 

1- do not have enough premium to protect yourself and

2- do not have enough time for it to return to some sort of mean reversion.

Try doing strategies that you have already been doing (premium collection strategies), but go much further out in time.

You might be surprised how quickly they lose value. while giving you more protection.

@cuegis Thanks for sharing this idea.  It has features I find pretty compelling.  Not the least of which is a longer  time frame to manage profit and loss.  

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 12/22/2017 at 2:40 PM, cuegis said:

There is no way he can present this backtest seriously!

I'm looking at his link to this backtest , and although I have not gone through all 254 individual trades.  Just looking at the first 10 trades shows that he is buying the long call for .28, but, more importantly, selling the short call for .02 cents ,TO OPEN!.

Almost the same thing on the next trade, selling the short leg for .08 cents to open.

Either he is not serious , or I am reading the wrong test. But, I am using HIS link, and all of the other numbers coincide with the text of his description.

Do I even need to ask the question? Or, I would hope, it does not need any explanation.

Selling anything for .02, or .08, to open, as part of a position,....to what end?

It is not a hedge. It's purpose is to be the "short leg" of a calendar. Really? .02 cents.?..., .08 cents? Then it goes on, .12 cents, then, once again .02 cents.

It was not a one time mistake, it is done repeatedly . He is selling the short leg , of a calendar, for .02 cents to open, many, many times.

Why not just sell it for .00?

I'm surprised that nobody else has brought this up.

 

I have to add this. I just found several cases where he is selling the short leg for .01 cent to open!

It looks like almost buying a long call... Financials have been on an uptrend, so if I test with long calls, I think I will get similar results. It might be cherry picking, but I will check this idea and see. I have sent a number of reports, especially about CML's squeeze setups, to the help desk and got emails back that they were looking into it but never a resolution. They now changed the squeeze set up significantly. I am starting to think that this thing is over optimized and maybe working in a bull market. We have to remain vigilant while taking these trades.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
6 minutes ago, Maji said:

It looks like almost buying a long call... Financials have been on an uptrend, so if I test with long calls, I think I will get similar results. It might be cherry picking, but I will check this idea and see. I have sent a number of reports, especially about CML's squeeze setups, to the help desk and got emails back that they were looking into it but never a resolution. They now changed the squeeze set up significantly. I am starting to think that this thing is over optimized and maybe working in a bull market. We have to remain vigilant while taking these trades.

You know...they are putting together a piece of software that has great potential but, before, releasing, and taking money, from customers, I think it is very much their responsibility to do their due diligence.

There are enough , way out of the ordinary, results,that should obligate them to look deeper , into the specifics, of those type of backtests.

When you get 2500% returns, I t is your responsibility to dig deep, and find out why, before releasing it , and taking money, from customers.

Here is a thought....out of all of their backtests, that show very outsized returns, what percentage of those backtests created their profits, from one way , or another, just being long deltas, with the wind at your back to catch you..

It's like throwing a dart at a dartboard, and hitting the bullseye vs, just hitting the wall.

If you just threw a dart , and you win, if you only hit the wall....that would be like going long some form of delta position, convieniently, over the past 3 years. Statistically, you most likely would have hit the wall.

Where are the backtests that show 500%-1000% returns on a down move, with short deltas?

What percentage of those (if any at all) are there, compared to outrageous returns from long deltas.?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Just a reminder to everyone who is using Trade Machine.

Use it all you want, it has tremendous potential to open up your mind to new ideas, and even stocks that you may never even thought of looking at.

I run tests ,sometimes, for hours, and find some things that appear to be amazing.

But, when I open the "trades" tab , to look at each, and every specific trade, I have been finding an endless amount of errors.

Some are very small, but they are outright wrong.

For example, I was just examining the individual entries, and exits, on a strategy that looked very good.

I found that it bought xyz call for $1.48, and closed it out for $1.58, and it showed that trade creating a loss of .02 cents.

