Stock Market Options Trading

🔗 Links & Resources👉 Alpha Crunching (SPX Options): https://alphacrunching.com👉 Brian Terry’s COIN Group: https://www.stockmarketoptionstrading.net👉 Podcast Episodes: https://www.stockmarketoptionstrading.com👉Latest YouTube video: https://youtu.be/qe_F_GE5PqoIn this episode, Eric O’Rourke and Brian Terry break down a wild stretch in the S&P 500, with the market ripping higher despite ongoing macro uncertainty and headline-driven volatility.They dig into what’s actually driving the move, why traditional indicators like the 200-day moving average aren’t carrying the same weight, and how traders can navigate a market that’s shifting quickly between fear and momentum.You’ll also hear insights on:Why this rally may be more about positioning than fundamentalsThe role of contrarian indicators like the put/call ratio and fear indexHow short-term options traders are adapting in this environmentReal trade examples and how risk/reward is being managed right nowIf you’re trading SPX options or just trying to make sense of this market, this episode gives you a grounded, real-time perspective from two active traders.Trading is better when you’re not going it alone—plug into the communities above to stay connected and keep improving.

Brian Terry’s Conservative Options Income Group: https://www.stockmarketoptionstrading.netEric O’Rourke’s SPX Trading Community:https://www.alphacrunching.comTrading in a community gives you perspective, shared ideas, and support—far better than trying to figure it all out on your own.In this episode, Eric O’Rourke is joined by Brian Terry to break down how they’re navigating a highly volatile, headline-driven market. With uncertainty tied to global events and sharp intraday reversals, both emphasize that sometimes the best trade is no trade at all—and that sitting in cash can be a strategic edge.Brian shares how he’s staying active by focusing on strength in the energy sector, using diagonal call strategies and poor man’s covered calls on oil-related stocks showing relative strength. Rather than changing strategy structures, he explains how simply rotating into stronger sectors can maintain a bullish or neutral approach even in a weak market.Eric contrasts this with his SPX-focused approach, where many bullish credit spread strategies are no longer triggering. He discusses why “flipping” strategies (e.g., turning put spreads into call spreads) doesn’t always work, based on backtesting results. Instead, he’s adapting through shorter-duration trades, including 0DTE trend-based spreads, while being more selective—especially on volatile gap days.Check this Video: https://youtu.be/WLNR_5wf6YIThey also dive into:The impact of extreme intraday reversals on short-term tradingWhy timing (like the 10:30am window) can improve probabilitiesAdjusting position sizing and exposure during uncertain conditionsUsing moving averages (like the 100 and 200-day) to manage longer-term portfoliosThe challenge of knowing when to re-enter after going to cashThe episode wraps with a key reminder: markets like this require flexibility, patience, and discipline. You don’t need to force trades—wait for conditions to improve and protect capital so you’re ready when opportunities return.

Want to trade SPX 0DTE with a proven system instead of guessing?Alpha Crunching gives you the tools, alerts, and community to do it.👉 Try it today and take 50% off with code SPX50 at AlphaCrunching.comIn this episode, Eric O’Rourke breaks down a practical question many options traders ask: what does it actually take to make $100 per day selling options?Using real SPX credit spread examples, Eric walks through different ways traders approach profit targets—from letting spreads expire worthless to taking profits early—and why focusing only on percentage returns (like 50%) can be misleading. He explains how spread width, contract sizing, commissions, and capital requirements all play a role in reaching consistent daily income goals.You’ll hear the trade-offs between:Selling narrower vs. wider spreadsTaking profits early vs. holding to expirationIncreasing contracts vs. increasing risk per tradeMoving further out of the money for higher probability setupsEric also shares how he’s been adjusting his own approach, including using wider spreads and targeting fixed dollar profits per trade, along with how tools like the Trend Spread Engine (TSE) fit into decision-making.If you're looking to better understand the mechanics behind generating consistent income with SPX credit spreads—without overcomplicating the strategy—this episode lays out the key concepts.👉 Learn more and explore strategies at AlphaCrunching.comJoin a growing community of SPX traders using data-driven tools and real-time alerts.

