TradingStockz

Weekly Options Play

2015-04-26T11:50:00.000-06:00

During this years earnings I have been dabbling in the weekly options. I've been looking for bigger swings in the call/put trades and leveraging larger trades. To accomplish this, I have been using the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) Last week I had purchased 25 SPY April 24th $213.00 calls for $0.05 and got my opportunity a few days later to sell for $0.11, but missed my sale and never recovered on the trade. The options expired worthless.

The S&P 500 hit a new high on Friday, so my belief is there could be some large movement in either direction. To take advantage of this move I employed a strangle trade on the SPY May 1st weekly. My strike prices are $208.50/$211.50 (put/call).

New Established Positions

2015-04-20T22:05:00.000-06:00

I established some new call positions and picked up some shares in a small company trying to leverage the transition into electronic cigarettes and vaporizers. The company I'm referring to is Vapor Corp (VPCO). I'm not a smoker, but at my place of business, I have seen a large amount of regular smokers now choosing to use electronic cigarettes or vaporizers, so why not invest in what you see? In the options world, I'm feeling bullish on a few areas based on earnings season and large swings in pricing, so picked up some weekly and monthly call options. The first two are highly speculative and are pure volatility plays and I'm looking for large movements over a very short period of time.

Netflix (NFLX) April 24th $630.00 calls. Earnings were released April 15th.

SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) April 24th $213.00 calls.

ULTA Salon (ULTA) June 19th $170.00 calls. Earnings scheduled for May 28th.

New Position in FireEye

2015-04-10T13:41:00.002-06:00

I established my first-ever position in FireEye, INC (FEYE). Instead of purchasing the stock outright, I purchased a few June 2015 calls. Looking at the chart, the stock crossed and seems to be holding above its 50-day moving average. If this remains true, I'm looking for at least a double in my options.

Links to Resources

2015-04-10T10:34:00.000-06:00

Just went through and removed and added a few links to my blog such as a nice link to an investment calendar. I'm always willing to add and share links and other ideas, so don't be shy to contact me and I will review and add your links as applicable. Tks - Justin

Dividend Play and Speculative

2015-03-05T21:54:00.000-07:00

I added to my Annaly Capital Management (NLY), which is a Real Estate Investment Trust with a current dividend well over 10% per annum. I also purchased a large amount of OncoSec Medical Incorporated (ONCS) to leverage a biotech company taking a stab at melanoma.

Update: Momentum Trades Using Options

2015-03-04T14:30:00.004-07:00

I've made a few moves and wanted to bring everyone up to speed.

I closed out my Skyworks Solutions (SWKS) May 2015 $70.00 call at $14.30, which I originally purchased for $8.21. I still have confidence in SWKS, so I took some of the profits and re-invested in a further out of the money call. I purchased a May 2015 $100.00 call for $1.90. This allowed me to lock in some profit and still have some upside with SWKS.

I closed out my Celgene (CELG) May 2015 $125.00 call at $4.00, which I originally purchased for $6.35, so took a loss. Looking back, I had an initial opportunity to make a small profit, but let it run too long.

I'm still in my U.S. Oil ETF (USO). On multiple occasions I've come close to locking in some profit, but willing to let this "run" a bit more. Oil remains very volatile, so looking for a profit over $5.00.

One trade I didn't post here, but did sent out Tweets that I went short Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF). Five days ago, I purchased a May 2015 $25.00 put at $2.50 and following their horrible announcement sold it today at $4.60.

Momentum Trades Using Options

2015-01-20T21:52:00.000-07:00

I entered three new positions using call options: Celgene (CELG) April 2015 $125.00 call for $6.35 Skyworks Solutions (SWKS) May 2015 $70.00 call for $8.21 U.S. Oil ETF (USO) October 2015 $15.50 call for $3.55

The genesis for my first two choices: CELG is continued upward chart pattern and support along 10-week moving average. SWKS is coming out of some consolidation and I'm hoping will springboard higher. The choice to dip my toe into USO is strictly based on the huge downward drop. I'm thinking the volatility will level out and prices will begin to level off if not rise.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

2014-12-24T17:25:00.002-07:00

I just wanted to take a quick second and wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I look forward to 2015 and we will see if the stock market can keep up with its current momentum. If anyone has recommendations or topics of conversation please bring them forward and let's discuss and educate one another. -Justin-

Gold and Siver Debate

2014-12-09T22:14:00.000-07:00

I'm very intrigued on the pro/con discussion on why Gold/Silver should be going higher and the perceived manipulation associated with the aforementioned. Check out these links.
Rob Kirby You Tube
Bill Holter YouTube
GrandMaster Putin
COMEX Corruption?

Sun Worship

2014-11-25T22:44:00.001-07:00

Over the past few months I've seen numerous Solar City trucks and vehicles all over the city and more and more solar panels on rooftops. Is this the time and place to get long? I've toyed with the idea of purchasing some stock, but also may look to purchase some 2016/2017 options.

Inequality for All

2014-11-22T01:56:00.000-07:00

No matter your political affiliation, please check out Mr. Robert Reich's movie "Inequality for All." I recently watched the movie on Netflix and many of the points are well presented using layman terminology. No matter what your beliefs, in my humble opinion we must take control of our spending.

Myriad Genetics Closed Out

2014-11-05T22:04:00.000-07:00

I closed out my full position on Myriad Genetics (MYGN) earlier this week on November 3rd @ $39.46 prior to their earnings announcements, in which they missed street expectations. I'm sitting mostly in cash and looking for new stock opportunities.