I had zero commissions as the default, so it did not come from commissions.

I know that this is a very small example, but, wrong is wrong.

So, if you find something you like, please make sure to carefully examine the actual trades, to make sure that everything is what you are assuming it is.

Edited by cuegis
  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
3 minutes ago, krisbee said:

Not expected for another couple of weeks (1/17), but a good one to keep on the radar.

Now that things are getting back into swing, anyone looking at any other pre-earnings trades?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
13 minutes ago, Sirion said:

Not expected for another couple of weeks (1/17), but a good one to keep on the radar.

Now that things are getting back into swing, anyone looking at any other pre-earnings trades?

INFY, NFLX

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
18 minutes ago, Sirion said:

Not expected for another couple of weeks (1/17), but a good one to keep on the radar.

Now that things are getting back into swing, anyone looking at any other pre-earnings trades?

Do you mean pre- earnings trades to follow this particular strategy with?

Or  our usual calendars , and straddle approaches?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
6 minutes ago, cuegis said:

Do you mean pre- earnings trades to follow this particular strategy with?

Or  our usual calendars , and straddle approaches?

Was referring to the pre-earnings momentum trades as part of this thread, though other CML ideas I guess are relevant. This would probably be a good time to re-visit splitting this trade up, as it's clearly getting plenty of activity. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account. It's easy and free!


Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.


Sign In Now

  • Similar Content

    • By Kim
      Before ever entering a trade, we need a plan. For example, we want to know whether we should avoid earnings, or trade with earnings. Knowing where to place a stop loss, and even a limit gain. Knowing which strike to trade. Knowing whether to trade the monthly or weekly options.

      But it even goes further – even if we know which direction we think the stock will go – do we sell puts or sell a put spread? Do we buy calls or a call spread? Should we be net owners or sellers of volatility? Has there been measurable edge in the trade in the past, or not?

      This is how people profit from the option market — it’s preparation, not luck.

      All of these questions were designed to be answered with the CMLviz Trade Machine, which is an option back-tester created by Capital Market Laboratories (CML). I have been in the same circle as this company’s founder for years.

      CML is in fact a member of the famed Thomson First Call roster. Their research sits side-by-side with Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Barclays and the rest of the bulge bracket banks, but they have a different goal: To break the information asymmetry that exists between the top 0.1% and the rest.

      To learn more about the product, you can tap on the link below. You will see a 4- minute video demonstration. I think, for many of you, it will become a valuable tool to supplement your trading and the analysis that Steady Options provides.

      Tap Here to Watch the Video and Sign Up

      P.S. Our members know that I rarely promote other products. But this one really got me excited. I encourage you to give it a try. They plan tons of additional functionality in the upcoming months, including custom strategies to trade around earnings which can be a great benefit for us.
       
      CMLviz Trade Machine is constantly adding new features, and the price will be increasing as new features are added. Those who sign up are grandfathered at the price they signed up even as the prices increase.
    • By Kim
      Couple of weeks ago, the CML published an article The Volatility Option Trade After Earnings in PayPal Holdings Inc.

      The setup was:

      "The week following PayPal Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:PYPL) has had one fairly consistent pattern -- volatility. If we take a myopic view after looking at the last three-years and focus on the last six-months, that pattern is yet more decisive. Irrespective of whether the earnings move was large or small, if we tested waiting one-day after earnings and then holding a long out of the money (40 delta) strangle for one-week (using two-week options), the results were quite strong. This trade opens one-day after earnings were announced to try to find a stock that moves a lot after the earnings announcement."

      If we bought the out-of-the-money strangle in PayPal Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:PYPL) over the last three-years but only held it after earnings we get these results: 
       
      PYPL
      Long out-of-the-money strangle   % Wins: 64%   Wins: 7   Losses: 4   % Return:  174%  Tap Here to See the Back-test

      The backtest also defines very clear rules for the trade:

      * Open the long out-of-the-money (40 delta) strangle one-calendar day after earnings.
      * Close the strangle 7 calendar days after earnings. 
      * Use the options closest to 14 days from expiration (but more than 7 days). 
       
