All Star Options Articles

Today's trade is one of those setups where if the bulls can't stick this landing (making it a good buy), then it's goodbye and good night.

I'm betting on the latter. But being mindful that it could in fact be a good time to buy for those brave enough to step in, I'll be getting short with a defined risk put debit spread.

I don't know about you guys, but it seems like every trader I know now trades options these days. And more and more newbies in the markets are skipping trading stocks altogether and jumping right into the options ring. One look at the continuing explosion of options volumes on the main exchanges backs this up.

It wasn't always this way. 

For much of my early career, options trading was the "complicated" backwater of investing, reserved mostly for investors selling covered calls on their long-term holdings to derive some extra income in their portfolios.

Everyone’s an Options Trader Now—In Markets and in Life

Options trading has exploded in popularity. It seems like everyone, from Wall Street veterans to TikTok influencers, is placing bets on calls and puts. But this obsession with optionality isn’t just happening in the markets—it’s everywhere. Across industries and careers, people are structuring their decisions like options traders, seeking asymmetric rewards, hedging risks, and keeping multiple paths open.

This phenomenon raises an interesting question: Are people trading more options because they think like traders, or are...

Today's trade is in a therapeutics name that continues to press into new highs in spite of all the bearishness that the broader stock indexes are suggesting.

And if you look at the implied volatlity in the options, it seems that traders are skeptical that the trend can continue.

Let's find out.

Geez, a stock falls back to levels not seen since *gasp! * 5 weeks ago and the implied volatility spikes?

Feels like nervous bulls are getting a little overzealous with their put purchases. Let's fade 'em.

Today's trade is a similar bet to yesterday's trade. With $VIX in the 20s and big caps putting in short term bottoms at key pivot points, these are opportunities for opportunistic put spread sellers.

Today's trade is a bet that today's lows are going to stick for a little bit. Time is of the essence, so let's go...

Today's trade is in a stock that recently announced earnings. The reaction was muted, which I think is a good thing. It left the chart sitting right where I'd like it to be, holding the recent lows of a 4-week pullback. 

The beauty is that this gives me a nearby risk management level, so I'll have an opportunity to keep losses to a minimum if the rebound doesn't materialize.

Even though this stock blasted off following earnings last week, it might just be getting started. The second "take" is what I'm here for.

However, with the immediate catalyst in the rear-view mirror, I will proceed going forward under the assumption that there may be some well-deserved consolidation in store while the stock works its way higher over the next 6 months.

So I'm going to attempt to get paid to ride out any potential wait.

Today's trade is in a name that JC liked on his recent Mid-Month conference call.

The stock is hanging around the upper end of a "box" it's been in, just below all-time highs. And with earnings coming up in a couple of weeks, it feels to me like it's just waiting for that "all clear" catalyst to allow it to break higher.

I'm going to get positioned now.

...and that's precisely why I love it.

While me and the All Star Charts gang have been pounding the table on China for several weeks now, it is still a mostly hated and certainly misunderstood trend. But that's mostly because people are reading the political headlines and ignoring the only thing that doesn't lie to us -- price.

So I'm putting on a trade that might take some heat, and I'm in it to win it.

If you trade options, you know that expiration day can be a wild ride. Some trades go exactly as planned, while others take an unexpected turn—like waking up to an assignment you weren’t expecting.

This week, regular February Monthly options expire. I'm often asked about what happens to my positions or portfolio if I'm holding something that is expiring.

So, what actually happens when your options expire? Whether you’re holding long calls, short puts, or an iron condor, understanding assignment, settlement, and pin risk can save you from some unpleasant surprises. Let’s break it down.

What Happens When an Option Expires

When options hit expiration, a few things can happen:

• If they’re out of the money (OTM) → They expire worthless. No harm, no foul.

• If they’re in the money (ITM) → They’re usually exercised or assigned.

• If they’re right at the strike price → Things can get interesting (we’ll talk about pin risk in a bit).

Most brokers will automatically exercise an option if it’s at least $0.01 in the money...

One for the good guys.

All it took was one "earnings trade" in $APP to get the vertical spreads scoreboard in the green YTD for 2025:

We never know which trade will be the one that delivers big gains. That's why it is so important to have a process for sizing our positions, allocating risk equally among ideas, and sticking to it. When we do this, the handful of big winners make up for all the small losers.

Here's a look at the six vertical spreads we've closed in All Star Options so far this year:

Prior to yesterday's exit, we were 0-for-5 on closed long vertical spreads. But now with one +320% win, the average return for every vertical spread we've exited in 2025 is $186 per $1000 invested, with an average hold time of 57 days. Not bad considering the 17% win rate!

At the risk of jinxing it, we've got another long vertical spread in $NET that is currently deep in the money and will likely add to the win total and increase our average gain per trade.

It isn't easy losing more times than we win. But sticking to the process and...