Weekly: Grateful heart

I’ve been thinking about all I have to be grateful for during this Thanksgiving week. Sure almost all have some “missing tiles,” in the mosaic of life. However, there are many great and wonderful tiles present. Those that live in the U.S., that have the time, money and intelligence to invest have a cornucopia of riches. Ok, it was a quiet week of holiday trade. New positions in AVB DE PANW

Here are the trades (p=puts, c=calls, number near end is price per contract, sell means sell-to-open, cover means buy-to-close)

Mon Third week option expiration frees up a lot of buying power.

Sell WYNN strangles:
Sell WYNN Dec 145 p 77
Sell WYNN Dec 172.5 c 34

Sell SPY DecW4 241 p 40
Sell QQQ DecW4 140 p 23

Sell TLSA NovW4 330 c 20

Tue Sell SPG Jan 140 p 73Sell NFLX Dec 180 p 58

Sell PANW Dec 142 p 65
By the end of the day Palo Alto Networks fades and my new position is in the red.

Wed Deere higher after earnings, I sell strangles
Sell DE Dec 155 c 11
Sell DE Dec 135 p 45

Sell AAPL DecW4 160 p 36
Sell AVB Jan 170 p 95

Monthly: Shorter days, less trading, 44-4 Grade B

As the days grow shorter, so does my time for the stock market. I count 44 winners, 4 loser for the Novemeber option cycle, self-grade B. I make modest gains, slightly closing the gap between my portfolio and buy-and-hold of SPY.

Here are a few etfs, best to worst YTD:
EEM +33.7% Emerging market equity
SPY +15.4% S&P 500, U.S. large cap

GLD +12.1% gold
IWM +10.1% Russell 2000, U.S. small cap

SLV +7.9% silver
TLT +6.1% 20-year U.S. treasury bonds

my trading account +15.4% right with SPY, but SPY also has +1.5% in dividends.

With less time, I will tend to be ever more cautious. The bull market is intact. Corrections are likely to be shallow, but eventually we will get a scare. The big one? Likely a good ways off, considering how much chatter there still is about a crash. Seems like only a few people have the money and mentality to invest in the market, that the mania often seen at major tops seems far off. Most of the chatter at the gym, the coffee shop or church isn’t about the stock market. Of course, there will be a correction, a bear market, but for now, seems like most corrections are shallow.

Bear market? Again, look for an inverted yield curve, transports leading the market lower. Semi conductors and financials can also lead the market lower. Yes, valuations are stretched, but they have been for a few years now. A blow off top could bring about a sharp down turn, but it would be from higher levels.

Weekly: ROKU YY

I add new longs in the volatile stocks ROKU YY. The options aren’t liquid, so use caution. Other than that, not much going on. My time and energy for trading is low this time of year, so I am doing fewer trades. Here are the trades (p = puts, c = calls, sell means sell-to-open, cover means buy-to-close, any percentages are basis the premium collected, the number near the end is price per contract).

Mon Sell AAPL Dec 155 p 30
Sell BABA Dec 165 p 72

Sell BABA Dec 220 c 22
Sell WYNN Dec 135 p 54

I take profits, most are in the 90% to 95% range:
Cover BRKB Nov 170 p 01
Cover WYNN Nov 143 p 05

Cover CMG Nov 325 c 05
Cover IBB Nov 285 p 05
Cover BA Nov 210 p 01

Tue Cover BA Nov 285 c 01
Cover ULTA Nov 175 p 05

Sell IBB Dec 330 c 65
Sell PYPL Dec 67.5 p 26

Sell FB Dec 160 p 39
Sell BWLD Dec 110 p 30

Wed Cover AAPL Dec 200 c 03
Sell AAPL Dec 185 c 27

Sell NVDA Nov 220 c 19

Thu New positions in two not-so-liquid underlyings.
Sell YY Dec 90 p 45

Sell ROKU Dec 25 p 45

Fri Cover CAT Dec 155 c 02
Cover TSLA Nov 250 p 01
Cover TSLA Nov 350 c 02

Sell NFLX Dec 220 c 23
Sell NFLX Dec 170 p 42

Sell TSLA NovW4 340 c 41
Sell TSLA NovW4 287.5 p 34

Sell WMT Dec 90 p 23

Weekly: NVDA chugs ahead

I do better this week. Not quite as scatterbrained, but I have a lot on my mind besides the stock market. Highlights of the week are reducing risk in BRKB and a good earnings report in NVDA.

Here are the trades (p = puts, c = calls, sell means sell-to-open, cover means buy-to-close, percentages are based on the premium collected, number near the end are price per contract).

Mon Sell MCD Dec 185 c 12
Sell QCOM Dec 50 p 16Cover MCD Nov 170 c 172 for a 500% loss

Tue Cover M Nov 18 p 120 for 350% loss
Sell RCL strangle: Sell RCL Dec 115 p 69
Sell RCL Dec 145 c 24

Cover MCD Nov 145 p 04 for 85% profit

Wed Cover BRKB Nov 180 p 34 for 85% profitCover BRKB Nov 185 p 164 for 33% profit

New longs:

Sell WYNN Nov 143 p 34
Sell MAR Nov 115 p 35

Thu Stock market sells off, then recovers. I make some minor moves
Cover BRKB Dec 185 c 283 for 50% profit
Cover BRKB Dec 185 p 415 for breakeven profit

Sell BRKB Dec 195 c 38
Sell NFLX Nov 207.5 c 24

Fri Nvidia earnings good. I add layers.
Sell NVDA Dec 260 c 40
Sell NVDA Dec 180 p 66

Sell TSLA Dec 375 c 58
Sell TSLA Dec 225 p 59

Sell RCL Dec 135 c 45

Cover SPG Nov 135 p 05 for 90% profit
Cover AAPL Nov 148 p 02 for 98% profit

Weekly: The absent minded trader

I feel absent minded this week, forgetting many minor things. In the stock market, I took assignment on sold AAPL calls and paid for it. Even with this unforced error, I eek out a gain for the week. It is one reason I like to play with the odds in my favor. There is more room for mistakes. Tesla’s dump on earnings news doesn’t burn me, because I sold options so far out of the money.

My mind is elsewhere at times, so try to stay out of trouble. Here are the trades (p = puts, c = calls, sell means sell-to-open, cover means buy-to-close, number near end is price per contract).

Mon A blue Monday for me as AAPL continues higher after my failure to close before getting assigned. Cover 100 AAPL shares 166.07 effectively about a 3000% loss on the 162.5 calls I sold that got assigned. Down the rabbit hole I go, and I come out a lot worse.Cover AAPL Nov 165 c 525 for a 260% loss
Sell AAPL Nov 185 c 35

Sell NVDA Nov 165 p 55

Wed Sell QQQ Nov 144 p 24
Sell SPY Nov 248 p 24

Thu Tesla lower on earnings, I add more layersSell TSLA Nov 250 p 57
Sell TSLA Nov 350 c 55

Fri Sell MCD Nov 160 p 23
Sell TSLA Nov 350 c 28

Sell AAPL Dec 200 c 18
Sell AAPL Nov 162.5 p 36

Close some winning positions to free up buying power:
Cover AAPL Nov 135 p 02
Cover SPY Nov 235 p 05
Cover TSLA Nov 405 c 04