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NikTam

CML TradeMachine Trade Ideas

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If anyone else is using OCO orders on TOS it is totally screwed up right now.  Treats the linked sell position as a naked option which wreaks havoc with Buying Power.  I am going to have to unwind all my OCO's to fix it -- TOS admits to the problem and have no fix date currently.  They will not force liquidation or do a margin call because it is a software glitch, but you will not be able to trade if account is erroneously calculated to be over Buying Power limit.

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7 minutes ago, krisbee said:

Earnings date is Nov 09 (according to volatilityhq.com)

Even if volatilityhq.com tries to get the confirmation date from multiple sources, my standard disclaimer is that only the official company IR website is the 'real' date.

https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/nvidia-sets-conference-call-for-third-quarter-financial-results-6648163

Quote

 

CFO Commentary to Be Provided in Writing Ahead of Call

NVIDIA will host a conference call on Thursday, Nov. 9, at 2 p.m. PT (5 p.m. ET) to discuss its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2018, ending October 29, 2017.

The call will be webcast live (in listen-only mode) at the following websites: www.nvidia.com and www.streetevents.com. The company’s prepared remarks will be followed by a question and answer session, which will be limited to questions from financial analysts and institutional investors.

Ahead of the call, NVIDIA will provide written commentary on its third-quarter results from its CFO. This material will be posted to www.nvidia.com/ir immediately after the company’s results are publicly announced at approximately 1:20 p.m. PT.

To listen to the conference call, dial (877) 223-3864 or, for those outside the United States, (574) 990-1377, conference ID 96232617.

A replay of the conference call will be available until Nov. 16, 2017, at (855) 859-2056, conference ID 96232617. The webcast will be recorded and available for replay until the company’s conference call to discuss financial results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2018.

 

 

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Hi @Kim, I am not sure if this is a proper topic to ask questions, if not please move my post to the right place.

I was watching BERY and found short straddle pre-earnings had 100% win rate (60 / 50 /40 /20 delta) over the last 2 years.

As at SO , we are only short straddle/strangle as hedge, I would like to have your comments on short straddle alone.

http://tm.cmlviz.com/index.php?share_key=20171102073742_52lVvAjk7dBJwDwB

 

Thanks.

Ryan

Edited by RyanHo
change a few words

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1 hour ago, RyanHo said:

 

Hi @Kim, I am not sure if this is a proper topic to ask questions, if not please move my post to the right place.

I was watching BERY and found short straddle pre-earnings had 100% win rate (60 / 50 /40 /20 delta) over the last 2 years.

As at SO , we are only short straddle/strangle as hedge, I would like to have your comments on short straddle alone.

http://tm.cmlviz.com/index.php?share_key=20171102073742_52lVvAjk7dBJwDwB

 

Thanks.

Ryan

Does CML give you the drawdowns for each trade? I'd be interested to know that before entering short straddle trades like this.

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3 hours ago, CPO said:

Does CML give you the drawdowns for each trade? I'd be interested to know that before entering short straddle trades like this.

It was a 100% winner over the period examined, so there was no drawdown.  The margin held for each trade is indicated by the 'risked' line item in each box.  In this case, it was $850 - $1000 per trade.  Too much for the return for me.

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Just now, clems said:

 

It was a 100% winner over the period examined, so there was no drawdown.  The margin held for each trade is indicated by the 'risked' line item in each box.  In this case, it was $850 - $1000 per trade.  Too much for the return for me.

So during each trade the underlying never closed outside of the breakevens?

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In my opinion, the return is too small, the margin is too high and the risk is too high. If you want to short those options, calendar is a much better choice.

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2 minutes ago, RapperT said:

closed mar for 30% as im traveling.  adp, yum, qgen all losers

is ADP, YUM , QGEN was the sent out by CMLVIZ? I know NVDA, and MAR was published by them.

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So far I've had 8 winners, 2 losers (ADP, YUM) and one BE (QGEN). 

RBC is my biggest worry right now.

I'm also still in HD, NVDA and SYY.

Edited by NikTam

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23 hours ago, NikTam said:

NVDA is a beast.  The probability is that it will be a P-E winner.  11: 1 over past three years -- but only 50/50 past 6 months.  So I have my Stop Loss in place at 25%.

http://tm.cmlviz.com/index.php?share_key=20171101150227_yNTmWHmSFZUQyF7Y

It is a  real beast. Hope it gets to original price.

Edited by IgorK
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1 hour ago, Kim said:

In my opinion, the return is too small, the margin is too high and the risk is too high. If you want to short those options, calendar is a much better choice.

Point taken. Thanks Kim.

