Entry is Key...Exit is Everything! TM

 

TEST TEST

 

 

Option Plays - AAPL

The trades below are for educational purposes only.

They are not recommendations to purchase any particular stock or options contract.

Note: they are suggested entry and exit points! disclaimer

 

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Stock Information

Updated 9/10/13

Company Name: Apple Inc.

Stock ticker symbol: AAPL

Current Price: $494.64

Change: -11.53

52-week high: $705.07

52-week low: $385.10

NEXT EARNINGS:

Trade Bias:

 Cautiously Bullish

Trade Type:

Long Stock

Long Calls

 

WINS:

62

LOSSES:

30

WIN/LOSS RATIO:

52%

YTD P/L

+$93,253.00

 

Archived Plays

 

 

New Plays

 

Symbol

Month

Strike

Type

Fill

Date

Strategy

Qty

Entry

Exit

P/L

ROI%

Days

Weekly Lotto Trades

AAPL

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

 

AAPL

SepWk2

550

Calls

9/9/13

AAPL

Season

Upgrade

20

.30

-

-

-

 
Swing Trades

AAPL

                     
Monthly Plays

AAPL

Sep13

550

Calls

9/4/13

AAPL

Season

Upgrade

10

$1.30

-

-

-

 

Long Term Plays

AAPL

Jan14

450

Naked

Puts

8/15/13

Over 200MA

Icahn News

2

12.50

Credit

-

-

-

 

Closed Today

AAPL

SepWk2

490/485

Bull

Put

Spread

9/9/13

Product

Release

News

5

$1.50

Credit

$1.50

Debit

0

0

2

AAPL

Stock

Stock

Long

Stock

9/3/13

AAPL

Season

100

$485.00

$505.00

+20.00

104%

8

AAPL

Sep13

450

Naked

Puts

8/13/13

Over 200MA

Icahn News

5

2.25

credit

.51

Debit

+1.74

+78%

29

AAPL

Sep13

490

Naked

Put

9/4/13

AAPL

Season

Upgrade

1

9.50

Credit

5.50

+4.00

50%

7

AAPL

Sep13

485/480

Bull

Put

Spread

9/9/13

Product

Release

News

5

$1.25

Credit

$1.70

Debit

+0.55

+132%

2

AAPL

Sep13

475

Naked

Puts

9/4/13

Upgrades

AAPL

Season

5

4.25

Credit

2.50

Debit

+1.75

170%

7

                         

 

 

Model Portfolio

 

 

Commentary:

 

 

9/10/13 - Another lack luster news event with expected product offerings and boring presentation. If this is the best AAPL can put out, SHORT this stock. I was bummed when we did not get a nice drive higher from pre-market trading and instead AAPL sold off all day. Tomorrow is the China news conference and we still may get a surprise but to what extent will that translate to investors? If this stock has any life left, then it must get back over $505 or investors are going to dump and pump something else...FB, TSLA, NFLX, AMZN etc. Until they have a full quarterly report with the new product offerings. the will be some semblance of support and if they miss, $350 here we come.

 

 

I am expecting a pretty good move tomorrow and the MMM is $8.15 so best case scenario, I want that move to be a Drop and Pop or Gap and Crap so my WW trades have a chance at getting filled.

 

 

I bought back and sold most of my long strategies. I will see how the stock reacts to China Mobile tomorrow and make new trades. One of my news sources said there was a 5 Million share block trade...maybe that was Carl Icahn...lol.

 

There should be some continued volatility the rest of the week so get ready to fish!

 

 

 

 

 

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9/9/13 - No problem taking out $500 today! In fact, AAPL gapped open at $505 and held the line all day. Tomorrow is the big news conference and product announcement. Typically, we get a sell the news event but I am hopeful this will be the kick start to an awesome future for the big A. You better believe the CEO and management do not want to disappoint and AAPL has a history of sandbagging information giving us a nice surprise gotchya moment. If that be the case tomorrow, mortgage the house because AAPL will not be seeing sub $500 the rest of this year. Of course I am kidding about the mortgaging stuff.

 

Just be ready to make some MONEY as the volatility will be swinging wildly as investors jockey for position. You will invariably be wrong on entry points, so always FISH for lower prices on larger contract buys. If we get that expected rally I will be selling some Bull Put Spreads and/or Naked Puts.

 

I was not filled on my Lotto $505 calls since AAPL gapped up to $505 in the morning. I did NOT chase it. I did get the $550's filled so I ok with that for my Lotto Play until Thursday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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9/8/13 - AAPL is having trouble getting back over $500 and that is making for some interesting speculations. Apparently the big money is not all that confident AAPL will achieve past greatness; otherwise, this stock would have been well on it's way to $600 by now. Even a (some feel bogus) upgrade to $777 was not enough to launch this stock beyond the initial pre-market $10 pop.

 

On Friday the news reported that AAPL is indeed cutting a deal with China Mobile (CHL) and that did not even lift the stock in after hours beyond $500? The 10th is the release of the new iPhone 5c and there is a news conference in the US and another one in China. This should be the big announcement confirmed by the company and then we are off to the races...at least that is what's expected. I am ready to trade the direction that AAPL provides and my bias is for upside movement.

 

So, some of the stocks to watch and/or play on confirmation of China Mobile are: CHL, NUAN and DCM. Oh yeah, QCOM, TQNT, CRUS, PMCS too since they make chips for the iPhone.

 

 

 

 

 

Here is what the Monthly chart is showing:

 

 

 

 

 

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9/6/13 - What the heck happened? No buyers stepped on the gas when that news was fully digested. Hmm, I suspected that it may become a pump-n-dump event, but so far, that has not happened either. AAPL is just sticking around going nowhere. If they have a good kick off next week on the new iPhone release, then we should see that momentum pick up and if the sales are a disappointment, the intilal drop can be a pretty strong one. Just remember, AAPL has a multi BILLION dollar buy back in progress so major drops won't happen until earnings time in my estimation. What I have noticed is the "love affair" this stock enjoyed for years has lost it's power because an upgrade from anyone typically launched this stock up to $30. Instead we only get a pre-market rise that has been squashed.

 

I was very excited in the pre-market trading yesterday when AAPL was up $10 but things died quickly once $500 failed to hold the line.

 

I sold 1 Sep13 490 Naked put and have been trading shares the past couple of days but not making any real gains yet. The daily chart is really showing signs of big money jockeying into position but it's hard to pick a side. I am bullish on optimistic hopes, but fully ready to get short if things get really ugly.  I will keep my Naked puts fully ready to take ownership of my shares if AAPL fall back down.

 

$500 is the new pivot point; and the 200MA the major pull back support.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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8/3/13 - This is the season for AAPL as I have said below. Expect some momentum to kick in and that is what is happening. AAPL was upgraded today with a price target of $777.00 As comical as that is, it's typical. After all, AAPL bounced around $666 then $555 then $444 and we all like to see $777 on those Vegas slot machines! Ok, so if AAPL does manage a move to that magical number, are you going to be on it ahead of time? I sure am! If you want to gamble on a big pay day, then AAPL is the one to take your chances for September. Just pick up a couple of puts just in case this upgrade is a pump and dump, that way, you may be able to salvage some capital but I am confident this stock is going to explode higher very soon. I plan on adding some Sep13 puts after I see how AAPL trades today as it will be gapping up and all the premium in the puts will deflate so I want to get a higher put strike cheaper.

 

 

 

 

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8/29/13 -  As the month of August closes tomorrow, AAPL has put in a strong rally and looks ready to start the race back to glory by the end of the year. Of course that can turn into a sinkhole if it cannot close over T2 and any reports that product sales are losing ground. For the future of this stock, it has to now prove itself unlike others (AMZN, LNKD, TSLA, NFLX,) who get a proverbial pass with investors. It takes some big money guns to buy enough shares to push this stock a lot higher, and we have to figure out if they still want to park money here. The monthly chart has a massive amount of technical damage, but we know that can easily be wiped out, just look at what happened to NFLX.  If the war rumors fade, AAPL should find itself back in rally mode as September kicks off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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8/27/13 -  All great harvests take time to sprout so do not worry about today's drop. This is an opportunity to get your seeds planted for a better price so watch for AAPL to pull back to T2 and get some longer time frame calls started. As long as AAPL continues to hold the two bull elephant bars on the daily, I am bullish on this stock for the rest of the year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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8/25/13 - ' Tis the season to plant apple seeds to turn into money trees! September through December is the best time to get aggressively long AAPL and with the new prospects of innovative products and remodeled winners, AAPL is looking ready to start making some big moves. Of course, if sales come up short, that is exactly what we will be doing...SHORTING. Now if sales are strong and AAPL has more fantastic product announcements, the race is on for $700 again.

 

Looking for AAPL to hold T1 or drop into T2 area for aggressive longs.

 

 

 

 

 

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8/22/13 -  AAPL is looking for support and has found it at the 8MA but with SGB's and that is something to consider if you are going long. The disaster with the NASDAQ halted trading market wide for hours and AAPL did not make a move to excite or scare anyone. In fact, Carl Icahn tweeted that he was having dinner with CEO Tim Cook in September to discuss share buy back. This news could have eaily launched the stock higher but with the technical glitches, nothing happened...yet. I bought some AugWk4 510 calls and 495 Puts so I am hoping for a big move tomorrow.

 

 

 

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8/18/13 - My 465 Calls BANKED!! Hope you were on that ride.

 

AAPL closed the week over $500. Will this be the catalyst to propel AAPL higher going forward? I expect it to so I am ready to jump on for some momentum to kick in. If we get a dip back under $500 that holds the previous two Doji days, then I will get aggressively long. Upside target is the next SGB at $555, and then the next high target is $600. If AAPL fails the Doji's then a test of the 200MA is the likely strong buy point. The Jobs movie is a total fail at the box office showing a paltry 6-million domestic gross with a production budget of $12 million according to Box Office Mojo. Most likely, it will become a cult classic in the future. This will definitely NOT have any impact on AAPL for upside, but who know what it can do for downside, I expect the company to release news on products or other things provide any damage control.

 

Bottom line, with Icahn on board, there will be plenty of fish out there to keep buying shares on the "hopes" of his stellar stock picking abilities. Eventually, Icahn and AAPL will make brilliant moves or dismal missteps, and we will be there ready to catch the White Whale!

 

 

 

 

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8/15/13 - Markets getting CRUSHED today and AAPL holds the line barely closing down. THIS IS EXTREMELY BULLISH!

 

I expect AAPL to explode higher tomorrow if the markets rebound. We may bet filled on the WW puts on a gap up and AAPL could very well never sell off so get ready to jump on some calls if that is the case.

