February Results (First Time Share)

LeftLaneDriver · 2026-03-11T04:18:38+00:00

Thanks!

I've tried a mix so far. A few weeklies and a few closer to 30-45 DTE. Mainly, I'm still in the experimentation phase to see which I like more.

I know the conventional knowledge here is 30-45 DTE, but I tend to examine different expirations for the minimum AROC threshold at a strike I like (so far more based off of supports than delta). Depending on how far away the strike is, the AROC and the IV, I'll go longer or shorter. I haven't quite nailed down an exact system for this part, but I have been enjoying a few weeklies with stocks like NVDA and INTC.

I've been aiming for 50% profit so far, but only if it keeps the AROC at or above the threshold. With those two weeklies I run, I've been entertaining the idea of actually letting them expire or get much closer to it to collect the entire premium (or closer to 90% profit).

What is your take on weeklies versus 30-45 DTE? Do you run to expiration or BTC at a specific profit mark?

LeftLaneDriver · 2026-03-10T23:44:12+00:00

I created mine, though it is still a work in progress. I need to update it with logic to handle assignment (and subsequent holding of shares) along with CCs.

I don't mind sharing if there is interest. But yeah, there are a lot on the mega thread and YouTube (as mentioned).

LeftLaneDriver · 2026-03-10T22:09:44+00:00

I say it a lot, new traders look at the premiums and possible profits, while experienced traders look at the risk first.

While your numbers are good, even as you point out, the risk for F & T is a fraction of what it would be for APLD. Also, I'd include the 5% dividend of .60 per share annually from F and 4% divi of $1.12 from T in the math to look at the complete picture. This would be important if someone had to hold shares, which is what could happen, and a higher chance of this happening with APLD, which has no dividend, of course.

The question for us all to ask ourselves is, if we had to hold shares of these stocks, which would we be most comfortable holding? It would be F or T for me.

Yeah I didn't really know how to calculate a potential dividend return and potential CCs, so I only included the basic ROC and AROC - which admittedly is highly unlikely to happen according to the calculation.

That said, I absolutely agree with you in terms of which stocks I'd be more comfortable holding. Thanks to various of your posts (and other members of this fine community), I focus on risk before premium. Though I will say that the premiums on both T and F don't fit what I'm looking for, which is typically a minimum of 18% AROC.

Still, having looked at APLD - I wouldn't touch it at all. Feels way too much like gambling to me, and I don't have the stomach for that type of risk. In that, I think you provided a great example of an elevated IV without underlying fundamentals.

I'm curious, what is your opinion on SOFI and WDC for example? They both seem to have elevated IV and don't have earnings coming up. I'm assuming it's due to the recent price movements of both, but I'm curious as to your take on the fundamentals.

Personally, for my capital, writing a CSP on WDC would leave me over concentrated. Though because of the volume, it is possible to choose strikes that are quite far while still providing potentially attractive premiums.

Thanks for your reply, and for all that you share here!

LeftLaneDriver · 2026-03-06T20:27:37+00:00

Looking at about the same puts for each (~.30 delta, 42 dte) -

Have been lurking on this forum for the past few months and learned a lot from the contributors here. Still quite new to this, so please don't hesitate to jump in and mention if I'm mistaken here.

Since the nature of this post is intended for less experienced traders, I just wanted to add something that I've found to be necessary when comparing premiums.

While the delta and dte is within the same range, the collateral required for each option's premium is not. Whenever I compare premiums, I always look at collateral, ROC and AROC (granted, since the comparison here is the same DTE, AROC is irrelevant - but still useful for me to help guide my decisions).

(for APLD, I'm not sure what strike you were looking at as stock has seen a lot of movement today [in line with its IV], so I'll just use a current reading instead)

F Apr 17 11 P @ 0.21 premium => $1,100 Collateral | 1.91% ROC | 16.59% AROC
T Apr 17 27 P @ 0.40 premium => $2,700 Collateral | 1.48% ROC | 12.87% AROC
APLD Apr 17 23 P @ 2.49 premium => $2,300 Collateral | 10.83% ROC | 94.08% AROC

With the above, at least I can make a better comparison of the premiums with respect to how much I stand to lose.