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2 hours ago, krisbee said:

is ADP, YUM , QGEN was the sent out by CMLVIZ? I know NVDA, and MAR was published by them.

not sure, from this thread. 

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Exited RBC for 35% loss.  Broke my 25% stop loss rule -- because TOS OCO is messed up.

NVDA is down -- I assume because TSLA supply relationship is now in question --- so I sold some 20 delta calls which effectively creates a vertical spread.  The CML back-testing shows very similar results btw the single long call and the call debit spread vertical.  No surprise.  It does move my BE in the right direction if NVDA does't take off as it usually does before earnings.

Edited by NikTam

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SYY about half way to 40% gain target.  Tomorrow is exit day.

HD really down - but it's a 14 day trade so will hang on.  Looked at selling calls but not good timing for that -yet.  As with NVDA, single long call and call debit spread results very similar in back-test results. 

 

In fact, I'm wondering why I wouldn't normally do call spreads in future for these pre-earnings plays.  Just a bit more complicated to track and exit; so liquidity becomes an even more critical issue for me.

Edited by NikTam

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@NikTam Thank you for sharing the trades.. After the earnings season settles down, would you be able to share the overall performance of these directional earnings trades? Win rate, average profit and average loss, etc? Thank you..

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@NikTam

You mentioned that you are having decent success with CML. How are you using it. I have been following the trades that they send out in the discover tab but most are ending up losers. Just closed ATVI today for another loser. Are you creating other trades as well and if so, how are you going about it.

 

Thanks,

 

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Can someone with a CML account pls check if there is any potential trade available for FOSL?

Earnings are on AC 07th Nov.

I had a quick look at the RV charts etc, and it seems that it may be worth buying long calls (or straddle) in this. The rational is :

- volatility rockets in the last 3-4 days before earnings

- historically, the RV holds up very well for this stock (due to above)

- the stock has fallen in a week from 9.3 to 7.75, and seems quite volatile

- negative point - RV is currently about 17.1% whereas the average is about 13.3%, so it's quite pricey 

The market is closed as I type this, so not sure of the spreads, or prices, but would love to hear views on this.

(All above info gained from here :https://www.art-of.trading/graph-straddles/)

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3 minutes ago, NikTam said:

Exited SYY for 40% gain.

Watching HD and NVDA to see if I get a turn-around from yesterday.

Does it make sense to hold NVDA to next week?

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3 minutes ago, NikTam said:

I’m holding into Wed unless I hit 40% gain before then.  Or 25% loss. 

What is your entry? My 125 at 6.40. So 25% loss is 5.12. It's being through this a couple of times already.

EDIT:  25% 4.8

Edited by IgorK

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I just did a very quick 14 day P-E on NTES based on CML back-test (which isn't stellar) and my charting.  Earnings on 11/15.  I got in about an hour ago.  Just exited.  Entered at 6.80 and just exited at 7.80. 

Edited by NikTam

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1 minute ago, NikTam said:

I just did a very quick 14 day P-E on NTES based on CML back-test (which isn't stellar) and my charting.  Earnings on 11/15.  I got in about an hour ago.  Just exited.  Entered at 6.80 and just exited at 8.00. 

Maybe a stupid question but what is p-e ?

Edited by siddharth310584
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@IgorK  I have two 212.5 at 6.35, one 215 at 6.50 and one 215 at 6.00.   I went without the stop loss on NVDA two reasons:  The OCO set up on TOS is not functioning properly.  And NVDA is a very volatile stock and tends to stop out.   It has a very compelling back-test history of rising prices into earnings.  I also sold some calls to make these into vertical positions.  I won't like that when I exit bc I will need to cover those positions before I sell (hopefully) for a profit.

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If anyone's interested I combine technical indicators with the CML back-testing.  My favorites are from John Carter's Simpler Trading team.  I use GRaB candles, the WAVE, Darvas 2.0 and Propulsion (Raghee Horner) and Voodoo Lines and RAF (David Starr) and the Squeeze and 10x (John Carter).  Like many of you I've spent thousands on classes and technology.  Not sure if I've broken even yet :-)   

Edited by NikTam

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On 11/3/2017 at 1:00 PM, krisbee said:

@Ophir Gottlieb Not sure how you say "wins again" in your tweet.

 

I closed NVDA for 17% profit (not sure what percentage is win @Ophir Gottlieb ). I had only 2 contracts. I won't reenter this, and I didn't see this anywhere close to 40%. 

Closed today to avoid holding through weekend. 

 

 

 

Edited by krisbee

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2 hours ago, krisbee said:

@Ophir Gottlieb Not sure how you say "wins again" in your tweet.

nvda.png

Pretty sure the EOD pricing on the prescribed day was very low, and it may have passed 40% gain here.