 

 

 

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8/14/13 - AAPL takes out $500, but closed back under it at $496.00. What a nice ride today, not the volatility I was hoping for on my WW trades, but if AAPL takes a dive the rest of the week, my WW Puts will make nice profits. If the stock gets back over $500, then I will get some Lotto calls and Monthly calls.

 

The future of AAPL is starting to look bright again, but what is the motivation of Icahn? Why such a BIG stake in AAPL and all the use of twitter to announce it? Boy that move has all the pundits scratching heads, making speculation calls and trying their best to sound intelligent about Incans next move etc. STOP watching or listening to them, they know NOTHING!

 

You have to dig deeper, go beyond the hypester's on CNBlahC to gain some insight.

 

Billionaire investors, especially Icahn (who is having the success of his career right now) do not do anything without thinking long term. You just can't move billions of dollars around in stocks every day without creating conflicts for yourself when you want to step out of the pool. He is an elephant of the mastodon size; and although he may be able to slip into the pool without much notice, getting out, well, that is a wave making event and everyone sees it—investing with billions takes stealth moves to accumulate and then quiet exits over time to maximize profits.  "Entry is Key...Exit is Everything" TM

 

How can we deduce his exit strategies? Unless you are in the "inside" of Icahn's company, you are not going to know until he tells you he's out. Being a professional poker player myself, I have developed skills of reading a players "tells" at the tables; and it has served me well cashing in on plenty of tournament winnings! But when it comes to stocks, that takes years of trading and study to gain a clairvoyance type intuition, and that, my trading friends, is why you subscribe...thank you!

 

So why all this hoopla about his position in AAPL (estimated at over $1 billion or 0.2% of the company) and the future of the AAPL's share price? He is not controlling any percentage that AAPL execs would fear (like other companies that Icahn has invested in) and he is controlling maybe a couple million shares (assuming he bought in the past couple of months) when AAPL trades 12 million shares a day on average. He cannot cause the stock to dive that much; even it he hits the sell button for the entire trading day—I think there are deeper motives here.

 

Icahn recently upped his stake in Nuance Communications NUAN  from 9 - 16%. NUAN happens to be the company that provides the SIRI application for the iPhone. Hmmm, ya think Carl is positioning himself to "boost" the share valuation of AAPL hoping they will just buy up NUAN? After all, if they bought that company outright, their profit margins would increase on the iPhone and that is what drives this stock higher, profit margins—that is ALL the talking heads always lament about when it comes to AAPL's extreme share price. (price to book the shares are worth $3.61)

 

If AAPL were to announce a buyout of NUAN, that would make Carl billions of dollars and increase his net worth—currently estimated at 20.4 billion— to dang near 20% of AAPL's cash reserves. With that much "cash" maybe Carl is looking for a way to just take over AAPL—Carl is playing chess not checkers!

 

Bottom line, if NFLX is a sign post of things to come when the Mastodon Icahn is in the pool, AAPL has a LOT more upside coming! 

 

For the rest of the week, AAPL may experience a little bit of price drop since we are in Aug expiration. Now that the stock poked its head over $500, there was a ton of volume on the OTM calls. I bet thousands of contracts were set up as butterflies as investors attempt to peg the closing price on Friday and try to cash in. I am thinking the Market Makers do NOT want to pay off millions in premium, so they may just move this stock higher again, then hold it down with a close under $500 on Friday. This weekend is the release of the movie Jobs (a biopic starring Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs) and that should give more rise to the stock next week if it's perceived as a great success.  I am sure the MM's want to expire all those options bought today worthless and pocket all the premium they took in.

 

I do expect a lot more volatility over the next two days, so I am going to continue to fish for WW trades too!

                     

 

                       Volume      Open Int

 

AugWk4

 

Sep13

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I sold my Aug13 500 calls!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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8/13/13 - Apple announced a new iPhone yesterday and the stock took off testing the 200MA and today it gapped over it on that news and was trading higher this morning until CNBC aired comments by CEO of Oracle (ORCL) Larry Ellison about how he thinks the stock is doomed in the long run. This started to weigh down on the positive momentum UNTIL, a tweet from Carl Icahn in the afternoon session that he has accumulated a large stake in the company and views it as "under valued." This created quite a short squeeze exploding AAPL to almost $500 a share!

 

My Lotto Plays just cashed in....again!

 

Will this news event keep the BIG money on board and take AAPL well beyond $500 this week? I certainly think so, and if there any dips, they will be bought. But lets realize, this event today was manipulated my the Icahn comments. Think about it, he has a track record for putting the squeeze on shorts and when there is somebody touting the demise of a stock, he has announced his support....hmmm....today seem pretty fishy to me but AAPL is a very well loved stock and millions of investors are so wanting this stock to move back to it's former glory. We should have a nice move in AAPL with either a drop and pop or gap and crap.

 

I am definitely doing a WW fishing trip tomorrow morning.

 

 

 

 

Every now and then stocks get big news and just give you tons of profits unexpectedly!  LOTTO TICKET STYLE!

 

 

I was fishing this morning on AAPL and caught a WHITE WHALE!!!

 

 

 

 

I still have the 500's, so hoping this gets some HUGE action tomorrow and turns this week into a MEGA LOTTO Ticket for everyone!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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8/11/13 - Tomorrow will be the 5th down day for AAPL and if this SGB zone fails, the selling should accelerate below $444 and then I expect a bounce to test it again. If AAPL holds the line here, then I fully expect it to blast right through that 200MA because we are coming into the season of AAPL and there should be some new products announced in the near future.

 

A move back over $459 and I am going to get some weekly longs and sell some naked puts. I am not looking for puts as I fully expect this stock to find buyers on any pull backs.

 

 

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8/8/13 - A little pause in the action as AAPL contemplates that 200MA resistance. I took profits on my Naked Puts and Long shares...nice trades!

I will be looking for AAPL to pull back to $455 before I jump in again on Naked Puts.

 

If the stock moves back over $465.00 before it gets back down to $455, then I will get some Sep13 Calls.

 

I am not expecting my Aug13 500 calls to make profits but we will see.

 

 

 

 

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8/6/13 - Nice moves in AAPL these past few trading days. The 200MA on the daily chart is proving to be resistance. AAPL is now firmly testing the large gap zone and may find itself testing the SGB's at $455 before heading higher. I am sure all investors eyes are on $500 as that will be the BIG test of AAPL's future price. I took my profits on the 475 calls today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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8/2/13 - The move is on! AAPL started the day out shaky but ended up strongly with a close over $462.00. This gives the Bulls some confidence they can move AAPL higher next week. No WW orders were filled because my T1 entry targets were set too low this time. I did not think AAPL would move a lot in either direction so I did not want to pay a lot of money if I did get filled. My other plays are looking good heading into next week so I will see what the markets bring us as we kick off into August trading.

 

 

 

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8/1/13 - Testing the waters but not enough for me on a blow out day in the markets. If AAPL does get back over $460 the buyers are going to try a rally to fill that big gap. Any reversal in the market tomorrow, I think AAPL is a good bet to drop back to test $444.00. I am looking for a WW trade opportunity tomorrow.

 

 

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7/31/13 - Is this the beginning of the new breakout for AAPL? I am looking for an attempt to take out $460 but it has a big gap zone all the way up to $490 before all this downside pressure is wiped clean. AAPL most likely will be range bound between $460 and $440 in Aug. I am going to be looking for a WW trade opportunity tomorrow for Friday's expiration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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7/24/13 - White Whale profit bonanza! AAPL held the after hours move and gapped up this morning pulled back and gave us entry hits on both Calls and Puts. If you do not have automated buy/sell orders in place, then it's very difficult to capture and manage all my WW trades. As I predicted below, AAPL hit a wall at $444 today but it was not met with big selling so that bodes well for the stock going forward.

 

AAPL may test this gap and if that happens, a pull back to the 89MA on the daily chart that holds is definitely buyable. There is still quite a bit of overhead resistance so the journey back to $500 is going to take some time. Going forward, I am looking to sell some Bull Put Spreads and collect some easy premium as I do not see AAPL falling back below $420.

 

For me the line in the sand is the SGB at $428 so that is where I will be looking to make buys above and stops below.

 

 

 

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7/23/13 - The big AAPL is back! They beat earnings estimates and the stock launched up over $23 in after hours!! I am expecting some strong volatility tomorrow so lets hope we hook a White Whale in the morning!

 

 

 

Ok, AAPL still has a lot of overhead resistance to break through and I think the best we can expect tomorrow is a test of $444.00

I certainly hope it will just move right on by that but I am prepared to take profits if it fails there. The best case scenario for our WW trades is AAPL pulls back at the open and then catches a bid and never looks back.

 

I plan on buying a spread of Calls and a couple of ATM puts when trading opens up. If I get a good move higher, then I will take some profits and keep a few on until Friday just in case AAPL gets some legs and power drives higher.

 

There is a strong chance this will be a "sell the news event" but I do not expect any selling to drastic and any dips will be strongly bought as millions of investors really want this stock to succeed again!

 

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7/22/13 - Tomorrow is the big day for AAPL and I am hoping for a lot more reaction to the earnings release than we got with NFLX. The daily chart has a very interesting pattern to to with two SGB's—it looks like a % sign.

 

For month's, the SGB's have been very reliable short signals with AAPL and this new setup is going to result in a pretty strong move. Looking over the volume and open interest in the weekly and Aug monthly options, there is more investors placing bets that AAPL will be heading higher. That means less of a chance for an explosive move if earnings are expected and no big announcements because there are a lower number of investors short who will be forced to cover.

 

Now if they miss by a wide margin, and have long-term bad news, we could see AAPL easily take drop down or below $400 this week. If you are looking at the Aug13 options, market makers are pricing in a longer term drop. The target support is $400 and the resistance is $475 - 500. The Aug 400 puts cost $4.70 whereas the $475 calls are only $1.07 and the 500's are .38 cents.

 

I already have JulWk4 400 puts, so I am going to pick up a couple of Aug13 400's and speculate on the 475 and 500 calls.  

 

The next easy upside target is $444 and then AAPL has a lot of SGB resistance to break through.

 

 

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7/21/13 - Getting ready for some options fireworks this week. AAPL will announce the much anticipated earnings Tuesday after the close. I expect a solid move once they are released so I will have my Lotto trades posted tomorrow and my White Whale fishing orders after the earnings.

