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Recap: Trade log for the week of July 13

Sat, July 18, 2026 - 3 min read

Growth took the harder hit in a risk-off week. From Friday to Friday, the S&P 500 fell from 7,575 to 7,458, down 1.6%, and the Nasdaq dropped from 26,282 to 25,520, down 2.9%. Russell slipped 0.5%, VIX climbed from 15.0 to 18.8, and crude jumped from $71.41 to $82.49, up 15.5%.

I kept new risk small. Wednesday I sold the NVO 7/17 $49 cash-secured put for $0.16, and it expired worthless Friday for $14.96 net after fees. The trade returned 0.31% on its own collateral. Against the full $51,071 peak book, including the GOOG put and WMT covered call carried into the week, weekly ROC was 0.03%.

NVO was the only Strong MIQ read on Tuesday night. The posted 7/17 $47.50 put had a 65.6 Setup Score and a 55 Contract Score, with the spread flagged as the main execution issue. I used the same name at the $49 strike after the open. NVO opened Wednesday at $49.36 and closed Friday at $50.32, up 1.9%, keeping both strikes out of the money.

The WMT 7/17 $120 covered call also expired worthless, adding $9.43 from a position opened last week. The GOOG 7/24 $345 put remains the only open option. This week, our risk-off names did the heavy lifting: DG gained 5.7% and WMT added 0.3% while SPY fell 1.5%, helping offset the weakness in SMCI. The portfolio is at $10,521.12 net P/L year to date, +13.20%, versus SPY at +9.00%. Max drawdown is -9.92%, Sharpe is 1.18, and realized income is $10,701.15. With VIX higher and growth under pressure, the posture stays selective and patient.

mLabs Trading portfolio snapshot, year to date through July 18, 2026. Click to enlarge.

Portfolio snapshot as of July 18, 2026 - click to enlarge


Standout Names from this Week’s Boring CSPs

NVO was flagged Tuesday night as the only Strong MIQ read on the board, then held above both the posted $47.50 strike and the $49 strike I traded.

Ticker Contract Setup Score Contract Score mIQ Move
NVO 7/17 $47.5 PUT 65.6 55 Strong $49.36 → $50.32 (+1.9%)

The move was modest, but the setup did what a short-duration CSP needed it to do. The contract expired worthless while the broader market weakened.


This Week’s Totals

0.03%
Return on Capital
1.53%
Annualized Yield
$14.96
Premiums Collected
$51,071
Capital Used

This Week’s Opening Trades

Scroll to see all columns →
Type OpnOpen Exp ClsClose TicTicker StkStrike Qty Fill ExtExit Fee Cap P/L$ ROC
CSP 7/15 7/17 7/17 NVO 49 1 0.16 0.00 1.04 4.9k 14.96 0.31%

📥 Download Full YTD Trade Log (CSV)


This Week’s Assignments

  • None

Open Carryover Positions

Open positions from previous weeks that are counted towards deployed capital. These positions did not generate premiums this week.

  • 1 x GOOG 7/24 CSP @ $345

Closed Carryover Positions

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.

  • 1 x WMT 7/17 CC @ $120 (expired, +$9.43)

Current Holdings

  • 100 shares DG @ $135.00 cost basis, $135.00 YTD start, now $125.75 (IBKR)
  • 100 shares WMT @ $117.00 cost basis, $117.00 YTD start, now $114.24 (IBKR)
  • 100 shares SMCI @ $50.00 cost basis, $29.27 YTD start, now $24.18 (A1)

All trades have been immediately posted in the mLabs Trading Discord community upon execution.

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