This is just a timing fluke. NVDA happened to dip significantly after most of us entered. 

On the other side, we've had a couple of trades where we hit 40% before EOD ever hit on some of these trades. 

These things happen.

 

Also, I don't think he can see this forum.

 

I'm holding NVDA. Still below even.

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2 minutes ago, Sirion said:

Pretty sure the EOD pricing on the prescribed day was very low, and it may have passed 40% gain here.

Pretty sure? It's not possible. unless I see real trade transaction. RE Tweeting with the article of 40% profit as winning again is what I'm questioning. Not that it didn't gain. I got profit in both MAR and NVDA. Is the tweet celebrating early, or for which option expiration? 

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3 minutes ago, krisbee said:

Pretty sure? It's not possible. unless I see real trade transaction. RE Tweeting with the article of 40% profit as winning again is what I'm questioning. Not that it didn't gain. I got profit in both MAR and NVDA. Is the tweet celebrating early, or for which option expiration? 

I'm not strongly defending his process, just saying his data is based off of EOD bid/ask, not real fills, just as the rest of the back-test data was. He would have "entered" when NVDA was 207.20, as opposed to ~209 when I opened. That's a very significant difference. 

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Back into NTES on a end of day dip -- half my usual position.

NTES -  P-E Momentum Vertical (bull call spread)   

Buy 40 Delta Call - Sell 45 Delta Call -- Nov 17 Monthly - Close on 11/14 (Earnings 11/15 AMC).

http://tm.cmlviz.com/index.php?share_key=20171103201308_vB7CvubIwJuIohDi

The back-testing does NOT support this trade.  Whatever the outcome, I will leave it out of my study results.

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Pre-Earnings Momentum Trade Results from 10/18 through 11/1.  10 gains, 6 losses. Average gain 32.6%, Average loss 24.2%.  Average duration of trade 1.3 days.  Cost is trading cost -- $1 per contract.  I see that BA cost is incorrect - should be $2 instead of $6 on entry.  Two weeks isn't very long period. I will update in two weeks and see how a month of these trades look -- or until I run out of earnings.  There were about 6 other tickers that looked good in CML that I did not trade because of lack of liquidity, wide spreads, and/or adverse indicators (like pronounced downtrends).

 

2017-11-04_12-47-20.jpg

Edited by NikTam
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  • Upvote 3

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NikTam, 

These are fantastic results and very well presented. There's a lot of useful info in your post and it's people like yourself who make this site awesome.

Can I pls ask :

1) How do you time your entry point? Lets say that CML indicates that you should buy 40 Delta calls on day T-7..... do you simply buy at the mid-market price, ie. almost mechanically? Or do you set BTO orders before the market opens on the day, trying your luck with getting a low entry? Or is it more a case of watching the technical indicators you mentioned earlier and using discretion?

2) I assume the exit point is easier - you probably have GTC orders for 40% gain (or such like).

 

(PS - not to nitpick, on your screenshot, but I make it a total of 9 winners and 6 losers - although this doesn't change your profit figures etc at all.)

 

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@zxcv64  Thanks for your comments!  I am not setting up a BTO but rather watching the market for the first 30-60 minutes of the day.  I typically get in at the Mid.  In addition to the CML back-testing I am using my own brew of technical indicators and I like to use a 30 minute chart to calibrate an entry (or exit).  I do set up GTC at 40% gain unless CML back test shows something extraordinary -- like NVDA which in an uptrend can blow through that on regular basis.

It is interesting that 3 out of 4 of my entries are in the AM.  And the opposite is true for exits.

I am seeing very quickly that liquidity and spreads are important even for these very simple trades.  And volume and open interest.  QGEN spiked up right on cue, but the option price didn't move.  It appeared that there was no interest in (or awareness of?) the options on this stock. I got out at a loss of trading costs.  I noticed that it did go up later in the day -- from 1.00 to 1.10. 

And I still count 10 winners -- There are two separate MAR trades so perhaps that's the discrepancy you're seeing?
 

Edited by NikTam

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23 hours ago, NikTam said:

Pre-Earnings Momentum Trade Results from 10/18 through 11/1.  10 gains, 6 losses. Average gain 32.6%, Average loss 24.2%.  Average duration of trade 1.3 days.  Cost is trading cost -- $1 per contract.  I see that BA cost is incorrect - should be $2 instead of $6 on entry.  Two weeks isn't very long period. I will update in two weeks and see how a month of these trades look -- or until I run out of earnings.  There were about 6 other tickers that looked good in CML that I did not trade because of lack of liquidity, wide spreads, and/or adverse indicators (like pronounced downtrends).