 

 

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7/19/13 - A good day to catch some whale profits. AAPL sold off today giving us some nice gains and setting up for earnings. Since GOOG missed, will AAPL also miss? It's going to be an exciting trading day for sure. I will update my trade ideas over the weekend.

 

 

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7/18/13 - Another quiet day of trading in AAPL. With GOOG earnings out and a miss, AAPL sold off in after hours but not that much. With GOOG getting beat down, we mat get some nice initial moves and rebounds so set your WW fishing orders and hope we catch one.

 

The daily chart has AAPL pegged exactly to the 89MA with a SGB.

 

It's anybody's game right now so here we go into next weeks earnings. 

 

 

 

 

 

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7/17/13 - A very quite day of trading most likely due to Bernanke comments and overall markets being quiet. I am thinking AAPL will be quiet until GOOG earnings are released tomorrow after the bell and then some action can begin. If AAPL does get over the 89MA on the daily chart, I am confident it will head to $444.00

 

 

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7/16/13 - No earnings run going on here. We will just have to wait and see how investors react to earnings. I will close out my Sep Naked puts before earnings and put them back on after if AAPL holds up.

 

Likely target is the 55MA and maybe a shot at $444 if GOOG lifts the market on Friday.

 

 

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7/15/13 - I started some Lotto plays but I am not liking the price movement today. It's looking like AAPL may head lower the rest of the week. That can be a very good thing if they beat and surprise. If it does start to head lower, I am going to focus on the 450's or lower. I will add my final Lotto plays next week the day of earnings.

 

Some more bad news is circling AAPL today but that could be BS propaganda stuff. They are also looking for new talent to help with the iWatch development. That means NO NEW product coming anytime soon which translates into slower sales for the rest of this year. AAPL could very well head lower tomorrow and if earnings are not super strong, sub $400.

 

Once the news circulated, I noticed AAPL began to slide down and GOOG started to rise back up so big money appears to be leaving AAPL and heading to GOOG.

 

 

 

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7/14/13 - I am going to accumulate some Lotto plays tomorrow. If AAPL opens UP then I will move my put strike higher. There was an obscure news story about a lady being shocked to DEATH answering her plugged in iPhone. That may give us an initial dip in the morning so I will be fishing for a WW trade.

 

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7/11/13 - Getting back on track and hopefully never looking back for the rest of the year. Until AAPL can take out  $444 and then all three SGB's on the Daily and Weekly chart, it is suspect to a continuation back down. A very strong earnings quarter and knock it out of the park "NEW" product pipeline will be the only thing that can prevent that from happening.

 

When we get closer to earnings I will set up some LOTTO trades because I expect this stock to make a BIG move in either direction.

 

 

 

 

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7/10/13 - Making moves off the bad news with an engulfing bull candle yesterday failed to produce a decent follow through today. Most likely due to the uncertainty of the markets with Uncle Ben speaking today. In after hours his comments were not market moving events per say, so AAPL did move higher indicating a rally will be happening tomorrow.

 

Because AAPL went up a decent amount yesterday, I was able to buy the 400 puts vs. 385's so I am hedged in case there is an upset tomorrow or Friday.

 

My Jul410 Naked puts are making nice gains and if AAPL keeps this upside buying going tomorrow, I will take my profits off the table and look for another trade.

 

 

 

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7/8/13 - More negative news keeps a lid on the AAPL profit pie. The news announcements today are predicting that AAPL is cutting iPhone production by as much as 20%? Well, that could be a GOOD thing because if they have a whole new line of products coming out BETTER than the iPhone it's ON!

 

That better be the case because if they are cutting due to lack of demand, this stock is going to DIvE. All in all, the selling today was very light considering the gravity of the news which may be another manipulation event to sucker investors out of shares before this stock takes off. I am keeping a very close eye on the SGB zone on the daily chart. AAPL did move down into it and managed a close back over it so there is hope this news will be quickly shrugged off and we are back to the races now that three days of pulling back has completed. Earnings season is where the money is made, so I will be busy looking for trades and hope to find some massive winners for us!

 

 

 

 

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7/7/13 - Bummer, no $444 on Friday, but AAPL did make some moves...down. The trading started off with a bang due to the great employment numbers, but investors hit the sell button 15 minutes in and AAPL never recovered. I jumped on some $420 puts and made some profits for the day, but it certainly was not what I was hoping for from my Sunday post. No worries, we have earnings season  kicking in tomorrow and the will increase the volatility which is exactly what we want to catch some White Whale trades! I have been busy studying charts, hunting for news and reviewing my trades all weekend so I can find the next multi-thousand ROI trades for all of us!

 

IF the trade action on Friday is any indication, AAPL is poised to move lower, but I suspect the week will kick off strong and we will get some upside action on AAPL to the 55MA. It's going to take a blow out number to move AAPL beyond $444 and into old territory. This stock has been desecrated from it's glorious high's and it may very well never gain them again, but do not count this stock out just yet. I am puzzled by all the "lack" of commitment from the execs to stage a comeback story, but that could be exactly what they are doing, creating a quiet riot.

 

We know this stock wants to move higher, just look at last weeks action off news of the iWatch, what if they jump on the gas pedal and actually buy NFLX? Times they are a changing in the phone world, and with always increasing competition from GOOG, Samsung and others, AAPL must find innovation to leave the rest behind fighting for a pittance of market share. AAPL must break the boundaries once again and reinvent commutations with the ultimate device. They certainly have the cash to accomplish just about anything they want, but do they have the visionary consistency that Jobs brought to the table? Ah, yes, that is the 64 million dollar question indeed.

 

In my 15+ years of trading, I have discovered that when a company from on high loses its Mojo, the management tends to start throwing life preservers at investors by way of increased dividends and/or splits. That typically lands the stock into a fixed trading rage based on valuation models and the growth dead stops. My estimation is AAPL is seriously lacking in creativity and heading back to a corporatized model of its past. Milk their stock for all they can get and entice fund manager, value investors, dividend investors etc. to park money and collect dividends—Translation: NO MORE PRICE APPRECIATION.

 

This year is going to be the beginning of the next bull run for AAPL or the Bear reunion locking them into a tight trading range for a very long time. We as traders do not need a particular move, we just need a predictable one to make profits and occasionally an unexpected one to make Ferrari money with!

 

So, I trade with expectation that AAPL can regain it's glory, but I will prepare for this stock to fail if the next earnings release is a big disappointment. Either way, AAPL will be moving on up to the big time again or taking a dive under $400—and most likely stay under for the rest of 2013. Gong forward, I think their path of least resistance is DOWN, so I will be building short positions and speculating with Lotto and WW trades on the long side.

 

The daily and weekly charts are in conflict, but the Daily has a stronger case for AAPL to fail this M pattern and give back ALL of last weeks gains—maybe even more. The saving grace is the massive multi-billion dollar buy back AAPL has in place, so I do not foresee this stock getting decimated unless earnings are a total disaster and guidance is interpreted as DOA.

 

I, like millions of investors, do not want to see this stock die, so that will continue to keep buying pressure on dips and shorts on their tippy toes; which gives us continued opportunities to catch some WW trade volatility!!

 

The best way to play AAPL options is to FISH for lower prices at least 34% below the previous days close because the stock moves around a lot and you will get filled. Since there is so much implied volatility on either side, do not be the sucker and pay for that. If you want to be the savvy trader, collect it by selling premium and speculate when buying with DOTM options because  AAPL moves more than enough in a weeks time to make you a great to huge profit so get in there and make some money!

 

 

 

 

 

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7/4/13 - Get ready for some Appleworks! At least, that is what I am anticipating. With the first threes days of strong upside trading, I am looking for the party to continue right up to $444, and if that is not the case, I would love to see a drop back under $410.

 

The trading action for 7/3/13 was not as encouraging for a continuation as I had hoped because the opening 15-min candle was a big SGB, but the good news is AAPL found some buying activity and managed a close at the top of the SGB's range. I jumped on a lot of Puts and Calls so either way, I need a big $15 to $20 move tomorrow, so lets see what we will get.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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7/2/13 - Another strong and volatile day of trading in AAPL. I sold my 430 calls to lock in profits and bought in again when volatility collapsed and gave me a lower entry

As long as AAPL stays above my SGB zone is should continue to move higher but with tomorrow being a half day and Thurs the 4th, I do not think AAPL is going to make it to my $444 but that can still happen if AAPL moves close to $430 tomorrow and Friday's employment report is a blowout!—I sure hope it will be.

 

 

 

 

 

This daily chart has a lot of insight. If AAPL kills the quarter and finds itself again, happy days are hear again for investors, but if they miss fund managers are going to murder this stock!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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7/1/13 - The first trading day of the new quarter and AAPL showed good strength in pre-market and all day once trading began. All of my naked put plays came back to life and I picked up some nice profits too! What AAPL tried to do was get past the SGB but it was unsuccessful today. In the morning, I jumped on my Put Lotto play a little too early but that is ok, I raised my entry strike $5 so if AAPL gives up today's gains and breaks down I stand to make even more profits so we will see what the week brings. Once I saw that the stock was not giving back any of the first 15 minutes today, I added some $430 JulyWk1 calls and now I am ready for a big move in either direction. To finance these trades, I sold some premium during the day and also traded some shares.

 

My plan is to keep selling premium during the trading day and by tomorrow I anticipate both my speculation plays will be 100% paid for so let the chips fall where they may! My target for AAPL if the SGB zone is taken out is $444 in honor of 4th of July! If that happens, my $430 calls will be up to $14 ITM and make a boat load of profits!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7/1/13 - I bought some JulyWk1 430 Calls this afternoon. I am now set up for a big move either way this week. I also day traded some stock and sold some JulWk1 390 Calls and collected some premium profits today on a pullback.

 

7/1/13 - I bought the JulyWk1 355 Puts for $0.06 this morning. I will watch to see if AAPL fails $400 and then pick up some July13 355's too.

 

 

 

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6/30/13 - Now that I am finished eating all my Apple Pie from Friday's awesome WW trades, what can I fish for this week? On the minds over every technical trader is if  AAPL can put in the double bottom for the rest of 2013 and never look back, or will this be the dismal failure and plunge down to $350 then $300?

 

I have been trading AAPL for close to 15 years and I know one thing, when this stock builds up positive or negative momentum around major technical points, it's very difficult to predict the moves in the short term, but when they begin, they are very BIG moves.

 

My gut is telling me this stock is ready to surprise everyone and make a spectacular short covering rise just like NFLX did, but that will most likely not happen until earnings and if that does happen, I DO NOT WANT TO MISS ANOTHER ONE LIKE THAT!