      On July 25, I posted the link to the PYPL potential trade on the forum:
       


      On the next day I posted my entry:



      Please note that this trade didn't make it into the official model portfolio due to higher potential risk - hence I mentioned "small allocation only".

      The next day, some of the members started posting their exit prices:





      I was out a day later for 27% gain:



      Some members did even better:



      And finally an interesting comment from another member:



      Those are real trades, from real traders, posted in real time. 

      Attention tastytrade: Buying premium does work - you just need to know how to do it.

      This is how people profit from the option market. It's not guessing or speculation. Take a reasonable idea or hypothesis, use a rationale system to help overcome cognitive biases, and test it. Tap the link below to learn more: 

      Tap Here to See the Tools at Work 

      When you combine the best options trading community with the best backtester, the results are unbeatable.

      Related articles:
      Lessons From Facebook Earnings Disaster The Incredible Option Trade In VXX Post Earnings Option Trade In Facebook Why We Sell Our Straddles Before Earnings Earnings Momentum Trading In Google
    • By Ophir Gottlieb
      How to Trade Options Before Earnings in Fabrinet (NYSE:FN)
       
        How to Trade Options Before Earnings in Fabrinet (NYSE:FN)
      Date Published: 2017-06-28 

      This article can be seen in a video or as a full written article below the video. 
       

      PREFACE 
      Trading options in Fabrinet (NYSE:FN) using a short window before earnings are released has been a staggering winner over the last several years. 

      This is it -- this is how people profit from the option market. Identifying strategies that are tightly risk controlled, take no stock direction risk and no earnings risk. Strategies that are immune from a bull or bear market. 

      STORY 
      Everyone knows that the day of an earnings announcement is a risky event for a stock. But the question every option trader, whether professional or amateur, has long asked is if there is a way to profit from this known implied volatility rise. It turns out, that over the long-run, for stocks with certain tendencies, the answer is actually, yes. 
        Yes, there is a systematic way to trade this repeating phenomenon, without making a bet on earnings or stock direction.

      THE SET UP 
      What a trader wants to do is to see the results of buying an at the money straddle a couple of weeks before earnings, and then sell that straddle just before earnings. Here is the setup: 
       

      We are testing opening the position 14 days before earnings and then closing the position 1 day before earnings. This is not making any earnings bet. This is not making any stock direction bet. 

      Once we apply that simple rule to our back-test, we run it on an at-the-money straddle: 

      RETURNS 
      If we did this long at-the-money straddle in Fabrinet (NYSE:FN) over the last three-years but only held it before earnings we get these results: 
         
      Click here to see the back-test live

      That's a 162% return over the last three-years, with 9 winning trades and 3 losing trades. But, let's take a step toward risk reduction before we move forward. 

      While we are looking at this same trade, let's also set a rule that if at any point in the two-week period the straddle loses 25% of its value, we just close it and wait for the next pre-earnings cycle. While we're at it, we will do the same with the upside -- that is, if at any time during the two-weeks the straddle goes up 25%, we take the profits and close the trade. 

      For clarity, this is what we test: 
       

      And now we can see the results over the same three-year period: 
         
      Click here to see the back-test live

      While we are taking 75% less risk, we are seeing about the same results -- we will continue down this risk adjusted path for the rest of this dossier. 

      Digging Deeper 
      Now we can see the results over the last two-years: 
         
      Click here to see the back-test live

      That's a 126% return and 7 winning trades with 1 losing trade. Remember, this trade takes no stock direction risk and no earnings risk -- this is completely agnostic to a bull or bear market. 

      Even further, that 126% actually came on just 16 weeks of trading (2-weeks per earnings cycle, 8 earnings cycles), which is over 400% annualized returns. 