 

2017-11-04_12-47-20.jpg

Wonderful. Specifically, is this the "7 day, pre earnings, long call" trade?

Have you found the results to be better than  3 , or 14 day?

Is 40 delta the "standard" for this trade?

Also, for expiration, is first expiration, post earnings, also the standard?

Obviously, it produced these results because the underlying went up, in the indicated time frame.

But, since that is a given, for the winners, have you experimented with other ways to "be long deltas" during the same time period?

For example, if 40 delta calls are producing such excellent results, wouldn't one expect most forms of long delta to do the same.

Might a long vertical, maybe long 50-60 delta/ short 25-30 delta provide equal, or better results, since there is less exposure to theta/vega, and a long delta of 50-60 is most certainly going to move with the stock.

How did you choose which stocks to use, after running the scan?

Did you just look at % of wins, and pick the most liquid ones, that were 100%?

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53 minutes ago, IgorK said:

NCLH 3 days P-E Momentum http://tm.cmlviz.com/index.php?share_key=s_0_20171104091910_Z2cfR8Wg3V6T982B

What do you think guys?

It's all good but, at this moment in history, you have to always remember that all of these are happening against the backdrop, not only of the longest bull market in history, but the Trade Machine conveniently allows only 3 choices for backtesting.....1,2, or 3 years....and even though this bull mkt has been going on much longer than that, the past 3 years specifically, have shifted up into a much faster paced uptrend.

So, of course that is going to have everything to do with these backtests.

I remember, as recently as 2013-2014, when the VIX was also below 10, at times,everyone saying "VIX can't get any lower, market is getting near the end of it's bull run"..etc.

Then , we have 3-4 more years, to date, of a more exaggerated angle of the uptrend.

Why does the Trade Machine, as part of it's generic backtests, only offer 3 choices for pre earnings, directional backtests.....3, 7, and 14 day UP moves, but there are no choices to run the same backtest for 3,7, and 14 day down moves.

Traders do not ONLY get optimistic, about the upcoming earnings.

Even in bull markets, they also have negative expectations of what is going to happen.

Edited by cuegis

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Lots of good questions and comments and I want to respond when I have more time. 

Btw, If you go into Settings you can adjust up to 5 years.  

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47 minutes ago, cuegis said:

It's all good but, at this moment in history, you have to always remember that all of these are happening against the backdrop, not only of the longest bull market in history, but the Trade Machine conveniently allows only 3 choices for backtesting.....1,2, or 3 years....and even though this bull mkt has been going on much longer than that, the past 3 years specifically, have shifted up into a much faster paced uptrend.

So, of course that is going to have everything to do with these backtests.

I remember, as recently as 2013-2014, when the VIX was also below 10, at times,everyone saying "VIX can't get any lower, market is getting near the end of it's bull run"..etc.

Then , we have 3-4 more years, to date, of a more exaggerated angle of the uptrend.

Why does the Trade Machine, as part of it's generic backtests, only offer 3 choices for pre earnings, directional backtests.....3, 7, and 14 day UP moves, but there are no choices to run the same backtest for 3,7, and 14 day down moves.

Traders do not ONLY get optimistic, about the upcoming earnings.

Even in bull markets, they also have negative expectations of what is going to happen.

Looking specifically at pre-earnings trades I think the idea about stock going up for certain companies. 

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3 hours ago, cuegis said:

Wonderful. Specifically, is this the "7 day, pre earnings, long call" trade?

Have you found the results to be better than  3 , or 14 day?

Is 40 delta the "standard" for this trade?

Also, for expiration, is first expiration, post earnings, also the standard?

Obviously, it produced these results because the underlying went up, in the indicated time frame.

But, since that is a given, for the winners, have you experimented with other ways to "be long deltas" during the same time period?

For example, if 40 delta calls are producing such excellent results, wouldn't one expect most forms of long delta to do the same.

Might a long vertical, maybe long 50-60 delta/ short 25-30 delta provide equal, or better results, since there is less exposure to theta/vega, and a long delta of 50-60 is most certainly going to move with the stock.

How did you choose which stocks to use, after running the scan?

Did you just look at % of wins, and pick the most liquid ones, that were 100%?

@cuegis 3 and 7 day and I'm in one 14 day (HD). 

What I see in this very short time period (two weeks) is that most of the gains happened with a day or two of entry. 

I went with 7 day expiry for the 3 day, weeklies for the 7 day, and monthlies if weeklies weren't available.  Yes, post earnings.

I used 40'ish delta on all but one trade when closest I could get was 50.