 

So, my plan is to accumulate DOTM calls under $500 and scalp daily shares to finance my calls. I already have quite a bit of Naked Put premium sold so I am not going to take on any more risk on the downside than what I have.

 

I did buy some $380 JulWk1 puts at the close on Friday just to ease some pain if AAPL fails my solid red line tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

Buying any short puts on Monday you are paying way too much for them unless you are in the same naked put trades I am.

 

If you want to speculate on the PUT side that AAPL is going to fail and keep falling, then consider buying the $350 or $360 puts so you can get more contracts for the money spent.

 

For example, the following ITM or Close to the money strikes cost this much:

 

Expiration: 7/21/13                                              Expiration: 7/5/13

  

 

As you can see, if you buy these closer strikes, you are paying massive premium and in order for you to be profitable, AAPL has to move beyond the strike plus the amount you paid by their expiration dates. We have a shorter trading week due to the 4th of July and the markets are closing half day on Friday’s expiration, so it's just not wise to buy these expensive puts at this time unless you can watch your trades all day.

 

If AAPL does take out the double bottom, the drop is going to be a BIG one, so I would just speculate on the $350 to $360 puts if AAPL opens UP tomorrow and fails to move over $400. If AAPL gaps down, then start accumulating the July13 Calls under $500 because once the stock breaks major support, it will be next to impossible to catch a falling knife.

 

 

Here is what the OTM puts priced out at on Friday's close:

 

Expiration: 7/21/13                                                  Expiration: 7/5/13

  

 

Here is a theoretical scenario if AAPL were to drop $50 by Friday July 5th.

 

Expiration: 7/21/13                                                 Expiration 7/5/13

   

 

Here is an ALL OR NOTHING strategy you can play on AAPL.

 

I normally do NOT recommend you trade like this, but when a stock like AAPL is at MAJOR support, the downside move can be extreme, so you can speculate with DOTM puts and have the potential to make a HUGE gain.

 

Depending on your risk tolerance, you have to decide on what expiration and contract load you want to go with, but if you were going to buy just 1 July13 400 Put the cost would be $1,195 and the reward is not that big if you ask me. I am going to speculate that AAPL will drop $50 by Friday's expiration so I want to have the best possible chance of being ITM, and based on Friday's close, I will buy the JulyWk1 and July13 $345 to $360 puts if AAPL opens UP tomorrow and fails to hold over $400.

 

If you want to "swing for the fence" then go with the JulyWk1 options that expire this Friday and hope AAPL melts down! If you want to be more conservative, then spread your orders on ALL the strike prices 360 - 345 so you have better odds of making a good profit if the move is less than $50.00. And if you want to be real conservative, then go with July13 expiration.

 

 

NOTE: your cost will be higher with commission added in so adjust accordingly to your risk tolerance.

 

 

I am going to swing for the fence on this one with July 5th expiration and hope to get a $50 drop!

 

I am also going to buy some July expiration and hold them for a least a week unless AAPL makes it to my target, then I will take off at least 50% of those and let the rest ride.

 

A final note, this is a 100% SPECULATION trade idea and subject to a 95% chance of expiring worthless. DO NOT use capital you are not 100% willing to part with.

 

 

 

Profits Up!

 

 

The “don” Franko

 

 

 

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6/28/13 - HOOKED THREE WHALES TODAY!!!  AAPL pulled back right into my sweet spot entry targets and took a couple of hours before the party got started retracing all the way back to $400!!

 

 

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6/27/13 - Stopped out of the Bull 180...bummer I suspected that SGB was a short signal yet again. I bought some more puts today and a few Lotto calls for tomorrow so we will see what the final day of June trading brings us. If AAPL heads lower in the morning, I am anticipating an initial drop under my final RED LINE of support. Ideally, I would like to see it drop $20 tomorrow so all of my puts bank and more than pay for all my losing naked and long plays this week. Everybody has got be thinking this is the final double bottom test and we are back to the races. It has been exhilarating and painful for me to navigate these past four weeks. I know I wish I would have just bought longer time on OTM puts and held on because it would have been less stress, but I do like the "game" of trading so here I sit looking for the next move 8-)

 

I know for sure we are about to get a couple of nice White Whale trades going so keep those fishing nets out there!

 

 

 

Is AAPL's stock price about to get MURDERED? They need a savior RIGHT NOW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AAPL  vs.  GOOG on a quarterly basis: Which would you like to invest in? I say BOTH are a LONG if the markets take off again.

 

 

 

 

 

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6/25/13 - Can the bad news already be played out? Well, AAPL is showing us a green bar for this nice Level 2 Bull 180 on the daily; however, it is a SOLID GREEN BAR (SGB) and that may be the death nail to dive this stock lower. I added some more puts and all I need is for AAPL to move at least $20 in either direction in the next couple of days. If that is down, it could easily be MORE than $20.

 

 

 

 

 

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6/24/13 - Downgrades, china woes, new pay plan for CEO and this stock was taken to the woodshed today. A big gap down and subsequent sell off all morning caused a lot of pain for my Naked Put positions. I am fully ready to take ownership of AAPL shares so I am not concerned. I just did some day trading around my positions today but still managed to muck things up a bit today and took some losses. When a stock with this much volatility makes moves, you better back off to 15 minute charts or you will get whacked around all day. I suspect this selling was over done based on the strong rally in the afternoon session so I bought some long calls that I am "hoping" will pay off this week. Most likely NOT going to happen but I am still optimistic. If AAPL does not make it back into and through the SGB zone on the daily chart, this sucker is vulnerable to test its April low or the 200MA on the weekly. I am going to load up on some puts tomorrow if things get ugly. This great stock may have seen it's final days of glory unless they can really pull it together and gain that sweet spot everyone WANTS them to do.

 

 

 

 

 

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6/23/13 - Touch down in the next SGB zone and a pretty good bounce. I am a chart technical genius! What we DO NOT want to see if AAPL getting below this SGB, that would be a very bad thing. With earnings coming up in a few weeks, I expect AAPL to find buyer support (even if that comes from their own buy back program) and lift this stock back towards the 55ma on the daily chart.

 

For now I like the volatility pick up because that will give us a lot more white whale fills and massive profits!!

 

 

 

The monthly hart is looking UGLY but I am confident AAPL has strong support at $400 and if not, $380...yikes, I hope it does not get anywhere close to that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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6/20/13 - Sour apples is what we got today. All the better for that snap back rally! Hoping for a dump and pump tomorrow.  I was trading in and out of it all day today and it was systematically dropping vs. panic plunging so I think there is some buy support sticking around and if AAPL dumps down to $400 there should be some strong buy orders waiting. Maybe AAPL gaps down to the SGB at $412 and rallies back or we get a gap up to $420 and gets dumped all the way down to 400!

 

 

 

 

 

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6/18/13 - No action today and another red DOJI indicating AAPL is about to make some moves soon. Since this is June expiration, I am hoping for a WW trade to get filled by Friday. I am concentrating on T1 entry points for now until volatility picks up.

 

 

 

 

 

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6/17/13 - A positive close is better than a negative one. I did some scalping today and picked up a couple of bucks. I plan on jumping on some long shares tomorrow if AAPL holds Friday's lows and then I will sell some covered calls against them.

 

Without any real strong volatility, the WW fishing is going to be tough but I will just keep on fishing because with this stock, when you catch, you catch the BIG ones!

 

 

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6/16/13 - Double bottom test coming this week? If AAPL opens up in the morning and holds onto $430 an any early dips, this should buy a buyable event. This stock is difficult to be long or short right now because it has no clear trend so you either pick a spot and hold on or just wait until there is a clear direction in play. I will keep fishing for WW trades because the closer we get to earnings the more the volatility will increase. I know that until AAPL clears all the SGB's on the daily charts, then getting long with any size is highly speculative. If you want to speculate, then buy the $460 strike price on the call side and until AAPL clears the SGB on the weekly chart, it's a higher probability to slip down lower.

 

the monthly chart is definitely telling us AAPL is ready to drop down, maybe even take out $400, but I think that would only happen if there was a very negative news event. Remember, AAPL has a multi-billion dollar buy back in play so any dips WILL BE BOUGHT by the company if not big hedge funds as well. AAPL is still a value stock to them and with a good paying dividend, there are plenty of value investors out there still wanting a piece of the Apple Pie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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6/13/13 - On again off again and with the markets in full reverse bull mode AAPL barely participated—it will need a catalyst to get it going again in a big way.

 

I am still in my naked puts and bull put spread positions. I am holding onto them for tomorrow hoping we get a big continuation rally and I can BANK.

 

I will fish for some WW trades tomorrow just in case today's action turns into sour apples. I am not super bullish until AAPL clears the SGB at $444. So I suspect this stock is going to range trade until the next earnings release or product announcement—maybe we will get a Friday surprise tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

Here is what the WW strikes did today. I was not filled based on last nights pricing, but had I raised my entry targets a little bit higher this morning, I would have been filled today. I fish for extreme moves so I can get filled at a really cheap, but you can adjust my suggested entry targets to your risk tolerance. Just remember the more you pay for them, the lower the probability of large ROI returns so take your profits sooner if you get them. I will be ready tomorrow with new fishing orders and will adjust if I like what I see.

 

 

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6/12/13 - Slipping down with the markets. AAPL is the stock that was, and now its the stock that might not be anymore. They better get on top of product innovations and increased sales because profit margins are going to get more competitive and that is what has driven this stock. The will continue to make money, tons of it, but without future profit margins rising, the only way to get the funds investing again (in a big way) is to have products so innovative and compelling that every one of their customers will just have to have one! If not, well, you better like eating Applesauce is you are underwater on your positions. I think AAPL is going to be a good premium selling stock for a long time and I anticipate a lot of momentum swings during earnings season= White Whale Profits!

 

As for current trading levels, if AAPL stays under the 55MA, then I suspect it will be heading to T1 soon and a test of the SGB on the daily chart below. Now will it get there by Friday? It sure can, and with all the markets selling off, I am willing to speculate it can so I am going with the $425 puts if I get WW filled or not.

 

 

 

 

 

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6/10/13 - No earth shaking news as I suspected. AAPL did not drop too much on the lack of exciting news and tomorrow will be the test of this stocks recent resolve to power higher as we approach earnings season. I am thinking the stock will flounder around between $450 and $420 until earnings get closer. Of course, any news that gets announced can surely move this stock around so we will just keep fishing for WW trades and trade what the stock gives us moving forward.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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6/9/13 - Tomorrow is a day of anticipation that AAPL will announce something spectacular at the WWDC. Do not get too excited just yet because it's only a developers conference. I expect the company will most likely keep any ground shaking announcements to a minimum. More importantly, is what's not said that will move AAPL. Everyone is looking for new products to lift the stock, and that is expected, so depending on what they decide to announce or leak out any immediate move should be marginal at best—unless they surprise with a buy out of say NFLX or a unexpected revenue generating product/service. When events like this happen, stocks tend to sell off and with AAPL still holding under both SGB's, we need a much bigger news event other than a developers conference. Either way it moves, I will be ready to trade it so let the chips fall where they may.

