Volatility Fundamentals
Comparing implied vs. historical volatility helps determine whether options are relatively cheap or expensive.
Trading Naked
Naked options mean selling calls or puts with no protection. The upside is limited. The downside can be massive.
Waiting on the Close
Waiting for a bullish or bearish close—especially near key levels—can improve trade timing and tilt the odds in your favor for the next trading session.
What Is High-Frequency Trading?
High-frequency trading sounds intimidating, but it’s really a completely different game than position trading.
Always Watch for This
Your biggest trading cost isn’t commissions. It’s slippage. Wide bid-ask spreads and low volume can quietly hurt execution.
ADX, the Average Directional Indicator
ADX measures trend strength, not direction. If price rises while ADX falls, the trend may be weakening. If price and ADX rise together, the move may have more fuel.
Answer the Right Questions
If you address these questions before each trade, you will begin to think like a professional.
This Tipped Me Off
Early, heavy options activity from large traders signaled bullish momentum and helped explain the S&P 500’s move to new all-time highs.
Economics of Venezuela
Venezuela has massive oil, gold and rare earth reserves, but years of poor infrastructure mean uncertainty dominates near term pricing.
$10,000 Gold?
Gold has been a standout this year as central bank buying continues to rise while supply stays relatively stable.
Better Than Gold
Silver prices are soaring, outperforming gold as industrial demand, supply deficits and safe-haven buying collide.
Finding Bargains
Year-end tax-loss selling and light news flow pushed stocks slightly lower, creating opportunities to find solid companies trading at temporary discounts before the calendar turns.
Gold and Commodities
Rate-cut talk into a strong economy puts commodities in focus. Gold hit another all-time high, with global buying playing a big role.
Santa Claus (Rally) Is Comin’ to Town
Volatility remains unusually low despite rising concerns in AI stocks, suggesting heavy option selling may be masking underlying market risk.
How Pro Traders Find an Edge
Learn how seasoned traders read order flow, momentum and risk to uncover information beyond charts alone. This disciplined approach explains how to define value, time entries and manage risk with precision.
Could Be a Trap
Volatility remains unusually low despite rising concerns in AI stocks, suggesting heavy option selling may be masking underlying market risk.
High Times Ahead
The market stayed quiet near key technical levels, but attention shifted to potential marijuana reclassification, a policy change that could reshape the business outlook for THC-related companies.
Employment Numbers Tomorrow
A quiet market day sets the stage for a major employment data release, with non-farm payrolls, unemployment rate, and earnings reports due tomorrow that could drive market direction.
Data Barrage
The market sits near all-time highs as a wave of key data—jobs, CPI and PCE—arrives next week. These releases may shape expectations for future interest rate moves.
When to Use a Put Back Spread
Discover how the put back spread strategy targets large downside moves with defined risk and high profit potential. A step-by-step COIN example shows how traders structure and analyze this bearish options play.
Fed Prep
A major Fed announcement is coming, and with the market pricing in a likely rate cut, Powell’s tone afterward may determine whether stocks push higher or break lower.