I think the long delta alternative you mentioned is a great idea and I started comparing those back-test results in retrospect -- as one would think, they are very similar.  The probability is almost the same, but percentage gains differ a bit.  On my NVDA trade - which I'm still in - I did a vertical.  I think I will lean towards verticals in future on these trades esp if others agree that this is better approach.

Using scan results I then looked at the chart for each symbol and applied my technical indicators.  Mainly I'm looking for pronounced uptrends.  I look at the index that holds the stock and compare -- does it typically underperform, outperform it's index?  Then how is the index looking? etc.  .And I look at liquidity -- spreads, volume, open interest on the 40 delta strikes and adjusted accordingly.  As you know you don't always get an exact 40 delta, could be 37 or 42, etc.

Edited by NikTam

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49 minutes ago, NikTam said:

@cuegis 3 and 7 day and I'm in one 14 day (HD). 

What I see in this very short time period (two weeks) is that most of the gains happened with a day or two of entry. 

I went with 7 day expiry for the 3 day, weeklies for the 7 day, and monthlies if weeklies weren't available.  Yes, post earnings.

I used 40'ish delta on all but one trade when closest I could get was 50.

I think the long delta alternative you mentioned is a great idea and I started comparing those back-test results in retrospect -- as one would think, they are very similar.  The probability is almost the same, but percentage gains differ a bit.  On my NVDA trade - which I'm still in - I did a vertical.  I think I will lean towards verticals in future on these trades esp if others agree that this is better approach.

Using scan results I then looked at the chart for each symbol and applied my technical indicators.  Mainly I'm looking for pronounced uptrends.  I look at the index that holds the stock and compare -- does it typically underperform, outperform it's index?  Then how is the index looking? etc.  .And I look at liquidity -- spreads, volume, open interest on the 40 delta strikes and adjusted accordingly.  As you know you don't always get an exact 40 delta, could be 37 or 42, etc.

Wow!. It seems like you approached this whole thing about 90% the same as I do.

And, as a rule,I always prefer verticals for this type of thing.

The only time I would just buy an outright Call or Put, is if ,I know (well , as much as you can possibly know.....maybe "plan" is a better word) that I am only going to be in the trade for either a day trade, or, maybe 2 days. Because, there really isn't any exposure to theta, or vega, in 1 day. Especially if earnings are approaching.

Anything longer than that I will always do a vertical.

On my verticals, I like to have the long option at around 50-60 delta, and , depending upon the distance, and the pricing, the short might be around 25-30 delta.

And yes, I always look at the charts.

But, I think we use them differently,

I ONLY look at price, no indicators....just a clean bar chart.

The thing that is most important to me, when looking at charts, is looking at different time frames.

You see what the big picture is from the weekly/daily chart, then work your way down to shorter and shorter time frames.

I tend to use the longer term charts to see if there is a real opportunity there, that I can identify.

Then , if down to the 15 minute chart, it still continues to back up my original impression, and I decide to make a directional trade.....then to get my entry and exit timing as precise as possible, I will go down to the 3 and 5 minute chart.

I have had so many winning positions, that I was still holding, and the big picture looked as good, or better, as it has all along, but then when I check a 3 or 5 minute chart, I see a clear sign of a top (bottom). Most likely a divergence, and will exit the trade.

I have found that the vast majority of the time this really works out.

So, different time frames are very important to me and, the reason I keep ALL indicators off of my charts, is because I think they can have the ability to "suggest" something to you, that really is not there.......ex. "oh, the indicators are all way up at the top, in the 90's, it must be at a top".

I don't want to be influenced by any of that.

The only thing that is 100% real is price. A buyer and seller came together, agreed on a price, and made a trade. The chart is just a visual record of that trade.

I also always want to know where we (price) is now, relative to where it has already been.

I don't mean that I believe that looking at the past will allow you to "predict" the future.

It is only for context, just the way I always want to know (for options) , the IV rank/percentile, of any individual underlying that I plan to trade.

Because of the whole "mean reversion" thing!

And always be buying when everyone is dumping, and selling when they are all  chasing  after it.

When you have a winning position, as you are in the midst of an accelerated rally, that is the time to be selling off a few at a time, every few points.

I have been dreaming of having a "physical" tool, like a mouse, that can be attached to you computer.

This is just a vague thought right now but, you plug in the item you will be buying and selling (ex. xyz 50 delta call), as you are viewing the chart, in a very short term time frame, you can literally squeeze the "tool" .to increase/decrease, the size of your position, as fast as the market is moving, then be able to flip a switch to reverse it from "buy" to "sell" as price tops out and declines.

It may just be a dream, and unobtainable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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      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).
       
       
       
       
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