      Now we look at the last year: 
         
      Click here to see the back-test live

      We see a 65.2% percent return on 3 winning trade and 1 losing trade. 

      Finally, we can look at the last six-months: 
         
      Click here to see the back-test live

      That's 40.1%, winning both of the last two pre-earnings trades. 

      WHAT HAPPENED 
      This is it -- this is how people profit from the option market. Identifying strategies that are tightly risk controlled, take no stock direction bets or earnings risk. It's preparation, not luck. 

      To see how to do this for any stock we welcome you to watch this quick demonstration video: 
      Tap Here to See the Tools at Work 

      Thanks for reading. 

      Risk Disclosure 
      You should read the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options. 

      Past performance is not an indication of future results. 

      Trading futures and options involves the risk of loss. Please consider carefully whether futures or options are appropriate to your financial situation. Only risk capital should be used when trading futures or options. Investors could lose more than their initial investment. 

      Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results. The risk of loss in trading can be substantial, carefully consider the inherent risks of such an investment in light of your financial condition.
    • By Ophir Gottlieb
      How to Profit from Trading Options in Autodesk Inc Right After Earnings
       


      Date Published: 2017-05-18 
      Written by Ophir Gottlieb 

      LEDE 
      While Autodesk Inc (NASDAQ:ADSK) just crushed earnings again, sending shares soaring in the after hours trade, one option trade after earnings has been a consistent winner. It takes no earnings risk, little stock direction risk and over the last year has never lost while returning over 160% annualized returns. 

      The Trade After the Excitement 
      While most of the focus is on the actual earnings move for a stock, that's the distraction when it comes to the option market. For Autodesk Inc, irrespective of whether the earnings move was up or down, if we waited one-day after the stock move from earnings, and then sold an out of the money put spread, the results were very strong. 

      We can examine this, objectively, with a custom option back-test. Here is our earnings set-up: 
       


      Rules 
      * Open short put spread 1 day after earnings 
      * Close short put spread 29 days later 
      * Use the option that is closest to but greater than 30-days away from expiration 

      Here are the results over the last year: 
       


      That's a 47.3% return, with 4 winning trades and 0 losing trades. The total holding period was less than 4 full months, meaning the annualized return was over 160%. No earnings risk was taken -- this is not a coin flip over earnings. 

      The Logic 
      This strategy works beautifully in many companies where heavy stock volume follows the earnings release. The logic behind this trade follows a narrative that even after a bad earnings release, if we wait a day after, we find the stock at a point of equilibrium. 

      If it gapped down -- that gap is over. If it beat earnings, the downside move is already likely muted. Here's how this strategy has done over the last 6-months: 
       


      That's a 21.3% return, on 2 winning trades and 0 losing trades. Since this is a total of a two-month holding period, that 21.3% is actually over 120% annualized. 

      If you're curious, yes, this also produced positive returns over the last 3-years. Here are those results. 
       


      Now we can find some comfort in this approach where is shows 9 winning trades and just 2 losing trades over the last three-years. 

      WHAT HAPPENED 
      There are patterns to stock behaviors before and after earnings and those patterns reveal opportunities in the option market, without taking the actual risk of earnings. You can find them, stock by stock, Apple, Google, Netflix and of course Autodesk Inc are just a handful of examples. There has been edge here with this strategy. 

      To see how to do this for any stock and for any strategy with just the click of a few buttons, we welcome you to watch this quick demonstration video: 
      Tap Here to See the Tools at Work 

      Thanks for reading. 

      Risk Disclosure 
      You should read the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options. 

      Past performance is not an indication of future results. 

      Trading futures and options involves the risk of loss. Please consider carefully whether futures or options are appropriate to your financial situation. Only risk capital should be used when trading futures or options. Investors could lose more than their initial investment. 

      Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results. The risk of loss in trading can be substantial, carefully consider the inherent risks of such an investment in light of your financial condition. 