FATCA...Good, Bad, Indifferent?

2014-05-11T01:26:00.003-06:00

I've been reading some articles for the past few weeks regarding the upcoming implementation of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). For those who have never heard of FATCA, I suggest you read up and become a bit more familiar with ongoing changes. I'm not trying to be a fearmonger, just trying to bring about a discussion on a topic that is not getting much attention. So, I recommend people all over the world do their due diligence and research FATCA. I'd love to hear thoughts from across the board.

Myriad Genetics

2014-05-11T00:58:00.000-06:00

I recently purchased some shares of Myriad Genetics, INC (MYGN). Went upwards of $42.00, but looking for it to establish a better base and grow from there.

Silver Rebound

2013-05-13T05:41:00.000-06:00

Correction....manipulation, call it what you will. I've gotten long silver via iShares Silver Trust (SLV). I bought January 2014 calls in anticipation of the stabilization and eventual rise in silver prices. I understand that metal commodities have taken a hit over the last few months due to U.S. strength and dollar pricing, however we must not forget that metal commodities are a finite source and short of newly discovered deposits we can't just plant silver, gold, or platinum trees. Good luck to all!!!

Palladium...Metal of Choice for 2013?

2013-01-26T13:22:00.001-07:00

I've been reading many articles and they all seem to hint that Palladium may be the metal of choice based on supply/demand. Attached is an article talking about the supply side of this overlooked metal. Charts courtesy of Kitco.com

Annaly Capital Management Dividends

2013-01-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

Annaly Capital Management, INC (NLY) will be coming out with their earnings announcement on 4 February 2013. For those current holders of the stock we will be receiving dividends on 28 January 2013. I've been a consistent shareholer since 2011 and it's always a good feeling to see those dividend payments come in.

Positions Going into 2013

2013-01-03T22:45:00.001-07:00

Going into 2013 I have two major positions...and those stocks would be U.S. Steel (X) and Annaly Capital Management (NLY). To be honest, I was and remain a bit leary on the NLY holding with all the fiscal cliff talks and potential impacts of tax increases and how future decisions may or may not impact high dividend stocks such as Annaly. That being said, I will continue to hold my position and hopefully still reap the rewards of this high-dividend paying stock.

Trading Futures

2013-01-03T22:27:00.000-07:00

I've ventured into the world of futures. In November, I started trading the e-mini's indexes, gold, and crude. I've been learning alot, but some of my lessons have come with a hefty price tag. I've focused mainly on trading the afterhours market and pre-market hype (I have a typical 9 to 5 job) to see if there is any advantage. Things learned so far.....slippage and over-trading have cut into profits and if not kept in check can easily cut into capital. I need to be less hyper aggressive (a.k.a. focused) and look for larger movements rather than just scalping a few ticks here and there. I've tried a few scalping methods, but I just end up bank rolling my broker with execution and trade fees and little profit on my end. Good trading to all in 2013....Regards Justin

Black Gold Texas Tea

2012-03-30T10:49:00.000-06:00

I've recently taken up a long position in United States Oil (USO) at $39.06 and have even purchased some out of the money calls for July 2012. I'm basically betting on the higher cost of oil as we bump up into the summer and trying to leverage the world-wide uncertainty and instability of the Middle East. The USO recently jumped up into the $41.00 range and I could have cashed for a small profit, but I'm looking for bigger gains. Maybe this will come back and bite me....time will tell.

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals

2012-01-25T21:36:00.000-07:00

I recently purchased Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (SPPI) at $15.57 based upon my research using Investor's Business Daily. The stock is currently trading around its 20-day moving average and above its 50-day moving average. Let's see how this trade plays out over the coming weeks. I will look to exit this trade if this stock trades down over 10%.

Activision Closed Out

2011-12-03T22:47:00.003-07:00

I closed out my position in Activision Blizzard, Inc. (ATVI) on 12/2/11 at $12.39 for a slight gain. This stock was part of my portfolio for around 2 years and just really never gained the traction I expected, which is why I chose to finally part ways. The main premise behind entering this stock was to capture the online gaming portfolio most notably World of Warcraft. The game and subscriptions were huge successes, however just never translated into a high flying stock.

Trade Activity 9/15/11

2011-09-15T09:20:00.003-06:00

I closed out my position in Vale S.A. (VALE) at $27.44 for a gain of almost 6%. I'm also testing the waters on a gold down day to get into a stock that has been a high flyer and is now down over $2.50 per share give or take a few pennies. The stock is Randgold Resources Ltd (GOLD) and I'm in at $106.10. The stock is currently ranked #10 on the IBD 50 and is a leader in the industry and will hopefully continue on the weaker market.

The chart above is showing Randgold on a weekly chart as it dips and touches the 200-day moving average on lower than average volume and somewhat oversold indicators as spelled out by the stochastics.

Trade Activity 8/23/11

2011-08-24T05:18:00.003-06:00

I took advantage in the recent market drop-off to pick up some additional shares of U.S Steel (X) at $25.83 and entered into a new position in Vale S.A (VALE) at $25.76.

Recent Trades 8/9/2011

2011-08-11T15:19:00.002-06:00

Picked up a few more hundred shares of Annaly Capital Management (NLY) when shares dipped into the low 17's. I also tested my Sunday theory by purchasing a Jan 2012 $30.00 call on Petroleo Brasileiro (PBR) as the stock dipped into the 26 range.