P.T.E. Record

We're tracking every "Playing the Expiration..." trade here! See how profitable options trading can be in the hands of a long-time options trader. An advantage to options is that it allows you to make money, even if you are wrong, unlike buying a stock and having it go the wrong way. The trades are listed in order starting with the most recent.

Sep 10, 2010Sep 3, 2010Aug 27, 2010Aug 20, 2010

Expiry Date with link	Description of trade with real life fills	Pot. profit	Profit 1 (per ct.)	Profit %
Netflix (NFLX) $142.70, bear put spread; long Sep145 put ($4.60) and short Sep140 put ($2.20), net cost is $2.40. Break-even point of $142.40.	$260.00	N/A	N/A
Google (GOOG) $461.10, bear put spread; long Sep470 put ($9.30) and short Sep460 put ($2.00), net cost is $7.30. Break-even point of $462.70.	$265.00	$480.00	76.19
Google (GOOG) $453.23, bull call spread; long Aug440 call ($14.30) and short Aug450 call ($5.80), net cost is $8.50. Break-even point of $448.50.	$150.00	$110.00	12.94
Google (GOOG) $470.25, bull call spread; long Aug460 call ($11.00) and short Aug470 call ($3.60), net cost is $7.40. Break-even point of $466.40.	$260.00	$190.00	25.67

¹The amount shown is the real profit I made (excluding commissions and SEC fees), which include closing steps not discussed, such as closing the long leg in the morning and allowing the short leg to expire worthless.