      The author has no position in Autodesk Inc (NASDAQ:ADSK) as of this writing. 

      Back-test Link
       
       
       
       
       
    • By Ophir Gottlieb
      How to Trade Options Before Earnings in Broadcom Limited (NASDAQ:AVGO)

       
      How to Trade Options Before Earnings in Broadcom Limited (NASDAQ:AVGO)
      Date Published: 2017-05-15 

      PREFACE 
      Trading options in a short window before earnings are released benefits from the rising implied volatility but avoids the risk into the actual earnings release and also avoids any kind of stock direction risk. 

      This approach has returned a annualized rate of 198%. Now that's worth looking into. 

      STORY 
      Everyone knows that the day of an earnings announcement is a risky event for a stock. This can be explicitly seen in the option market, where the implied volatility (the expected stock move) rises into the earnings event. 

      The question every option trader, whether professional or amateur, has long asked is if there is a way to profit from this known volatility rise. It turns out, that over the long-run, for stocks with certain tendencies like Broadcom Limited (NASDAQ:AVGO) the answer is actually, yes. 
       
      Yes, there is a systematic way to trade this repeating phenomenon, without making a bet on earnings or stock direction.

      THE SET UP 
      What a trader wants to do is to see the results of buying an at the money straddle a few days before earnings, and then sell that straddle just before earnings. The goal, is two-fold: (i) to benefit from that known implied volatility rise, and (ii) to own the straddle for a very short period of time when the stock might move 'a lot,' but taking no earnings bets. 

      If either of those two phenomena occur, there's a very good chance this wins, if neither occur, the amount risked is normally quite small. Here is the setup: 
       


      We are testing opening the position 6 days before earnings and then closing the position 1 day before earnings. This is not making any earnings bet. This is not making any stock direction bet. 

      Once we apply that simple rule to our back-test, we run it on an at-the-money straddle: 

      RETURNS 
      If we did this long at-the-money (also called '50-delta') straddle in Broadcom Limited (NASDAQ:AVGO) over the last three-years but only held it before earnings we get these results: 
       
      Long At-the-Money Straddle * Monthly Options * Back-test length: three-years * Open 6-days Before Earnings * Close 1-day Before Earnings * Holding Period: 5-Days per Earnings   Winning Trades: 5 Losing Trades: 7 Pre-Earnings Straddle Return:  17.1%  Annualized Return:  102% 
      We see a 17.1% return, testing this over the last 12 earnings dates in Broadcom Limited. That's a total of just 60 days (5 days for each earnings date, over 12 earnings dates). That's a annualized rate of 102%. 

      We can also see that this strategy hasn't been a winner all the time, rather it has won 5 times and lost 7 times, but here's the key -- it wins about half of the time, but the average gain per winning trade is substantially larger than the average loss on a losing trade: 
       


      Consistently Successful 
      This idea has also been a successful approach over the last two-years:
      Long At-the-Money Straddle * Monthly Options * Back-test length: two-years * Open 6-days Before Earnings * Close 1-day Before Earnings * Holding Period: 5-Days per Earnings   Winning Trades: 4 Losing Trades: 4 Pre-Earnings Straddle Return:  22%  Annualized Return:  198% 
      Now we see a 22% return, testing this over the last 8 earnings dates which is a annualized rate of 198%. 

      Yet again, we see a trade that wins about half the time, but the average win is much larger than the average loss: 
       


      If you really want to see how we found this, and how to do it for other stocks like Apple, Google and Amazon, here is a 1-minute and 34-second video that every professional option trader would rather that you don't see. 

      Learn more here: Try the Back-tester Yourself

      WHAT HAPPENED 
      There are patterns to stock behaviors before and after earnings and those patterns reveal opportunities in the option market, without taking the actual risk of earnings. You can find them, stock by stock. This is how people profit from the option market -- it's preparation, not luck. 

