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Find Out: New Trades I Initiated During This Wild Week in the Stock Market

Find Out: New Trades I Initiated During This Wild Week in the Stock Market

Posted On February 26, 2021 3:03 pm
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While I can’t say that I predicted this week’s wild market action, I was certainly prepared for it. And now I feel like I’m in a position to leverage fresh opportunities.  Again last Tuesday, we got a whiff that rising inflations were sending interest rates higher which may in turn trigger selling in stocks, especially the high-growth tech names whose valuations were able to float unanchored by pedestrian metrics such as price to earnings, or even price to sales. 

I said I’d be patient and now with Nasdaq Invesco Powershares 100 (QQQ) and the SPDR 500 (SPY) down 8.5% and 4.7% respectively, over the past week, I’m starting to nibble at some names to add upside exposure. 

It’s interesting that even as the bluest of chip names such as Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT) have declined over 15% each, we’ve seen a resurgence in the Reddit/WallstreetBets names such as Gamestop (GME), Koss (KOSS) and Nokia (NOK), as GME shares tripled within a few hours on no apparent news beyond an ice cream cone emoji.  I don’t play in that sandbox.  But, it’s fun to watch the insanity. 

One speculative area my Options360 Service dipped a toe in was the electric vehicle sector through a bullish position in Electra Meccanica (SOLO) — initiated some seven weeks ago. Thankfully, in the ensuing weeks, it took several rolls to reduce the cost basis from an initial $650 debit to less than a $1.00 cost basis. Still, while our risk is minimal, the drop in SOLO’s price this week from $8.50 to below $6 per share has been a bummer.  

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But, not as bad, people that piled into Churchill (CCIV) in anticipation of the SPAC consummating a deal for Lucid Motors.  CCIV shares had ramped above $60 or a near $80 billion valuation, ahead of the official announcement.  However, once the details were released, shares plummeted below $30.  This cast a pall over the over-exuberant EV startup space.  

The Options360 Service made another adjustment in SOLO, bringing the total cost below $100 with three weeks remaining for the stock to catch a renewed bid. 

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SOLO is just another example of how managing positions, especially with an eye on reducing cost basis or risk, can keep you in the game and allow you to take advantage of a turn in price action. 

We discussed how a Facebook (FB) trade went from bad to glad simply by making an adjustment and then being patient knowing the risk/reward was well defined. 

Similarly, as I peck away at new additions this week, whether it be a bullish diagonal in Mosaic (MOS) or an iron condor in Visa (V), I’m making sure my risk is well within my comfort zone and I’m maintaining the flexibility to make adjustments through time and price.  

A couple of new names I’m gaining some bullish exposure through bull put spreads include Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and FuelCell (FCEL).  It looks like both have pulled back to support and now offer an attractive risk/reward entry point. 

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About author

Steve Smith

Steve Smith have been involved in all facets of the investment industry in a variety of roles ranging from speculator, educator, manager and advisor. This has taken him from the trading floors of Chicago to hedge funds on Wall Street to the world online. From 1987 to 1996, he served as a market maker at the Chicago Board of Options Exchange (CBOE) and Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). From 1997 to 2007, he was a Senior Columnist and Managing Editor for TheStreet.com, handling their Option Alert and Short Report newsletters. The Option Alert was awarded the MIN “best business newsletter” in 2006. From 2009 to 2013, Smith was a Senior Columnist and Managing Editor for Minyanville’s OptionSmith newsletter, as well as a Risk Manager Consultant for New Vernon Capital LLC. Smith acted as an advisor to build models and option strategies to reduce portfolio exposure and enhance returns for the four main funds. Since 2015, he has worked for Adam Mesh Trading Group. There, he has managed Options360 and Earning 360, been co-leader of Option Academy, and contributed to The Option Specialist website.