Before we jump in — if you want to see the tools mentioned in this episode in action, including the 0DTE Trend Spread Engine and the 1DTE Bias indicator, visit AlphaCrunching.com to learn more and join the trading community.In this episode, Eric discusses the recent market breakdown and how current geopolitical tensions, volatility, and upcoming economic data are shaping trading decisions. With SPX experiencing sharp moves and uncertainty rising, he walks through how he’s adapting his approach and managing trades during this environment.A major theme is market structure and key levels. Right now, gamma positioning appears scattered across large round numbers, suggesting institutional traders themselves are uncertain. As a result, Eric is watching major SPX levels every 100 points (6600, 6700, 6800, etc.) as potential support and resistance zones while the market “ping-pongs” between them.He also reviews the macro backdrop driving volatility, including geopolitical tensions, sector rotation away from AI stocks, and a busy week of economic data with CPI, jobless claims, and PCE all ahead. These events could determine whether the market stabilizes or pushes lower toward the mid-6600s.Eric then explains how he’s positioning his portfolio:Maintaining a core SPY position while actively trading around itUsing covered calls and rolling positions to manage downside while leaving room for upside participationPausing many longer-duration spreads due to increased uncertaintyMuch of the current trading activity has shifted toward shorter-term strategies, particularly SPX 0DTE trades.The episode highlights how the AlphaCrunching 0DTE Trend Spread Engine (TSE) is being used in practice. The system ranks the best times of day for 0DTE spreads based on historical performance and now posts the short strike levels from the highest-probability trades. These levels act as data-backed areas where SPX has historically stayed away from by expiration, allowing traders to use them as reference points for structuring credit spreads.Eric also introduces progress on the 1DTE Bias indicator, an experimental tool that evaluates market regimes using factors like trend behavior and VIX conditions. By comparing current conditions to historical matches over the past three years, the tool estimates the probability of the market closing higher the next day. The recent volatility spike has highlighted one of the challenges of building this model: unusual market conditions sometimes produce very small historical sample sizes.The episode closes with an important reminder about patience and risk management. In volatile environments, it’s often better to wait for conditions to settle rather than forcing trades. Sometimes the best position is simply holding cash until clearer opportunities emerge.Overall, this discussion provides a real-time look at how Eric is navigating a volatile market using a combination of macro awareness, probability-based levels, and adaptive options strategies.

In this episode, I’m joined by Brian Terry to break down a breakeven iron condor strategy he’s actively trading right now.Brian walks through how he enters the call side and put side separately, targeting equal credits on each side with 7 days to expiration. The key twist? He uses a 200% stop on each side, which means if one side gets stopped out, the trade is designed to be roughly breakeven overall.We talk through:Why separating entries can improve flexibilityHow the 200% stop changes the risk profileWhy this works well on SPX, and how newer traders can adapt it to SPY for smaller sizeThe mindset behind trading income strategies defensively, not emotionallyBrian runs the Conservative Options Income Network (COIN) over at https://stockmarketoptionstrading.net, where you can start a 14-day free trial and see his real trades, including the strategy discussed in this episode.If you’re interested in structured, rules-based options income strategies, this is a great one to study.

In this episode, we review some early backtest results from AlphaCrunching.com's newly launched 0DTe Trend Spread Engine (TSE).We're only 3 weeks into the stats but taking 0DTE trend spreads during the lunch hour at 12pm over the past 3 weeks has won 100% of the time. We're not expecting this type of performance to last forever but seeing this hot spots of high performance based on time of day entry is revealing some edge most traders are missing.We would love you to join Alpha Crunching as we continue this build in public approach for SPX 0DTE Options Trading.👉 Explore Alpha Crunching and get a discount:https://alphacrunching.comDiscount code: SPX50 for 50% off first month or year.🔗 Connect with Eric on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jericorourke/

In this episode, we'll cover the key levels based on options positioning and the large range the S&P500 has been in since October. We'll review the Fed's dual mandate and why so much attention is paid economic reports involving jobs, inflation, and rate cuts. We've got some major economic events happening this week that will likely decide the next leg of the market.

In this episode, Brian shares his LEAP call strategy — a flexible options approach that uses long-dated calls as a stock substitute while selling weekly calls for steady income. He breaks down real trade examples on NVIDIA, Google, and other names, showing how the strategy can generate solid returns with less capital than owning shares outright.You’ll hear how Brian manages exits, adjusts when short calls get breached, and keeps risk in check even when the market moves against him.👉 Follow Brian over at stockmarketoptionstrading.net💬 You can also get his trade alerts inside Alpha Traders Club to see this strategy in action.

