Recap: Trade log for the week of April 20
Choppy week driven by Iran headlines and earnings. The S&P went from 7,126 to 7,165, the Nasdaq from 24,468 to 24,837, and VIX ticked up from 17.5 to 18.7. Oil was the biggest mover, jumping from about $84 to $94 after Iran seized two container ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday.
We opened five positions this week. Monday we filled the DAL 5/15 $65 cash-secured put as a longer-dated play. Tuesday we opened the DAL 4/24 $68 CSP and wrote a DG 5/1 $135 covered call on our existing shares. The DAL $68 put expired worthless Friday. Thursday we wrote 5/1 $170 covered calls on both QCOM positions, one on Account 1 and one on Account 2. Most of the activity this week was deploying covered calls on holdings that have been sitting without active positions.
Four out of five holdings now have active covered calls, with only SMCI uncovered. The NVDA 5/1 $190 CC from two weeks ago is still working alongside the new DG and QCOM calls. We collected $395 in premiums this week across five positions. The portfolio is now sitting at +3.05% YTD, just fractions of a percent behind SPY. We went from a -7.3% max drawdown to knocking on SPY’s door heading into next week. Earnings season still has a few big weeks left, Iran remains the wild card, and oil above $94 adds some uncertainty. We will keep collecting premium while staying boring.
Two standout names from this week’s watchlists. AMAT showed up Monday night with an IV Rank of 86 and a Strong MIQ read. HAL appeared Tuesday night in energy with elevated IV at 47%. Here is how they scored:
| Ticker | Contract | Setup Score | Contract Score | mIQ | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMAT | 5/8 $350 PUT | 65 | 46 | Strong | $400 → $417 (+4.3%) |
| HAL | 4/24 $37 PUT | 60.7 | 42 | Risky | $39 → $40 (+3.2%) |
AMAT rallied 4.3% after showing up Monday night with the highest IV Rank on the board at 86. HAL recovered 3.2% from Tuesday night’s post despite a risky MIQ read. In a week where the tape chopped around Iran headlines and earnings, both names moved in the right direction for put sellers. Full setup and contract scores are available to subscribers on every watchlist post.
| Type | OpnOpen | Exp | ClsClose | TicTicker | StkStrike | Qty | Fill | ExtExit | Fee | Cap | P/L$ | ROC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSP | 4/20 | 5/15 | DAL | 65 | 1 | 1.06 | 0.00 | 1.05 | 6.5k | 104.95 | 1.61% | |
| CSP | 4/21 | 4/24 | 4/24 | DAL | 68 | 1 | 0.41 | 0.00 | 1.05 | 6.8k | 39.95 | 0.59% |
| CC | 4/21 | 5/1 | DG | 135 | 1 | 0.54 | 0.00 | 1.05 | 13.5k | 52.95 | 0.39% | |
| CC | 4/24 | 5/1 | QCOM | 170 | 1 | 0.84 | 0.00 | 0.67 | 16k | 83.33 | 0.52% | |
| CC | 4/24 | 5/1 | QCOM | 170 | 1 | 1.15 | 0.00 | 1.05 | 16.75k | 113.95 | 0.68% |
📥 Download Full YTD Trade Log (PDF)
Open positions from previous weeks that are counted towards deployed capital. These positions did not generate premiums this week.
Closed positions from previous weeks that are counted towards deployed capital. These positions did not generate premiums this week and may have reduced premiums earned from previous weeks.
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