GEX Analysis & Options “Game Plan”🔶 Short- and longer-term perspective in a high IV, negative GEX environment
🔶 KEY LEVELS & RANGES
Spot: 221
Gamma Flip / Transition: around 250 (the turquoise zone on the chart)
– This zone typically marks a “power shift.” If price decisively breaks above 250 and holds, market makers’ gamma positioning could flip from neutral/negative to positive.
Put Support: 200
– A large negative gamma position has accumulated here, making 200 a strong support level. If it breaks, the downside may accelerate.
Call Resistance: 400
– A major long-term “call wall” where a significant amount of OTM calls are concentrated. It’s more relevant to LEAPS; currently far from spot, so not a realistic short-term target.
Call Resistance #2: 300
– A medium-term bullish objective, still above the 200-day MA. You’d need to be strongly bullish to aim for ~300 by May (e.g., going for a 16-delta OTM call).
Short-Term / Intermediate GEX Levels:
– There are gamma clusters around 220–230 and 250–260 . These areas often see higher volatility, possible bounces, or stalls (chop) due to hedging flows.
🔶 WHATEVER SCENARIO – SHORT TERM (0–30 DAYS)
A) Upside Continuation / Rebound
– If TSLA closes above 225–230 , the next target is 240–250 (transition / gamma flip).
– If it breaks above 250 and holds (e.g., successful retest), market makers may shift to “long gamma,” fueling a quicker move to 260–270 .
– Resistance: 250, 300, with an extreme LEAPS-level at 400.
B) Downside Move / Bearish Break
– If price dips below ~220 and sustains, the next targets are 210–200 (major put wall / negative gamma).
– If 200 fails, negative gamma may magnify the sell-off. It’s an extreme scenario but still on the table given high IV and macro/geopolitical risks.
– Support: 210, 200 — likely stronger buying interest near 200, possibly a short-term bounce.
– The options chain suggests near-term hedging via puts for this scenario.
C) Chop / Sideways
– If TSLA stays in 210–230 , market makers (short options) might benefit from high IV/time decay.
– Negative GEX, however, can trigger sudden moves in either direction; caution is advised.
🔶 LONGER-TERM FOCUS (6–12 MONTHS, LEAPS)
NET GEX = -61.97M (negative territory) suggests longer-dated positioning is also put-heavy or carries notable negative gamma.
HVL / pTrans = 250 is a key pivot; cTrans+ = 400 is distant call resistance. Between these levels, there’s a mix of put/call dominance.
If Tesla undergoes a fresh growth phase (AI, robotaxi, energy storage, etc.) and clears 250/300 , 400 could become the next significant call wall — but that’s more of a multi-month horizon.
🔶 STRATEGY IDEAS (High IV Environment)
1. Short-Term Bearish
– If you’re bearish and expecting TSLA to test 220–210, consider a bear put spread or net credit put butterfly (lower debit) to leverage high IV.
– Targeting 200, but keep in mind negative gamma may accelerate downside movement.
2. Medium-Term “Contra” Bullish (bounce to 250)
– If GEX suggests a bounce off 210–220, consider a bull call spread (e.g., 220/240) or a net debit call butterfly (220/240/250).
– Be mindful of sudden swings, as we remain in negative gamma territory.
3. Longer-Term Bullish (>3–6 months)
– A call butterfly with upper strikes around 300–350 offers capped debit and higher potential payoff if a bigger rally materializes.
– A diagonal spread (selling nearer-dated calls, buying further-out calls) exploits elevated front-end IV.
4. Neutral / Range-Bound
– If TSLA stays in 200–250 , you could use Iron Condors (e.g., 200/260) to benefit from time decay and any IV collapse.
– Exercise caution: negative gamma can generate abrupt, directional moves, making a neutral stance riskier than usual.
🔶 ADDITIONAL NOTES & “BIG PICTURE”
High IV & Negative GEX: TSLA has a track record of large swings. Negative GEX can intensify sell-offs, while forced hedging might trigger rapid rebounds.
Preferred Structures: With expensive premiums, spreads (vertical, diagonal) and butterfly configurations generally fare better than plain long options (less vulnerable to time decay).
Potential Catalysts: AI announcements, Autopilot breakthroughs, new product lines, and macro changes can swiftly alter market dynamics. Keep tracking GEX updates and news flow; TSLA tends to respond dramatically to fresh developments.
🔶 Bottom line: From 221 spot, watch 210–200 on the downside and 240–250 on the upside short term. Medium-term bullish target = 300 , while 400 remains a far LEAPS scenario. High IV + negative gamma = fast, potentially volatile moves — so risk management and spread-based approaches are crucial.