      To see how to do this for any stock we welcome you to watch this quick demonstration video: 
      Tap Here to See the Tools at Work

      Thanks for reading. 

      Risk Disclosure 
      You should read the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options. 

      Past performance is not an indication of future results. 

      Trading futures and options involves the risk of loss. Please consider carefully whether futures or options are appropriate to your financial situation. Only risk capital should be used when trading futures or options. Investors could lose more than their initial investment. 

      Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results. The risk of loss in trading can be substantial, carefully consider the inherent risks of such an investment in light of your financial condition. 

      Back-test Link
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
    • By Ophir Gottlieb
      The Secret Behind Options Pre-Earnings Trading in Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)
       
       
      Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC): The Wonderful Secret Behind Options Pre-Earnings Trading
      Date Published: 2017-05-4

      PREFACE 
      There is a wonderful secret to trading options right before earnings announcements in Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) , and really many stocks, that benefits from the rising implied volatility but avoids the risk into the actual earnings release and also avoids any kind of stock direction risk. 

      THE WONDERFUL SECRET 
      What a trader wants to do is to see the results of buying an at the money straddle a few days before earnings, and then sell that straddle just before earnings. 

      The goal, is two-fold: (i) to benefit from that known implied volatility rise, and (ii) to own the straddle for a very short period of time when the stock might move 'a lot,' but never take the risk of actually owning options during the earnings release. 

      If either of those two phenomena occur, there's a very good chance this wins, if neither occur, the amount risked is normally quite small. Here is the setup: 
       


      We are testing opening the position in Intel Corporation 6 days before earnings and then closing the position right before earnings. This is not making any earnings bet. This is notmaking any stock direction bet. 

      Once we apply that simple rule to our back-test, we run it on an at-the-money straddle: 

      RETURNS 
      If we did this long at-the-money (also called '50-delta') straddle in Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) over the last three-years but only held it before earnings we get these results: 
       


      We see a 47.8% return, testing this over the last 12 earnings dates in Intel Corporation. That's a total of just 72 days (6 days for each earnings date, over 12 earnings dates). That's a annualized rate of 242%. 

      We can also see that the win/loss rate is split with 6-wins and 6-losses, yet the return is enormous. That means the winning trades are much larger than the losing trades, which is exactly what a successful trading strategy attempts to do. No magic bullets -- rather smart methodologies for wealth creation. 

      MORE TO IT THAN MEETS THE EYE 
      While this strategy is benefiting from the implied volatility rise into earnings for Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), what it's really doing is far more intelligent. 

      The ideal stocks for this strategy have a couple of common characteristics: 

      (i) The companies rarely pre-announce earnings -- this is an investment that does not look to make an earnings bet, so an earnings pre-announcement is the opposite of what we're hoping for. 

      (ii) The underlying stock price of these companies tend to move a lot (or some) as earnings approach and various institutions and traders shuffle the stock price around in anticipation of the earnings result. The more one sided the outside world starts betting on direction -- up or down, the better it is to own the straddle. 

      WHAT HAPPENED 
      This is it -- this is how people profit from the option market -- it's preparation, not luck. 

      Test the results on Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc, and the results are staggering. 

      To see how to do this for any stock and for any strategy with just the click of a few buttons, we welcome you to watch this quick demonstration video: 
      Tap Here to See the Tools at Work 

      Thanks for reading. 

      Risk Disclosure 
      You should read the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options. 

      Past performance is not an indication of future results. 

      Trading futures and options involves the risk of loss. Please consider carefully whether futures or options are appropriate to your financial situation. Only risk capital should be used when trading futures or options. Investors could lose more than their initial investment. 

      Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results. The risk of loss in trading can be substantial, carefully consider the inherent risks of such an investment in light of your financial condition. 

      The author has no position in Intel Corporation Inc (NASDAQ:INTC) as of this writing. 

      Back-test Link (does require custom earnings settings).
       
       
       
       
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.