 

 

 

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6/7/13 - I did not post anything yesterday because I was away from my computer all day, so if you did some WW fishing today based on the prices listed from Wednesday, then you made a nice profit on the T1 $440 and $445 Calls.

 

Catching these take patience and luck (some made), so you have to keep fishing for them with capital you earn with other strategies/plays I have posted so you do not draw down your capital until the whales show up. As for my exit targets, they are ONLY suggested and you are responsible to take your own profits...just be sure to take profits.

 

 

White Whale Fishing Orders for 6/6/13

 

 

 

 

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6/5/13 - Just can't keep a good stock down. The news story from last night tripped up AAPL but it could not crush it. AAPL is testing $444 support and struggling, but I am optimistic it will find investor confidence at these price levels and return to upward momentum once the DOW correction finishes up. I am a buyer on any dips, especially since the stock held up very well considering that negative news! Monday is the World Wide Developers Conference and investors will be hoping for a few product announcements or other great news to lift this stock. 

 

No WW fills yet, just keep fishing and we will get a capitulation day soon enough.

 

 

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6/4/13 - Today we have an interesting 15-minute chat. AAPL opened up and gave us a nice large SGB that proved (yet again) to be a very accurate SHORT signal. Once the stock failed to take out the daily SGB zone, down it went all day testing the 200MA with a double bottom. This looks promising but in after hours there was a news release: U.S. agency: Apple infringes Samsung patent on older iPhones, iPads which caused the stock drop down sharply initially. The good news is AAPL held that $444 price indicating this story may not matter to big money investors since this has been an ongoing battle between these two companies for years.

 

I took my profits when the SGB zone failed. I still have my other positions and will be looking to get back in tomorrow if $444 continues to hold ground.

 

I am looking for this to gives us a gap down and pop back up tomorrow for a very profitable WW trade opportunity!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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6/3/13 - Whew, meltdown abated and AAPL tests $444; then takes off in the afternoon session gaining momentum off positive analyst comments! No fills on my WW fishing orders, but I did day trade some more long shares and still have my original 100 long shares. There should now be continued bullish momentum as we approach the upcoming WWDC conference on June 10th. Maybe they announce they are buying NFLX...hmmm...or another much anticipated HOT PRODUCT! All I know is if they do NOT have any block buster news, this stock will get whacked back down the next day, so I will be placing my bets on the 9th for sure!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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6/2/13 - Dang, just when things were getting juicy on AAPL everything turned to crap in the afternoon session of trading. I bet it was just month end portfolio shifting but it still bummed me out as I am long shares—no biggie, I am bullish on the AAPL anyway. I will be looking for a nice WW trade catch soon.

 

If this turns into a market wide profit taking event, then AAPL is vulnerable to pull back into the SGB zone on the daily chart (buyable). What has me a little bit concerned the SGB on the weekly chart, so until AAPL can clear that one, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

 

 

 

 

 

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5/29/13 - News digested, accepted and buyers stepped in today as we head to the end of trading for May. With AAPL moving above the SGB, I jumped on long shares, sold some OTM naked puts and I am looking for AAPL to be the one that investors run to if the markets correct. Of course, AAPL must get over that second SGB tomorrow. It popped up over it today and closed exactly on the high side of it, so get ready for a nice movement in the stock tomorrow. I am hoping for a gap and crap or drop and pop so my WW trades can make a nice month end PROFIT!

 

 

 

 

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5/29/13 - CEO speaks, nothing happens...yet. AAPL is looking for direction and that will take a new product announcement. The CEO was speaking today and there was nothing that interesting about his comments other than the usual mumbo jumbo. The good news is AAPL did not drop like a rock so that shows some renewed strength in the stock. Until AAPL clears out these two SGB's it will be vulnerable to lower prices; however, I do not see the stock dropping a whole lot. The interesting thing about today is the close...that was exactly on $444!

 

This will no doubt be the line in the sand going forward so get ready for some action as we wind up May.

 

There were no fills on the WW trades so I will lay out some more nets for tomorrow. What we want is a nice gap up or down and them a reversal of that gap with momentum into Friday...then we BAG THAT WHALE!

 

I tested a little bit of long stock today and picked up some profits. Then I bought 30 of the MayWk5 500 calls just in case we get that run to the upside by Friday.

 

 

 

White Whale Fishing Orders for 5/30/13

 

 

 

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5/28/13 - Nice gap and crap day on AAPL. Unfortunately, my fishing orders were just a little too far away from the action so I did not get filled. I am recalibrating and putting out the nets tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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5/27/13 - AAPL is testing the SGB, and so far, it looks like it wants to move right on past it. We still have the other one at $450 as well as the 89MA before we can clear this stock for lift off. If this current SGB does fail, then I will get short with a strict stop above Friday's high. I am cautiously bullish on AAPL, but there is a tremendous amount of congestion between $470 and $420 which can last for months. That can be a good thing as we can do strangles and capture premium.

 

I was not filled on my fishing orders so I will just keep right on fishing because I eventually will be as this stock moves around. Hopefully it will be in the next couple of days.

 

 

 

 

 

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5/23/13 - What started out to be a drive lower was quickly bought up in the first hour of trading. All the enthusiasm dried up and AAPL moved lower the rest of the day closing the stock right in the middle of the SGB.

 

I had my fishing orders too low and was not picked up on anything. The calls made some nice moves today so had I got filled I could have made some nice gains. Fishing for these trades takes some skill and luck so do NOT chase entry. It is always sweeter to get the surprise fill and catch a huge rebound vs. chasing orders too close to the action and getting whacked by the end of trading. If you do want to fish a little closer, then put your orders at 55 - 68% below the previous days ask and set your profit targets at 300%.

 

When the expected move is low, then you can will have less of a chance of getting filled, and you will also have less profit if you do get filled so lower your profit expectations in this case.

 

 

 

 

 

Here was what the WW calls did today:

 

 

 

 

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5/22/13 - Markets retreat and AAPL counter trends higher! We saw money leaving GOOG today and appear to be headed into AAPL...not so fast!

 

The daily chart has another SGB so we know what that means a high probability for AAPL is...DOWN!

 

When high beta stocks that are running take a break, the money managers always go to other high beta stocks that under performed, and AAPL was one of them today. Trading is a poker game, and you have to learn how to read your opponents if want to gain an edge. I am sure every novice and under-experienced investor out there is thinking that AAPL is the safe zone as the market looks to pull back, but my readers know about these little anomaly patterns I call SGB's (sold green bars).

 

The last two resulted in higher prices, so we need to keep watch how this one reacts.

 

 If AAPL does not get back over the last one at $450, then I will short stock with a hard stop at $450 with a target at a support test at $400 - $410.

 

 

 

 

 

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5/19/13 - I am bullish on AAPL as long as it stays above the SGB at $410. I will overweight Calls when I am placing orders.

 

My plan is to start fishing for CALLS and PUTS within 1 strike of the previous days high and low each evening. I want to try and get filled at $0.10 cents or less and then make quick profits as AAPL moves during the early trading session. If it looks like the stock wants to make a measured move, then I will take most of the profits off the table and let the rest ride in anticipation of a big payoff.  

 

I have White Whale OTO (one-triggers-other) automated orders on CALLS and PUTS in place with an automated 500% profit targets that I will adjust once I get filled. Sometimes, AAPL moves so fast in the morning you may get filled in minutes.

 

My buy price is $0.10 cents or lower off the close of the previous days close. This will put my risk reward in very good shape if these plays work out—and they DO work out quite often!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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5/16/13 - Finally, some buyers stepped in when AAPL made a DIRECT HIT on my Bear 180 T2 target...as usual, my analytics are SPOT ON!

When I saw that, I loaded up on all my fishing plays and banked some HUGE gains today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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5/15/13 - Wow, markets take off, GOOG breaks above $900 and AAPL gets dumped? Very peculiar; however, the bulk of the drop today was due to a popular hedge fund manager announced they are OUT OF AAPL. That news brought AAPL down to the 21MA as I predicted and it almost hit T2! I sold at $425.00. I expected a bounce today and got whacked so my Naked Puts are taking a beating right now, but I have a month, so I am just sitting on them ready to take delivery of AAPL if it keeps dropping.

 

I jumped on some Lotto 450 calls today and I plan on fishing for some more White Whale Calls tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

=========================================================================================

5/14/13 - Nailed it...again!

 

AAPL dropped right into $444 today and slipped under to close at $443.86. I am ready to close out my Bear 180 play if it trades to $445.00 in pre market tomorrow.

 

My fishing order on the June Naked puts was hit and I am now long the Naked puts. I am more than happy to take ownership of AAPL stock so let's see how this one plays out.

 

My Bull Put Spread reached my target credit so I am in that trade too.

 

I also bought the $450 Lotto Calls and will be looking for AAPL to rebound the rest of the week. I may be early, but with the markets continuing to drive higher, I am hopeful AAPL will bounce here. I will follow the Calls close and take profits if AAPL does not get back over the SGB at $450.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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5/13/13 - Last weeks chart turned into a SGB!!! This has been proven to be a SHORT signal for AAPL!

 

However, the last two SGB's resulted in much higher prices, so we need to be cautious now because we know AAPL has a 50 BILLION dollar share buy back in progress and that means this stock will be systematically bought at technical levels. It will be very difficult to make big gains with options, so I recommend you only buy ITM options or just sell premium spreads. For me, I will fish for my entry prices 55% blow the current ask so I can get better fill and have the implied volatility work for me instead of against me.

 

AAPL had a quiet day holding onto the 89MA on the daily chart. We have reached T1 on the Bear 180 play and if the selling kicks in, I expect a drop back to the 21MA. I do not expect to get to T2 so I will take profits at the 21 if I get them. I have a profit stop in at $460.00

 

If AAPL does move higher off this test of the 89MA, then get ready for $480 - $500 in the future. I do not think it can get there this week, but anything can happen. I would be a seller of Bull Put Spreads if AAPL holds $450 tomorrow; otherwise, I am still looking for $444 to be tested.