Optionstrader
Tesla's Tipping Point: The $662 Bet That Could Return $12K TSLA bearish play thesis focused on buying 2 contracts of the $190 PUT (May 2, 2025) at $3.31 each. This version scales up all profit/loss values and ROI calculations to reflect a 2-contract position (i.e., 200 shares total).
🧠 TSLA Bearish Earnings Thesis – 2 Contract Play
Earnings Date: April 28, 2025
Option Expiration: May 2, 2025
Strategy: Buy 2x TSLA $190 PUTs @ $3.31
Total Cost (Premium Paid): $662 ($3.31 × 100 × 2)
Breakeven: $186.69
Thesis: Multiple Converging Catalysts Suggest Sharp Downside Risk
Tesla is facing a perfect storm of fundamental, technical, and sentiment-driven challenges. These create a highly asymmetric opportunity for short-dated PUT buyers heading into earnings.
⚠️ 1. Earnings Risk – Underperformance Expected
Delivery Misses: Q1 delivery numbers fell short of analyst expectations. Slower ramp in key markets like China and Europe due to economic slowdowns.
Margin Compression: Aggressive price cuts to maintain volume are eating into margins. Expectations for gross margin contraction YoY are high.
Disrupted Guidance: Potential downside revision to full-year forecasts as competition heats up (BYD, Ford, Rivian, etc.).
❝ Street is pricing in perfection. Any earnings or margin disappointment could send shares sharply lower. ❞
🧨 2. Brand Boycotts & Political Fallout
Public Backlash: Tesla faces intensifying boycott pressure in parts of Europe and the U.S. due to Elon Musk's political affiliations and controversial stances.
Brand Dilution: Musk’s polarizing presence has damaged Tesla's once-premium EV image. High-income, eco-conscious buyers are switching brands.
Retail Sentiment Shift: Reddit, X (formerly Twitter), and retail forums show sharp decline in "diamond hand" loyalty.
❝ Tesla’s brand equity is eroding. Negative sentiment is now a structural overhang. ❞
🔺 3. Headline Volatility – The “Musk Premium” Now a Liability
SEC & DOJ Scrutiny: Multiple ongoing investigations. Any bad headline can crash the stock.
X (Twitter) Overhang: Distraction and capital risk tied to Musk’s ownership of X are ongoing market concerns.
AI Pivot Uncertainty: Musk’s recent AI pushes have created confusion about Tesla’s core vision, with no clear monetization path.
❝ Musk headlines, once a tailwind, are now a systemic volatility trigger. ❞
📊 Modeled P&L for 2 Contracts
TSLA Price on May 2 % Drop Option Value per Contract Total Value (x2) Net Profit ROI (%)
$220 -16.5% $30.00 $6,000 $5,338 806%
$210 -20.3% $40.00 $8,000 $7,338 1,108%
$200 -24.1% $50.00 $10,000 $9,338 1,410%
$190 -27.9% $60.00 $12,000 $11,338 1,712%
$186.69 (Breakeven) -29.2% $63.31 $12,662 $12,000 1,812%
$263.55 (No drop) 0% $0.00 $0 - $662 -100%
💡 Strategy Recap – 2 Contract Position
Metric Value
Strike $190 PUT
Contracts 2
Premium $3.31 × 100 × 2 = $662
Breakeven $186.69
Max Risk $662
Max Reward $12,662
Reward/Risk Ratio ~19:1
✅ Final Thesis (2 Contracts)
"With $662 risked, a move to $200–$210 can yield ~$8,000. A move to $190 or below offers potential returns of over $11,000, making this a powerful short-term asymmetric play post-earnings. While risky, it’s tightly capped with a clearly defined thesis."
TMC the metals company Options Ahead of EarningsIf you haven`t bought the dip on TMC:
Now analyzing the options chain and the chart patterns of TMC the metals company prior to the earnings report this week,
I would consider purchasing the 2.00usd strike price Calls with
an expiration date of 2025-5-16,
for a premium of approximately $0.20.
If these options prove to be profitable prior to the earnings release, I would sell at least half of them.
HUMA Humacyte Options Ahead of EarningsIf you haven`t bought HUMA before the previous rally:
Now analyzing the options chain and the chart patterns of HUMA Humacyte prior to the earnings report this week,
I would consider purchasing the 2.5usd strike price Puts with
an expiration date of 2025-4-17,
for a premium of approximately $0.62.
If these options prove to be profitable prior to the earnings release, I would sell at least half of them.