In this episode, Brian breaks down a bullish put diagonal strategy he’s been testing on individual stocks — a twist on the traditional diagonal that behaves more like a cash-secured put with built-in protection. He explains how he buys a longer-dated put and sells weekly puts against it to steadily collect premium, manage risk, and generate consistent returns.You’ll hear examples from trades in Google, AMAT, and Bank of America, plus how he handles adjustments when prices move.👉 Join us for the next live Zoom or meetup at StockMarketOptionTrading.net to see more strategies like this in action.Want backtested SPX strategies before the trading week begins? Use code SPX50 at AlphaCrunching.com to get started with a 50% discount.

🎯 Get 50% off AlphaCrunching.com with code SPX50 — your edge for data-driven SPX option strategies.In this episode, Eric O’Rourke breaks down what happens when an uptrend breaks — and how traders can stay grounded when volatility spikes. He covers the recent tariff shock, key SPX levels to watch (6650–6800), and why the market’s recovery above the volume trigger could signal renewed bullish momentum.Eric also discusses risk management in trend-following strategies, explains how short-term setbacks fit within high-win-rate systems, and shares insights from the latest Alpha Crunching forecast showing a cautious but stabilizing market outlook.Want to join our next Live Zoom call?Check out our Events calendar. It's free to join.https://www.stockmarketoptionstrading.net/events

This episode centers on navigating markets at all-time highs after last week’s FOMC head-fake. We discuss how to balance staying long with reducing risk, trimming SPX put-credit spreads, and the trade-offs of skipping entries during volatile weeks.Brian joins to walk through his weekend watchlist and three core income strategies: in-the-money covered calls, poor man’s covered calls (diagonals), and broken-wing butterflies—including how he manages risk, targets returns, and selects trades. We also cover SPY covered calls vs. selling puts, an update on Intel’s surprise breakout, and practical ways to use mechanical strategies like Alpha Crunching’s Thursday PCS setup.Symbols mentioned: SPX, SPY, ETSY, BABA, RKLB, INTC.

🎁 50% OFF: Option Omega (code SMOT) • Alpha Crunching (code SPX50) — grab both and build + automate your SPX playbook.This episode is a fun, nerdy deep-dive with Troy and Matt from Option Omega. We cover how to build realistic backtests for options (especially 0DTE) and when it makes sense to automate entries/exits so you’re not chained to the screen. We also walk through a few trade structures—including the much-misunderstood Reverse Iron Condor (RIC)—and talk about portfolio-level thinking: position sizing, diversification across edges, and why “one-lotting” more often than not can save your sanity.What we cover:Why end-of-day data lies for options backtests and how 1-minute, intraday pricing changes the conclusions (stops, profit targets, and whether you even got filled).The rise of 0DTE and why intraday realism matters way more than it did for 45–90 DTE trades.The “Punisher”: stress-testing backtests with slippage, fills, and tougher assumptions so results hold up in live trading.Liquidity matters: why OO focuses on top tickers (SPX, SPY, QQQ, etc.), and the pros/cons of instruments like XSP.RICs (Reverse Iron Condors) as long-gamma plays: when long premium + the right signal can still have positive expectancy, and sizing so a few losses don’t nuke the account.Credit-spread philosophy: structure ≠ edge. Edge comes from when you put it on (signals), then you pick the simplest structure that monetizes that edge.Automation better than willpower: broker-resting stops, time windows, and signal-gated entries so your plan runs even when you’re walking the dog.Sizing & psychology: allocations as a strategy; why many traders should downshift to one-lots more often; diversifying edges (theta harvest + long-gamma + price-action) on the same ticker.My ASD signal (Alpha Crunching): using Average Strength Deviation as a weekly, day-of-week filter; combining ASD with simple MAs/EMAs for “aggressive” ATM put-credit spreads; converting those rules into hands-off automations.Broker support today: Schwab, Tastytrade, Tradier (IB not currently supported for U.S. retail cloud API).Key takeaways:Backtests need intraday realism or they’re just stories.Structure is just the container; edge = timing + conditions.If your edge is “market stability”, credit spreads monetize it better than naked long calls.Automation lets you run more strategies with smaller per-trade risk and fewer emotional mistakes.Test harshly (slippage, fills, stops) so live results rhyme with backtests.Resources & links:🔧 https://OptionOmega.com (backtesting + automation) — Use code SMOT for 50% off.📈 https://AlphaCrunching.com (signals, forecasts, ASD/WTR/TTR, weekly trade ideas) Use code SPX50 for 50% off first year.