 

 

=========================================================================================

5/9/13 - Today was the dividend payout and AAPL was basically quiet most of the trading day. Tomorrow will be the sign to look for. If AAPL does not get back over $465.00 I think we are in for some profit taking back to $444. I shorted yesterday off my Bear 180 with a stop in at $466.00. I almost got down to T1 today so if AAPL does head lower, I am putting my stop at T1 and looking for $444.00 as I do not think it will drop to T2; on the other hand, if AAPL takes off tomorrow, then the race is on for $500!

 

 

 

========================================================================================

5/7/13 - Took profits on Mini-calls. Looking to short 100 shares tomorrow for the Bear 180 with a profit target at T1 or better ONLY if AAPL stays under $460.

 

I did not get filled on my WW trades so I am cancelling them and will see how AAPL trades into Thurs for a Friday fishing trip.

 

=======================================================================================

5/6/13 - The next couple of days should keep some buy pressure going as AAPL nears it's quarterly Ex dividend pay out on 5/9/13. As I have said in previous commentary, this stock is back on the radar and with AAPL buying back $60 billion in shares, there will be NO big sell off in this stock for some time into the future. It can have dips, which is expected, but any and all dips will be bought with enthusiasm, so I am going to start fishing for calls and puts as the stock moves around now that it has reached T3 on the Bull 180 chart. I am going fishing for some cheap put entries starting tomorrow. I have standing orders in for $450 and $460 MayWk2 puts at $0.10 cents. I believe this stock will take a break once the Ex-dividend date has been reached so I am hopeful it will make modest profit taking pull back—once that happens, then I will fish for calls. Tomorrow is the 13th day in the current Bear 180 setup, and when we get the next red bar, then I expect AAPL to only pull back to T2.

 

 

 

 

 

==========================================================================================

5/3/13 - Big market rally day and AAPL stalls giving us another SGB in 11 trading days. Next week will be the test if AAPL can take out the 89MA. If the stock moves down, I am shorting my Bear 180 play. I made a very nice profit on the 420 calls! Looking over the daily and weekly charts, what we have are in the final moves of a multi Bull 180 run, so next week is going to be interesting.

 

 

Looking over the current Bull 180 in progress, we can see AAPL is getting very close to T3 and should find resistance any day now. I suspect any rise in the price next week will be stopped by the 21MA on the weekly around $455.

 

 

 

 

==========================================================================================

 

5/2/13 - My Bear 180 stopped out. I will wait to see if AAPL falls back under $444 tomorrow and get in again. It's looking like AAPL will attempt to hit $460 if the markets take off tomorrow.

 

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5/1/13 - The earnings euphoria might be wearing off for the rest of this week, but with the dividend coming, I think AAPL will just keep finding buyers on any dips. We currently have a nice Bear 180 in play so if you get short, be sure to stick to a strict stop and take profits at T1 or T2 because I really do not think AAPL will fall to T3. Because opinion has shifted on AAPL to bullish bias, I will start fishing for lotto trades each week because I know that I will catch a few pull back days that pop a nice rebound rally.

 

On the horizon, GOOG will be releasing a new phone in the future and Google glass which will have impact on AAPL as competition heats up, but that is what makes for great trading opportunities so BRING IT!

 

 

 

 

==========================================================================================

4/30/13 - As I predicted...AAPL rises to $444.00 before pulling back. I did not get a big enough dip this morning so my Lotto plays failed to get filled. I will adjust and try again. What I did do was place a Vertical Bear Call spread anticipating a pull back tomorrow; however, we could get another May Day rally and AAPL could easily head to $450 so if that does happen, then I will put on a $440 Put Butterfly.

 

 

 

Profits Up!

The donFranko

 

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4/29/13 - AAPL is BACK and now the support is $420 with the next target at $444. With the next dividend payout coming on 5/9/13 there should be continued buying pressure, so any dips you should get some calls. I am putting in orders 89% below the closing prices of 1 OTM, 1 ATM, 1 ITM strike prices tomorrow to see if I can get picked up for a bargain price.

 

 

 

 

Profits Up!

The donFranko

 

==========================================================================================

4/26/13 - All my butterfly spreads expired worthless but my White Whale trade has more than paid for all my losses so I am not concerned. I will keep looking for more trade opportunities to make all that money back. Now that earnings are out and AAPL has a massive buy back, this should prop up the stock and any pull backs will be short lived so buy the dips and sell the rallies. As I said below, I think the current SGB could be the one that does not reverse the stock. I will stick to that bias until AAPL takes out the ORC.

 

 

 

Profits Up!

The donFranko

 

================================================================================================

4/25/13 - I scalped another trade on the $420 calls today and now I am short the AprWk4 $400 puts for tomorrow. If AAPL moves higher tomorrow morning, I will add some more in anticipation of a drop back to $400 or lower. Today AAPL put in another SGB and so far that has been a 100% SHORT signal. Maybe this time it will be the opposite since it was preceded by an open red candle ORC.

 

If AAPL does move higher and holds over $416 then I will buy a MayWk1 call to test the upside and also but a Bull Put Spread to collect some rent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Profits Up!

The donFranko

 

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4/24/13  - I CAUGHT THE WHITE WHALE TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

6:34 AM - WOW I got filled or $0.05 CENTS!! Here we goooooooooooo....AAPL!!

 

 

AAPL is down under $400 in pre market!!! Just what I was hoping to see. I will be placing my orders for the $410, $415 and 420 strikes with the anticipation this pullback will wear off and AAPL will catch a bid and rally back to yesterday's after hours high of $430. Looking for prices UNDER $1.00 hope to get filled in the .05 - .10 cent range on some too.

 

 

If the stock rallies up early today, I will also buy some $380 - 390 Wk4 and  puts if I can get any of those for less than $1.00. That is where the 200MA is which is the next major support for AAPL where the stock should bounce back up from. Remember, AAPL announced an increase in their stock BUY BACK so that will keep it from diving in price once the initial move this week has played out.

 

 

 

Profits Up!

The donFranko

 

 

 

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4/23/13 - AAPL beats estimates by a small margin, but gross margins shrank. When trading resumed everything appeared to be going gangbusters as the stock made a move to $430. Once the conference call started, the buyers headed for the exits and now it's getting crushed back down to $400. THIS IS THE MAKINGS OF A WHITE WHALE TRADE TOMORROW!!!!!!!!

 

The expected move at the close was:

 

AAPL almost reached in in after hours trading:

 

 

 

The movement in AAPL is subjective to interpretation of the fund managers that buy and sell in millions of shares. Even though AAPL reported a “good” quarter, they showed lower projected revenue in the future—the company's gross margin shrank to 37.5 percent compared to 47.4 percent a year earlier.

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/apple-earnings-beat-forecasts-company-210540870.html

Apple (AAPL) shares surged in after-hours trading after it beat earnings forecasts and doubled the amount of cash it will return to shareholders. However, its outlook fell short of expectations. Apple reported fiscal second-quarter earnings of $10.09 a share on revenue of $43.60 billion versus $12.30 a share on $39.19 billion a year earlier.

Analysts had expected the tech giant to report earnings excluding items of $10.00 per share on revenue of $42.33 billion, according to a consensus estimate from Thomson Reuters.

 

When stocks only meet or slightly beat the “estimate” that is not necessarily a good thing. Surprise beats of earnings estimates, split announcements, dividends etc., is the key to sustained higher prices the next day. That is why I prefer puts over earnings because even slightly bad news can cause a stock to drop 10% or more the next day.

 

Even though AAPL beat estimates and also increased its dividend 15 percent to $3.05 a share; and said it will expand its share repurchase program to $60 billion from the $10 billion level announced last year and that is most likely being viewed (by analysts and pundits) as an act of desperation to prop up the stocks share price—too much too late.

 

All stocks are priced on future earnings not past, so when a stock only meets or slightly beats, that is already priced in on the future. Billion dollar fund managers have to move large capital; and that takes time to load up on shares, but for AAPL, they have been dumping it for several months; the price action in after hours confirms there is NO BIG MONEY ready to step on the buy button and that is why the stock is selling of right now—this can change by tomorrow.

 

The good news is that AAPL rallied showing us the target resistance; and now that it is selling off in after hours, we have a chance to pick up the the 425 calls for a White Whale trade. We want to pick a strike price inside the movement of tonight’s action so we have the best chance of being ITM if big money investors decide this news is a buying opportunity and lifts the stock back to $430 or higher by Friday.

 

On the other hand, if the stock gaps up in the morning, then the $390 puts are the target in anticipation the rest of the big money investors decide this stock is DOA and dumps it the rest of the week.

 

I have started doing Butterfly spreads because the risk is so low compared to the reward; however, the stock has to hit your target zone to make profits, and so far, both of my Butterfly spreads are not looking like they will make any profits.

 

I am going fishing tomorrow for a White Whale trade and hope that AAPL dips in the morning testing $400, then takers off back to $430 by the end of the week; so I am looking to get in on the $420 or 425’s, and hopefully I can pick them up for less than $1.00 per contract.

 

If AAPL gaps up, then I will try for the $380 or $390 puts if I can get them for $1 or less.

 

If you are looking for a better odds play to make some profits, then consider selling spreads outside the expected moves and try to collect premium others pay to speculate a large move—the risk is capped but so is the reward.

 

 

Profits Up!

The donFranko

 

 

 

 

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I added another Butterfly 440 / 445 / 450

 

So far AAPL is sticking around $400 - $405 in the morning session of trading.

 

The expected move tomorrow is currently at +/- 25.95

 

 

 

That puts AAPL potentially at $428 or $378, so the lotto trade strike for the best opportunity of being ITM tomorrow would be the 425 Calls and/or the $380 puts

 

 

As you can see, they are quite EXPENSIVE so if you did a straddle then your break even would be:

 

 

This is just too much expense for my liking; however, we have the rest of the week for this to work out. Since it's widely expected they will miss, I feel the low end is pretty much already priced in so I am going to do a Put Butterfly at the expected move because that is where the 200MA is sitting at $380.00

 

 

 

 

I bought the 430 Call Butterfly at the expected move:

 

I am going to speculate on the 440 and 455 call side because if AAPL surprises and/or announces something new, the shorts will cover and UP we go.

 

 

Tomorrow I will fish for the White Whale trade opportunity after I see what the reaction to the earnings is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

========================================================================================

4/22/13 - AAPL attempted to surface above $400 but slipped back under in anticipation of tomorrow earnings release. NFLX blew the doors off and exploded in after hours trading but that did give any rise to AAPL. It is widely expected that AAPL will report another miss so if they do beat, and make a huge announcement like another special dividend or product, this stock will catch on fire again so be ready.