OUST Ouster Options Ahead of EarningsAnalyzing the options chain and the chart patterns of OUST Ouster prior to the earnings report this week,
I would consider purchasing the 20usd strike price Calls with
an expiration date of 2026-1-16,
for a premium of approximately $0.75.
If these options prove to be profitable prior to the earnings release, I would sell at least half of them.
NIO Options Ahead of EarningsIf you haven`t bought NIO before the previous earnings:
Now analyzing the options chain and the chart patterns of NIO prior to the earnings report this week,
I would consider purchasing the 6usd strike price Calls with
an expiration date of 2025-6-20,
for a premium of approximately $0.47.
If these options prove to be profitable prior to the earnings release, I would sell at least half of them.
HPE Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company Options Ahead of EarningsIf you haven`t bought HPE before the previous earnings:
Noe analyzing the options chain and the chart patterns of HPE Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company prior to the earnings report this week,
I would consider purchasing the 20usd strike price Calls with
an expiration date of 2025-3-21,
for a premium of approximately $0.52.
If these options prove to be profitable prior to the earnings release, I would sell at least half of them.
LFWD Lifeward Options Ahead of EarningsAnalyzing the options chain and the chart patterns of LFWD Lifeward prior to the earnings report this week,
I would consider purchasing the 2.50usd strike price Calls with
an expiration date of 2025-7-18,
for a premium of approximately $0.50.
If these options prove to be profitable prior to the earnings release, I would sell at least half of them.
RKLB Rocket Lab USA Options Ahead of EarningsIf you haven`t bought RKLB before the previous earnings:
Now analyzing the options chain and the chart patterns of RKLB Rocket Lab USA prior to the earnings report this week,
I would consider purchasing the 21.5usd strike price Calls with
an expiration date of 2025-3-7,
for a premium of approximately $1.62.
If these options prove to be profitable prior to the earnings release, I would sell at least half of them.
GEO The GEO Group Options Ahead of Earnings If you haven`t bought the dip on GEO:
Now analyzing the options chain and the chart patterns of GEO The GEO Group prior to the earnings report this week,
I would consider purchasing the 26usd strike price Calls with
an expiration date of 2025-4-17,
for a premium of approximately $3.10.
If these options prove to be profitable prior to the earnings release, I would sell at least half of them.
RIVN Rivian Automotive Options Ahead of EarningsIf you haven`t sold RIVN after the recalls:
Now analyzing the options chain and the chart patterns of RIVN Rivian Automotive prior to the earnings report this week,
I would consider purchasing the 16usd strike price Calls with
an expiration date of 2025-4-17,
for a premium of approximately $0.93.
If these options prove to be profitable prior to the earnings release, I would sell at least half of them.
MP Materials Options Ahead of EarningsIf you haven`t bought MP before the previuos earnings:
Now analyzing the options chain and the chart patterns of MP Materials prior to the earnings report this week,
I would consider purchasing the 25usd strike price Calls with
an expiration date of 2025-6-20,
for a premium of approximately $2.97.
If these options prove to be profitable prior to the earnings release, I would sell at least half of them.
DVA DaVita Options Ahead of EarningsAnalyzing the options chain and the chart patterns of DVA DaVita prior to the earnings report this week,
I would consider purchasing the 175usd strike price Puts with
an expiration date of 2025-2-21,
for a premium of approximately $8.45.
If these options prove to be profitable prior to the earnings release, I would sell at least half of them.
GOOGL Alphabet Options Ahead of EarningsIf you haven`t bought the dip on GOOGL:
Now analyzing the options chain and the chart patterns of GOOGL Alphabet prior to the earnings report this week,
I would consider purchasing the 200usd strike price Calls with
an expiration date of 2025-2-7,
for a premium of approximately $7.20.
If these options prove to be profitable prior to the earnings release, I would sell at least half of them.
DIS The Walt Disney Company Options Ahead of EarningsIf you haven`t bought the dip on DIS:
Now analyzing the options chain and the chart patterns of DIS The Walt Disney Company prior to the earnings report this week,
I would consider purchasing the 140usd strike price Calls with
an expiration date of 2025-6-20,
for a premium of approximately $1.35.
If these options prove to be profitable prior to the earnings release, I would sell at least half of them.
TSLA Tesla Options Ahead of EarningsIf you haven`t bought TSLA before the previous earnings:
Now analyzing the options chain and the chart patterns of TSLA Tesla prior to the earnings report this week,
I would consider purchasing the 400usd strike price Calls with
an expiration date of 2025-1-31,
for a premium of approximately $16.35.
If these options prove to be profitable prior to the earnings release, I would sell at least half of them.