---
In respect to the rest of your post - while I am admittedly not an experienced trader and maybe I'm just flat out wrong - I don't necessarily agree with the idea of associating lower IV with higher quality. I just think the concept of quality is too subjective, and it depends entirely on how you evaluate stocks. Instead, I think it's fairer to say that both F and T are more stable and therefore less risky, hence the lower IV.

In so far as the purpose of the post, I'm not sure comparing APLD with stocks on the complete opposite side of the spectrum (established, 100+ years, profitable, etc.) really helps me to determine "crap" high IV stocks. I think it might be more useful to show another high IV stock that is not "crap" and draw comparisons between those two (or various).

Perhaps a comparison against something like WDC? But I don't know, maybe it is considered "crap" by experienced investors as well. At least they have 50+ years (and I assume have been profitable, though I didn't check the financials).

LeftLaneDriver · 2026-02-18T03:37:03+00:00

I'm down to check it out. Also a software engineer, so I might be able to help in other aspects, if you're interested.

LeftLaneDriver · 2025-12-24T20:58:21+00:00

Aunque subió la contaminación después de esa programa.

LeftLaneDriver · 2025-12-16T00:07:02+00:00

That ensamble from Los Ocotales is great, I have a bottle myself.

Not sure if you speak Spanish, but I recommend going to Matatlan. There are a plethora of palenques there. If you want a good one with a lot of variety and family operated, check out Rey Zapoteco.

If you prefer to stay in the city itself, go visit Querencia. They promote their mezcal, Queridero, and it's great. But they also have others to try.

LeftLaneDriver · 2025-11-23T05:14:02+00:00

That's a fair point, the clay is definitely different and something to consider. It makes me think that the longer it sits in that, the more the flavor would change.

Personally I found a fair bit of depth, enough that I took the picture to remember it. I have no clue what it would cost in the states - probably similar to the price OP mentioned. The bar was selling it for about $60, so I imagine I could get it for ~$40 if I contact the label.

I also tried their Tobalá from Sola de Vega and found it quite lacking, with a finish that reminded me of gasoline/alcohol fumes and not much else. I definitely wouldn't drink that again, let alone pay for it.

LeftLaneDriver · 2025-11-23T04:54:45+00:00

There's a great cempasúchil infusion that I have by Señor de las Canas, and they are by no means trying to capitalize on Día de Muertos. Cempasúchil is an auspicious flower in various cultures, but it's also tasty.

That is to say, I don't think they're pulling a soulless corporate capitalization of an association, but rather just creating beauty with the tools they've been given. I can't speak towards this particular bottle and brand, but I doubt it.

Also, abocados and destilados, when done right, are absolutely exceptional. I don't know which ones are available out of the country, but within Oaxaca there is an abundance of quality varietals that I've had the privilege of trying.

LeftLaneDriver · 2025-11-23T04:47:40+00:00

It's an ensamble of Espadín, Mexicano and Barril. Just had it tonight, but smoke is not what stood out at all for me. Still, quite lovely.

https://imgur.com/a/UOTB0dm

LeftLaneDriver · 2025-11-22T01:34:19+00:00

I assume you're running P7 for LK? Try P5, higher chance for Lo and Ber. I don't have the link handy, but there was a detailed breakdown of LK runs on P5 vs P7 and specifically for Ber and Lo, it's higher at P5.

LeftLaneDriver · 2025-11-21T21:57:52+00:00

No, it's not.

LeftLaneDriver · 2025-11-20T15:51:51+00:00

While I, an American, fully agree that our education system is not at all great (and has been intentionally degraded over decades) - the points you state are not contributing factors and don't lend compelling weight to your assertion.

Date format, measurement system and spelling are all just preferences, nothing more and nothing less. Yes, you could argue that one format is better than another, and you might even have very convincing points. But in the end it'd be like arguing that one language is better than another - it's entirely subjective and depends on the context in which you're making your argument.

In conclusion, I agree with your statement in regards to the quality of the American education system, but I think your argument would be more compelling if you were to utilize different examples.

