Realized Profits for the Week: $451.00

Positions opened in July 2018 to collect on premiums by selling PUTs.  Both expired worthless.

Option	Accounts (Position)
SBUX 17AUG2018 48 P	Realized $53 USD(-1)
TD 17AUG2018 74 P	Realized $150 CAD(-2)

I also realized $61 USD from BTO $SPY PUT as mentioned in previous post and $187.00 USD from BTO $MA CALL.  

Symbol		Trade Date/Time	Settle Date	Exchange	Type	Quantity	Price	Proceeds	Comm	Fee

MA 28SEP18 200.0 C

2018-08-15, 15:52:01

2018-08-16

NASDAQOM

BUY

1

5.9300

-593.00

-0.78

MA 28SEP18 200.0 C

2018-08-16, 13:39:46

2018-08-17

CBOE

SELL

-1

7.8000

780.00

-1.10

NVDA trade @ $256.34, STO $225P @ $2.46 expiry date Sept 21, 2018

8/9 $NVDA @ $256.34

Sell to Open Sept21 225p @ $2.46

Earnings Report on Aug 16th

In order for me to lose money, the stock would have to drop below $222.54 per share (13% drop from current trading price).

SPY trade @ $283.27, BTO $283P @ $2.35 expiry date Aug 31, 2018

Option Trade:

Buy to Open PUT strike @ $283 when $SPY was trading at $283.27 on August 3, 2018.  The premium I paid was $235.00 + commission of $0.71 with expiry date of August 31, 2018.  Cost of trade is $235.71.

Reason:  I am betting $SPY will go down at one point in August below $283, but time decay is of the essence.  The fast $SPY dips below $283, the quicker I can exit my trade with a gain.  Let's say by the end of the day $SPY goes down to $282... I can potential close my trade for $100 profit of the $235.00 I paid out.... Netting 43% on very little money gambled.  But if $SPY goes above to $284, I can potential close my trade for $100 loss as well.  It is very price sensitive... that is if I decide to cut my winnings or losses in a day.  But I bought 20 trading days to see the price fluctuate...


Update:  Aug 10th - blew my chance to get out with a $40 gain.  All week, I've been down of upwards of $100 loss... but I just never know when the market will turn... got another 3 weeks to see it burn.

Aug 13th - sold my $283 PUT when $SPY was trading at $282.23 per share for $59 profit, 25% gain.  Early morning hours, $SPY was trading above $283.00 and I was down $40.  This goes to show you how fast a trade can turn on you.  So I am making an exit before it rises again, but of course it always drops some more after I sold it. UGH.

OPPS, I forgot about my $LMT bull put spread

2- Bull put spread on $LMT $145/$135 strikes 23MAR18: premium collected $251 on $2000 margin risk

After I opened $LMT bull put spread on Feb 26, 2018, $LMT fell below my strikes and flattered in between.  I didn't pay much attention to it but I knew I had to roll out my spread in order to save my spread.  That very Friday, I totally forgot about $LMT as I went to work for a few hours then took a couple hours off mid-morning to watch a free movie Wonder at the theaters.  By the time, I got back to work, my heart dropped a little bit as I realized that I didn't roll my spread!  

$LMT was actually trading below my long strike at $135.  Lo and behold, end of day, it closed just above $335 meaning my long strike is worthless and I got assigned my short puts for 200 shares @ $345.  

Today, I am on margin for $69k and I need to lower my margin basis.  I sold a couple of calls against $LMT to hopefully fund my financing cost and to get out of the stock at a profit eventually.

1- sold covered call on $LMT $347.50 strike 29MAR18: premium collected $190
1- sold covered call on $LMT $335.00 strike 20APR18: premium collected $217

I will keep on selling one weekly call, until it gets called away to reduce my margin load.  

Sucessful $NVDA Bull Put Spread Roll

Opened on Nov 27th, 10 Bull Put Spread $207.50/$202.50 set to expire on Dec 1st when $NVDA was trading at $214 per share.  $NVDA took a nose dive in the next few days and closed at $198 per share on Dec 1st.

First Trade BPS $207.50/$202.50:  +$260 premium collected

Assigned shares of NVDA on Dec 1st:  -$5000 capital loss

On Dec 1st, 10 Bull Put Spread $190/$175 wider spread set to expire Mar 16, 2018. 

Second Trade BPS $190/$175:  +$5600 premium collected

Today, I closed $NVDA for 5c debit as $NVDA closed at $247 per share.  I could have waited till Mar 16th for it to expire worthless but after what happened last time, I decided to close early to lessen the burden on my margin as this BPS took 15000 instead of the 5000 margin requirement.  From this trade series, I profited $860.

NEW TRADE FOR FEB 26, 2018

Feb 26, 2018
2- Bull put spread on $LMT $145/$135 strikes 23MAR18: premium collected $251 on $2000 margin risk

Trade Summary

I didn't make a single trade in January 2018.  My short puts on $WMT finally expired worthless after a bull put spread gone bad back in June 2015.  

My $AAPL cover call @ 175 (+$770 premium collected) also expired worthless on Feb 16, 2018 on a roll @ 165 (-$629.00 premium lost) on Nov 10, 2017.  I made $141 from this trade.  Original premium collected was $97.

Still have 10-Bull PUT spread on $NVDA strike @ $190/$175, expiry Mar 16, 2018.  This was a roll from gone bad, but if NVDA stays above $190, I stand to make $650.  

NEW TRADES FOR FEBRUARY 2018

Feb 14, 2018
5- Bull put spread on $FB $165/$160 strikes 16MAR18: premium collected $275 on $2500 risk

Feb 20, 2018
1- Cover call on $AAPL $182.50 strike 16MAR18:  premium collected $112.00
5- Bull put spread on $V $115/$110 strikes 23MAR18:  premium collected $190 on $2500 risk
1- Short put on $TD.TO $66 strike 20APR18: premium collected $53 on $6600 risk
1- Short put on $TD.TO $68 strike 20APR18: premium collected $75 on $6800 risk

I paid $12.43 in commissions for USD options and $3 in commission for CAD options for the trades mentioned above.

Volatility of the Stock Markets

I cringed at the market drop last couple weeks.  My portfolio was climbing steadily till about Jan 22, 2018.  Investors/Traders were taking profits all time highs especially in $AAPL just before their earnings call on Feb 1st.  Each day, my portfolio would drop a few thousand here and there.  I started to doubt myself and thought I should have sold this and that at all time highs to lock in my gains.  When said and done, all this is paper profits until I sell my stocks.  Greed tends to get the better of me 90% of the time!

Some traders/investors would hit the sell button to stop the impending losses for the forthcoming days, but for me, I completely ignored the market.  I am happy to see the recovery in the last three days.  However, I need to lessen my margin risk and lock in my profits before we have another market drop.  Who knows what is in store for the next few months?