So if you're one of these sensitive types who is just too mentally weak to put your politics aside when making decisions about the market, then you're in the wrong place Karen.
For those of you who can be adults and actually focus on data and facts, here are some thoughts that might help you put the next couple of weeks in perspective.
At this point, I think it's pretty clear that the market has fully priced in a second trump presidency.
Here's a look at the betting markets showing the red line (trump) moving very aggressively to the upper right of the chart, while the blue line (harris) has been moving to the lower right of the chart.
Our International Hall of Famers list is composed of the 100 largest US-listed international stocks, or ADRs.
We've also sprinkled in some of the largest ADRs from countries that did not make the market cap cut.
These stocks range from some well-known mega-cap multinationals such as Toyota Motor and Royal Dutch Shell to some large-cap global disruptors such as Sea Ltd and Shopify.
It's got all the big names and more–but only those that are based outside the US. You can find all the largest US stocks on our original Hall of Famers list.
The beauty of these scans is really in their simplicity.
We take the largest names each week and then apply technical filters in a way that the strongest stocks with the most momentum rise to the top.
Based on the market environment, we can also flip the scan on its head and filter for weakness.
The one bet I will not be making is that the stock market finishes election week anywhere near where it began the week.
In other words, there is a high likelihood of a large directional move following the election. And there will likely be some epic whipsaws along the way.
As such, it feels to me that options traders should start building a good mix of both bullish and bearish bets, as well as a wide variety of expirations so as to mute the volatility likely to be introduced to our portfolios.
I don't think we want to be too overweighted on delta-neutral positions (though I think it's a good practice to have one or two on at all times). I do think it is prudent to have some long-premium bets on that can return 5-10x in the direction of the trend. Simple long calls and long puts will do the trick.
I do not recommend attempting to pick bottoms and tops. It can be a dangerous game.
Yes, when you occasionally get one right you can make a killing. But we also put ourselves at risk at getting killed. Especially fading short squeezes, and double especially if you're doing it via getting short common stock.
Smart options traders, however, have an advantage here. We can define our risks precisely. We're going to take advantage of this feature with today's trade, a bet on the unexpected.