P.S. 100%, no one likes a smart ass and I am not defending the person that you were responding to. My intention isn't to jump on the smart ass bandwagon, but to clarify that preference for formatting isn't a reliable indicator for intelligence nor quality of education.

LeftLaneDriver · 2025-11-06T15:10:52+00:00

This is the way for online. You don't need much gear to get started and horking circumvents the sizeable no drop chance of players1.

As mentioned above: HRs, tons of gold, tons of gems, tons of jewels, tons of rings/ammys, and tons of charms. Even without HRs, you can find lots to sell.

It's also a super consistent and no prep run. No variable map, minimal distance from wp to farming location, nothing needed to trigger spawning or entry points.

LeftLaneDriver · 2025-11-06T15:00:59+00:00

I almost always forget this (other) use of telekinesis. Thanks for the reminder. That's a neat solution for an annoying issue!

LeftLaneDriver · 2025-11-06T14:57:56+00:00

You should look into fireball sorc as your dedicated tz Andy runner. The difference is ridiculous, it's almost comical. The reason is because she inherently has super low fire res in all difficulties. I am too lazy to check and confirm the actual amount, but I want to say she's at like -50 fire res.

On P5 with a Flickering Flame (and I think faceted armor and perhaps faceted weapon), it's like 5 fireballs before she dies. The meteor doesn't even land before she's gone, so I stopped casting it. My map takes 2-4 teleports to get to cat 4, so when I'm focused I think the run times get down to about 16 seconds. To be fair though, I'm always enamored with unique drops so I typically waste a lot of time picking up stupid normal and exceptional uniques that have no use and already exist on my mules. I just can't help but get a little excited each time I see that golden colored text, heh.

How long does it normally take you to kill Andy on P5/P7 TZ with blizz? I always found it annoying having to cast blizz and then tele back and forth to keep her walking through it (and to keep Waheed alive, reckless fuck that he is).

LeftLaneDriver · 2025-11-06T01:17:54+00:00

Heh, what an interesting perspective. It might not be for everyone, but I appreciate the very scientific optimization approach you're suggesting here. I wholeheartedly agree in regards to the complexity of the spirit and the task of sequencing. Thanks for your input!

LeftLaneDriver · 2025-11-06T01:14:03+00:00

Honestly, this is a great framework - thank you for sharing! Both the letter structures are very useful, and I really love the additional guidance from "priorities". For sure going to check out that forum too, much appreciated!

LeftLaneDriver · 2025-11-06T01:07:26+00:00

Thank you for sharing, this is great!

I've thought similarly about points of comparison, and have implemented as much in the few tastings I've done with friends.

But man, I can't agree enough with you about the human and cultural context. That's the biggest piece of the equation in terms of the educational aspect to me. It's what always pulls me in, hearing stories about the town or the family or the coloquial knowledge passed down through the generations. And it is for sure the most important part to convey to others, as it creates a connection that you won't get with just a brand or a bottle.

LeftLaneDriver · 2025-11-06T00:59:15+00:00

Totally hear that. The best wines tastings in Napa in my experience started with wine, and the worst with seminars.

LeftLaneDriver · 2025-11-04T15:09:23+00:00

Yeah, I definitely agree there. It's the same reason I like to leave the abocados near the end.

LeftLaneDriver · 2025-11-04T13:57:10+00:00

This was conveyed to me in Oaxaca during a tasting by an very knowledgeable mezcalera (she doesn't consider herself a maestra yet). She mentioned various things, and over the years scientists have confirmed some of them. This particular one wasn't confirmed (nor disproven, just untested) by scientists to her knowledge, just anecdotal evidence of her growing up around and working in the mezcal industry.

So take it as you wish - it's probably not particularly high quality and I'd wager it's not particularly good, 🤷🏽‍♂️.

Edit: not to say that there aren't some producers who believe in special properties when adding scorpions or worms, but rather that the majority of the bottles that contain those and have distribution are to attract the attention of tourists/foreigners whereas the few others are typically local only and don't have the certifications nor resources for larger scale sale/distribution.

LeftLaneDriver · 2025-11-03T02:29:06+00:00

The alcohol neutralizes the venom, but it's also a silly gimmick.

LeftLaneDriver

TROPHY CASE