MSFT Microsoft Corporation Options Ahead of EarningsIf you haven`t bought MSFT when they reported 49% stake in OpenAI:
Now analyzing the options chain and the chart patterns of MSFT Microsoft Corporation prior to the earnings report this week,
I would consider purchasing the 430usd strike price Calls with
an expiration date of 2025-2-21,
for a premium of approximately $15.35.
If these options prove to be profitable prior to the earnings release, I would sell at least half of them.
CSX Corporation Options Ahead of EarningsIf you haven`t bought CSX before the previous rally:
Now analyzing the options chain and the chart patterns of CSX Corporation prior to the earnings report this week,
I would consider purchasing the 35usd strike price Calls with
an expiration date of 2025-6-20,
for a premium of approximately $1.10.
If these options prove to be profitable prior to the earnings release, I would sell at least half of them.
VZ Verizon Communications Options Ahead of EarningsIf you didn’t exit VZ before the selloff:
Now analyzing the options chain and the chart patterns of VZ Verizon Communications prior to the earnings report this week,
I would consider purchasing the 38.50usd strike price Puts with
an expiration date of 2025-1-31,
for a premium of approximately $0.68.
If these options prove to be profitable prior to the earnings release, I would sell at least half of them.
Weekly GEX Insights: 01/13 SPX dropTotal Correction? What Can an Options Trader Do in This Situation? How Far Might We Fall This Week? We’ll tackle these questions in this week’s options newsletter!
It looks like the new president hasn’t even been sworn in yet, but the market is already reacting with fear to every statement he makes. Last week’s economic data didn’t help ease those concerns either.
SPX Weekly Analysis
Friday’s red candle set a bearish tone heading into this week. Everyone is predicting and pricing in a potential market apocalypse, and I keep getting the same question: “Greg, how far can we fall?”
My answer remains the same: we can fall indefinitely—nobody can know for certain ahead of time.
What we can do, however, is analyze our charts and use the our weekly GEX profile to identify the key levels, so we can better understand the market’s dynamics.
Examining expirations through Friday, every NETGEX profile is negative , so we can expect volatile movements this week. We’re currently trading below the HVL level, which means that market makers are likely to move in tandem with retail traders. This typically results in bigger swings.
We already saw this heightened volatility last week—just look at the size of the candles, and you can tell how quickly sentiment can shift.
Below 5965 (the HVL level), we are in a high volatility zone what lies underneath?
1st Support Range: 5780–5800
5800: Currently the strongest PUT support level on the downside. A correction may pause here due to profit-taking.
Right beneath this level is the previous gap-fill zone. Remember, these areas function as ranges rather than single lines, as I’ve highlighted down to 5780. This could easily be a take-profit target for traders playing gap fills—an approach that’s quite popular.
2nd Support Range: 5700–5650 (Very Strong)
Starting at 5700: We encounter another robust PUT support zone.
This area is reinforced by previous lows, previous highs, and the 4/8 grid boundary from our indicator.
Even if nowhere else, many expect at least a local rebound to occur within these levels.
Putting it all together, it’s clear that the weekly trading range is shaping up to be roughly between 5680 and 5965, expecting big & volatile moves.
Remember, CPI and PPI data are coming out on Tuesday and Wednesday, which could trigger additional volatility.
When looking at SPX, SPY, or /ES futures, my opinion is that the rapidly spiking implied volatility (IV) during a market drop, along with a PUT pricing skew, can present favorable opportunities for options traders. The distance to the strongest lower support zone is around 100–150 points, so you could:
Trade directionally for the short term—hoping to be either right or wrong quickly, or
Try to profit from the market situation in a more strategic way (which is what I typically do).
Personally, I prefer the second approach:
I’ll open short-term (a few days) credit put ratio spreads for a small credit, which gives me a wide breakeven range and a big “tent” on the downside.
WFC Wells Fargo & Company Options Ahead of EarningsIf you haven`t bought WFC before the breakout:
Now analyzing the options chain and the chart patterns of WFC Wells Fargo & Company prior to the earnings report this week,
I would consider purchasing the 70usd strike price Puts with
an expiration date of 2025-3-21,
for a premium of approximately $2.82.
If these options prove to be profitable prior to the earnings release, I would sell at least half of them.
$QQQ Daily: Key Demand Zone Ahead of PPI DataMarkets are at a critical demand zone on the NASDAQ:QQQ daily chart as we gear up for tomorrow's PPI report. 🔻 Will overnight selling continue, or can the bulls regain control and push prices higher ahead of the data? Let’s dive into the technical setup and potential scenarios!