 

Now if they miss, that is expected, so most likely the stock will drop the expected move unless it's a really bad miss and forward projections. There are so many ways to trade this stock so you have to decide on how you want to approach your risk.

 

I plan on doing both a call and put butterfly as well as DOTM Iron Condor and then I will speculate on some standard calls and puts. For the following day I will have my White Whale order standing ready once I see how the stock reacts in post market and pre market trading.

 

 

 

 

 

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4/20/13 - The USS Apple Sub is still in dive mode. My $400 Butterfly pegged its full profit target when AAPL topped out at $399.47 so I closed it and locked in those profits. Unfortunately the rest of my trades did not do as well. Next week is the big earnings day for AAPL and I am confident there will be a big move the next day.

 

I was watching the price action in AAPL and managed my Butterfly trade. I also did some day trades and made some more profits; however, my lotto trades from

Thursday did not make the grade.

 

Going forward, I am still placing some Lotto trades on Thursdays, but I will start fishing for dips and gaps up in the morning session with standing orders one to two strikes under the previous days close.

 

My goal is to catch a cheap option trade and turn that into a massive winning trade if the stock makes a large move by the end of the trading day. See the GOOG commentary.

 

 

 

 

 

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4/18/13 - AAPL sinks below $400!

 

The trading today was a steady stream of selling pressure but when AAPL broke down under $400, it did not freefall indicating we are near a bottom or the big sellers are now out of the stock—that is good news if it turns out to be true!

 

With earnings coming next week, all eyes will be on this stock with great anticipation. The consensus is they will miss and since the stock has plunged $40 in the past week, there may not be that big of a move next week. Those $400 puts banked for a second time today hitting a massive high of $11.45...WOW.

 

I took profits yesterday and jumped on some more today when AAPL broke down.!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow I am hoping AAPL makes a move back to $400 because I am testing out a Butterfly spread that I placed at the close. If AAPL pegs $400 then this Butterfly will pay me out $450.00; otherwise, I lose the $74.00 I spent. Not a bad risk reward ratio. If this works out, I will start adding more of these to my current plays.

 

 

The charts show the next probably target will be the 200MA on the weekly if AAPL does not get back over $400 before earnings (a major psychological price). Now if earnings are indeed a bust, the next major support is $325.00

 

 

If you count the red bars on the weekly chart from the beginning of the downturn you will see AAPL is currently in its 20th down week indicating we have 1 more down week to go. There have been a total of 10 up weeks brining the total to 30 weeks of disastrous selling. Using the Fibonacci sequence, we have 1 more week of selling and 4 more weeks of downside; however, next week is the 21st week and we have earnings coming out which have a way of changing everything, so get ready for the next measured move. 

 

======================================================================================

 

4/17/13 - BAM! Did you get in this morning at the breakdown? Sure hope so. If not, there will be another massive winner coming rest assured and I will find it for you!

If you jumped on these puts yesterday then you BANKED but even today was an awesome trade!!

 

I jumped on some Calls and more puts for the rest of the weeks in anticipation of a move off the GOOG earnings tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bought Yesterday:

 

Bought Today:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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4/16/13 - AAPL still testing that big time support again today and so far it held putting in a decent +6.39 rise. The stock still needs to get over the 8MA and most likely will be quiet this week until GOOG earnings. I suspect the GOOG earnings will move AAPL around in support or sympathy so you may want to start some mini calls like I have. If AAPL does break down under $419 I am ready to get on some puts as well as selling some Bear Call Spreads.

 

 

 

 

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4/15/13 - Nothing boring about AAPL today. The Bull 180 completely failed but I took profits on Friday. Apple did a dead stop at the last gasp of support so if we get a bounce in the market tomorrow, I suspect AAPL will head back up. I bought a couple of Mini Calls and will be ready to jump on some regular calls if we get the rebound tomorrow. If AAPL breaks $419 there should be a pretty strong initial drop so I am picking up some $400 puts if AAPL does not open under $419; and fails the first 15 minutes of any upward movement tomorrow.

 

 

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4/13/13 - Another boring day in AAPL but the fireworks are about to begin with earnings coming up on the 22nd. The 8ma on the weekly stopped AAPL for the second time and that makes it tough for me to get long but I know that when AAPL does make a move over this it will most likely gap over it so I am going to pick up a couple of the May13 450 calls because this stock will test the 21MA on a rebound, so I want to have enough time for it to get there. I took a small profit on my B180 trade and will look for the next B180 setup in the future.

 

The daily chart has a consolidation pattern that must hold the 8MA or this stock is vulnerable to a sharp decline and if they miss earnings it's going to be a big move in my opinion. The high in the last down trending channel and the low is the measured move from the double bottom low (up to -50 points or $370.00) that you can base your option strikes on. If AAPL beats, then the 89MA is your first target to the upside. As this week starts out, I will be looking to enter some weekly mini contracts for a hopeful earnings run, but will not get my full lotto plays on until 4/22/13.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

======================================================================================

4/11/13 - Lackluster day that started out to the downside. The late morning rally lost momentum and now the stock has close with an open red bar doji I have not seen for a long time. I am looking for AAPL to attempt a run to $440 but the weekly chart indicates the 8ma proving to be strong resistance. Tomorrow will be  a pivotal day for the future of AAPL trading. I attempted some puts this morning and took a hit so I added some calls anticipating a rally tomorrow. If AAPL fails to make a move higher, I will jump back on some puts. I sold my weekly mini-calls today for a nice profit and bought some Lotto calls for tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

=======================================================================================

4/10/13 - Cancel crash as AAPL took off today on very strong volume confirming the Bull180 is back in action. Target one was take out yesterday and now we are looking for target 2. I placed my stop at target 1.

 

 

 

===================================================================================

4/8/13- The Bull180 is trying to start up again, so this time I just bought a mini-contract to test the waters before I jump in with bigger capital. AAPL needs to stay above $420 which is a psychological level for many technical traders.

 

 

 

Applying my Bear 180 formula to AAPL gives me these targets if AAPL fails the Bull 180 Setup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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4/3/13 - Down we go is the call today. Only saving grace now will be an explosive employment report and broad market rally. That might not even do it for AAPL. This stock is getting despised by investors; and if things get ugly tomorrow, then AAPL WILL go down! I bought 1 APRWK1 420 put today and will add more tomorrow if AAPL heads lower.—Cancel B180.

 

I am ready to get in tomorrow with a Lotto play and I will also pick up some APRWk2 OTM options in the prevailing direction of the stock tomorrow by the close.

 

 

 

 

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4/3/13 - Another attempt to kick off a B180 and it failed for a second day. This time I took my profits off the table on the stock and will keep looking for an options play for Friday. The nice thing is AAPL held up with a positive close even with the markets taking a big sell off. If we get a rebound tomorrow in the markets, AAPL should take off and move $8-15 bucks higher by Friday.

 

 

 

v

 

 

 

 

 

 

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4/2/13 - We had the bears against the ropes today but not down for the count...at least not yet anyway. As I suggested, AAPL is forming a very nice Bull 180 and if you jumped in today then you may be feeling some pain because the rally failed to sustain itself in the afternoon session. We are not stopped out yet, but today's failure definitely indicates big money is still exiting this stock; and if AAPL does not reverse back tot he upside tomorrow; then you can start looking for $400 to best the next support test. I jumped on another weekly mini in the morning and when I looked at my position in the afternoon I was really bummed out. Not to worry, I will just keep looking for another opportunity to get some more and average out at a profit.

 

Tomorrow should be a pivot day for AAPL and if the selling continues, then I am definitely looking for it to be a capitulation day. If this happens, we want to get long on the next green opening daily bar as the full Bull 180 will be set up. What we have to be cautious of is if the selling is supported by a downturn in all of the markets too. That could cause AAPL to slip into another multi-day drop putting us into the next B180 setup 8 bars down. Remember, the Bull 180 is a pattern trade and the stop MUST be kept. It's a very tough pattern to trade options with because you have to overcome the spread and implied volatility so do not buy large contract loads. I prefer to just trade the stock with these, but since the drop has been very large the ATR is $8 - $20 which gives us enough potential movement to make options plays profitable.

 

If AAPL does make the move be sure to take lock in a profits stop on stock plays and take profits on options plays if you buy OTM because any pull back will wipe out your profits faster than you made them.

 

Here is what the options $10 and $15 OTM did today:

 

   

    

 

As you can see, the stock started out strong and failed to keep moving higher. The OTM options were up almost 100% and actually ended the day lower than they started. This is why you have to take profits when trading options based on the Bull 180 pattern—at least take 50% off to lock in a break even should the pattern fail. 

 

 

This Bull 180 pattern is failing so unless AAPL gaps up in the morning, I will be stopped out. If the stock manages to close in the green tomorrow, I will get long again at $430 with another strict stop $1.00 under today's low.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

========================================================================================

4/1/13 - April sucker punched today and AAPL is NOT fooling around. My mini option contract I bought on Thursday was whacked today collapsing 70% with a -3.11% move in the stock—this is a classic example why you want to be a "seller" of premium vs. a buyer.

 

I was going to double down when AAPL hung around $433.00, but I suspected the selling was going to continue into the close—and I was right. I will wait to see what it does tomorrow before I add more contracts to average into this trade. The nice thing is the capital commitment is so small I can experiment before I jump in with bigger money.

 

Looking over the charts, I am getting very excited as AAPL is setting up for a very powerful Bull 180 reversal! Each of the last 4 red bars has been getting larger with AAPL putting in very nice wide range bar today.

 

I am hoping tomorrow is the blowout with the biggest volume of the group and we get a nice GREEN entry opportunity on Wed. If AAPL closes off at the lows of it range tomorrow, I will buy a couple more Mini calls and wait for the next day to go for a larger position.

 

So far the range is at $40.00 with the ATR at $8.00 and a 55% retracement of the range can be up to a $22.00 move! Because AAPL is getting whacked right now. the call options are priced with a lot less implied volatility. This allows us to buy a little further OTM so we can get more contracts and make more profits because once this stock snaps back, the market makers will pack in premium on those OTM strikes.

 

AAPL is still in a very bearish correction mode, so this trade will be risky on the long side. I would not commit large capital on this stock until it gets back over $444.00.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

======================================================================================

3/28/13 - Can I call it or can I call it. AAPL dropped right down to $444 today and finally moved under it closing right at the 21MA on the daily chart.) on the day. I bought a mini AprWk1 440 call today just to see how they work with 3 days of time decay because I think AAPL will bounce off the 21MA next week.

