Muted Markets
A look at my current stock options portfolio exposure and upcoming volatility catalysts
August is all about vacations, and market volatility has been low - the SPY 0.00%↑ is up ~1% month-to-date. September, however, tends to bring more activity, with jobs and inflation data front and center.
This week’s potential volatility triggers include:
Tuesday: Durable Goods data is just okay
Looking forward to OKTA 0.00%↑ and MDB 0.00%↑ earnings reports tonight.
Wednesday: NVDA 0.00%↑ CRWD 0.00%↑ SNOW 0.00%↑ TCOM 0.00%↑ A 0.00%↑ HPQ 0.00%↑ WSM 0.00%↑ NTAP 0.00%↑ PSTG 0.00%↑ URBN 0.00%↑ ANF 0.00%↑ BILL 0.00%↑ KSS 0.00%↑ PLAB 0.00%↑ earnings releases.
Thursday: European economic data and DELL 0.00%↑ MRVL 0.00%↑ ADSK 0.00%↑ AFRM 0.00%↑ DG 0.00%↑ ULTA 0.00%↑ DKS 0.00%↑ BURL 0.00%↑ HRL 0.00%↑ BBY 0.00%↑ ESTC 0.00%↑ GAP 0.00%↑ OLLI 0.00%↑ S 0.00%↑ IREN 0.00%↑ AMBA 0.00%↑ VSCO 0.00%↑ MBUU 0.00%↑ earnings releases.
Friday: PCE and Michigan Consumer Sentiment.
The Nvidia earnings report could be especially impactful - not only for AI-related industries but for the broader market as well. PCE is the second major factor, though July’s data doesn’t seem likely to introduce much uncertainty.
Looking ahead, all eyes are on jobs and inflation data in early September. That will likely set the tone for how the “music” continues to play.
We’re in a transition phase with plenty of uncertainty, and my book is positioned accordingly:
Digits in brackets → position size (1 = full size).
Colors → options contract expiration classification by month.
There are a few potential levers I’ll pull more aggressively once the market shows direction:
If growth data holds up, I’ll increase exposure to growth stocks, like DUOL 0.00%↑ and CVLT 0.00%↑
If economic growth weakens, I’ll add to the short side IONQ 0.00%↑ and MOD 0.00%↑
Other trades are a core of my book and remain in place to keep it stable through market drift.
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