 

I jumped on some puts and calls today making some pretty good day trade profits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

=================================================================================================

 

3/27/13 - What happened to AAPL today? I suspect it was quarterly portfolio shuffling along with a couple of negative news stories. Once the stock gapped down, I closed my long position immediately and will wait for next week to start any new positions. The daily chart is confirms yet again the solid green bar is a definite short signal. If this sell off has legs into next week, I would be looking for AAPL to definitely test $444.00. Also, if you look at the chart more closely, you will see this stock is putting in very similar patterns indicating AAPL could very well be heading down for the count until earnings and if they miss, well, AAPL will be pulverized into applesauce for the foreseeable future. If AAPL returns to the channel, you can anticipate a blowout drop under $400 and down to the 200MA where plenty of buyers are anxiously waiting.

 

 

                   

 

 

 

 

=================================================================================

3/26/13 - Making moves higher since my last comments; however, yesterday put in a slight shooting start Doji that was also a solid green bar and with today's gap and crap, it appears AAPL is selling off as the DOW continues to make new all time highs. What is about to cross the line is the SPX and if it holds, then AAPL WILL head higher with a rising tide. If the SPX fails to hold then it's a 80% sure bet AAPL will pull back and test the recent upswing. Without any big time announcements from AAPL I think this stock is just going to bounce around in a 10% range for a long time. That is PERFECT for us as savvy options traders because we can do Straddle and Strangles or Iron Condors and collect premium!!!

 

I closed my Naked Puts today. Moved my long stock stop up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

==============================================================================

3/19/13 - Gap and crap today on AAPL. What started to be a nice move higher lost all it's steam most of the day. The stock did manage to put on some rebounding in the final hour of trading; and closed just over VWAP on the 15min chart indicating to me it wants to move higher. I did not get long any options this morning when it failed the first 15 minute bar. Today's action was most likely based on the anniversary of their first dividend announcement and since there was not another one, the stock pulled back. I am sure AAPL has something up their sleeves, but that remains to be seen. Of course with looming news, it makes it hard to get short so I am just going to go with some Bull Put Spreads and OTM calls. If AAPL fails to hold $444 then I will get short.

 

The daily chart shows that AAPL stopped right at gap down support from Jan and if it cannot get moving over $460 it is vulnerable to selling back to $420.

 

The weekly chart shows AAPL is still in correction mode and if this week turns into a red bar the selling will kick in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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3/15/13 - Nice day today with AAPL as it gapped up and powered higher all day! My Naked Puts expired with a 100% profit and my long stock position is looking good for now. What seems like CODE to me is the high of the day at $444.23. If you remember a couple of months back, I commented about AAPL making changes around interesting price prints. In the past few months, AAPL has posted prices like: $555 on 1/2/13 , 666 on 9/28/12, 655.55 on 10/4/12 etc. Every time I have seen AAPL post unusual prices, the stock makes measured moves shortly after. So, does the high of $444 mean we found the bottom? Well that depends on your interpretation. If you are from the Orient, the number 4 is UNLUCKY and means DEATH, so that may be the case with $444 as the high today. Maybe you could say its code that the Samsung phone is DOA and AAPL is back on the upswing. Of course only time will tell going forward, but you want to remember this price today and get SHORT if AAPL falls back under it or stays under it next week.

 

On another note, tomorrow the CBOE will start trading mini-options on AAPL, GOOG, GLD, AMZN and SPDR S&P 500. You can now trade options on AAPL in lots of 10 shares. This will add more liquidity and that means more action in either direction the stock is trading. I suspect that tomorrow will be a continuation day from Friday's stellar rally, and now you can jump in immediately at the open with mini options for a cheap price and once things are heading your way, add more regular options if you like.

 

 

 

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3/14/13 - Tomorrow is March expiration and I suspect that something is up with AAPL and its getting ready to make a move. Question is, what direction and how much of a move can you anticipate? My bias is cautiously bullish and that is where I have made my plays. I bought the stock and have naked puts fully willing to take ownership of more shares. My plan is to make a Lotto trade tomorrow in the direction the stock shows after the first 15 minutes of trading. I would prefer to see a gap up or down and if that gap holds I will get long the opposite side of that gap looking for the measured move for the day. The SPX will most definitely take out it's all time high at the open, and I suspect it's going to just keep right on going higher. Now that the DOW has closed up for 10 consecutive days you have to note that it's actually been moving higher since the last major down day for 13 days—which is a very strong Fibonacci REVERSAL point.  As for the weekly chart, it's been 11 weeks since the last large down day so we can still be in for two more weeks of upside. Because the Dow closed on the high of its range today, I am still cautious and would not commit large capital going forward. Then again, I am a "gambler" and if you can't shove your chips in when the cards are strong, you better play the penny slots...lol.

 

Looking over AAPL's charts you would say it's a definite SHORT. Both the daily and weekly chart look U.G.L.Y! All moving averages are clearly pointing down and if the markets turn for the worse, investors are almost assured this stock will drop under $400. The weekly chart shows the 200MA at approximately $380 and that is where fund manger are most likely waiting to jump on with big money.

 

This last weeks trading had some news events, rumors and speculation that AAPL will have a new special dividend, stock buy back, acquisition of maybe NFLX, and new products in the future. Well, that is all future compelling news and that is what makes stocks rise...the hopeful unknown.

 

With a couple of downgrades that really did not effect the stock, AAPL is showing strong resilient behavior to move higher. So, how do you play this one without getting hurt? You buy OTM under a 10% move and add to it when you start to see a profit.

 

So my plan is to do the following:

 

Long puts 1 strike OTM and long calls 4 strikes OTM. I will overweight my calls and use the puts as my hedge. Once the stock shows its clear direction over $435 or under $425 then I will do an OTM spread too in the direction of the stock.

 

 

NOTE: AAPL is in the 8th (Fibonacci) day of sideways trading on the daily chart.

 

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3/12/13 - AAPL is downgraded again, no wait, it's down again, but hey it was just up, then again this could just be the warm up...all I know is I am getting see-sic—monkey see, monkey do.

 

As more analysts jump on, I am getting more bullish because I know from past experience the crowds and analysts are always on the wrong side of their opinion; and when it seems nobody wants this stock, that is when the smart money puts their bets on; and when it proves to be right, they go all in. There is definitely some news coming from AAPL management, and typically, they announce things in April. The current rumors are a special dividend or possible large stock buy back. Who knows, they may even go for another split; just get ready to rumble, because once they do make an announcement, we should see 2 - 3 days of upside—I will start accumulating weekly options 10% out of the money.

 

Start with contract size you are 100% prepared to lose and add more each week, because one this stocks finds a bid, you WILL make a profit.

 

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3/11/13 - Downgrade resulted in an upgrade on the stocks price. So many times I have heard nefarious downgrade/upgrade calls on stocks only to see them do the exact opposite. If you ask me, I think these analysts are full of BS and looking to MANIPULATE a stock with their learned calls to: buy, sell, hold, neutral, strong sell, strong buy, and on and on. Sure they could be right over a longer time line, but more often than not, I see stocks make reversal moves typically in a day to a week of the announcements. Well, today was one of those days when AAPL quickly headed down in early trading and then a news story hits that there could be a special dividend and that was all she wrote. I suspect that downgrade was pure bullpucky meant to do nothing more than get the stock dumped this morning so these "insider analysts" could LOAD UP.—just too much of a coincidence for me.

 

When I heard this downgrade, I immediately bought the Mar13 445 calls and made a tidy profit today for my compounder portfolio. I also sold the Apr13 400 naked puts to collect some premium fully ready to take ownership if AAPL were to head lower, but now that AAPL has kicked that downgrade out the window, we may be in for a nice rally back to the good old days...all aboard!

 

 

 

 

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3/10/13 - The AAPL train is still at the station loading passengers for the next ride. The challenges is do you want to take the chance or wait to jump on the caboose? That is what makes trading so exciting and/or frustrating. This stock likes to make moves and that is what option traders need because premium in these options are stacked against you. This is a very hard stock to trade so you just have to pick your spots and invest with confidence. Because the premium packed into the options pricing is so volatile, it's very difficult to put in stops as you will have them taken out way more than you want them to. The best way to make money in this stock is to sell premium, but if you have a small account, that is very hard to do because AAPL options are priced in $5 increments. This means that you still have a lot of risk if the spreads do not work out, so you just cannot get greedy and play spreads close to the money. With the stock still in correction mode, you must be willing to accept the risk of sharp drops when trading Bull Put Spreads. I would not do Bear Call Spreads because when this stock makes a move to the upside, it will be quick and potentially large. My strategy is to focus on Bull Put Spreads and speculate on OTM calls. I will start this week with a Naked Put with 1 contract fully ready to take ownership of the shares.

 

Currently AAPL is trading UNDER the 8 and 20MA on the daily charts and any failure from here can easily send this stock down to the 200MA on the weekly charts at $370.00. Does that mean you just jump on puts tomorrow if AAPL opens down? Sure, but you better be willing to lose any money you put on that trade because the premium packed in the weekly options is quite expensive so I would buy ITM puts and take profits with trailing stops once you have them. You will get stopped out if they are too close, so keep them at 55% below the price you paid for the options once you have profits.

 

If AAPL opens up and fails at $435.00 then get the puts started and if it opens down, wait for the first 15 minute bar  and trade ITM puts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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3/5/13 - The stock of the century is back on my radar screen. I have been waiting for AAPL to show signs of life again and today it finally rolled higher with the markets. Typically when a stock gets beat down you want to see it countertrend higher when the markets are going lower, that way, when the markets give support, the stock moves up in a bigger way. Well, any move higher with AAPL on market support is a good sign for me to consider a long position. However, I am very cautious because this stock is still in correction mode territory until it proves a bottom is in place. That takes more than a single up day, it takes a weeks worth of sideways trading support.

 

For the short-term, AAPL is capable of making some big moves higher if the shorts fear today's action is the bottom so get ready for some action.

 

My plans for this week are to see how the stock trades in pre-market and so long as it holds above the pre-market high, then I will get long stock with a strict stop just under the pre-market low. If I happen to get stopped out then I will sell 1 Mar13 400 Naked put ready to take ownership again of the stock.

 

 

Tomorrow I will pick up a few OTM 404 Puts and overweight the 455 Calls.

 

On Thursday I will add more to the winning side before the close.

 

On Friday morning, I will be watching for a hopeful gap and then I will look for the option strike opposite that gap that dips down to .05 cents or less for a Friday Lotto Trade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Profits Up!

The donFranko

 

 

 

 

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