Happy Monday, traders…

Ben here.

Most people with normal 9-to-5 day jobs dread the start of the week. 

They might even wake up with “A case of the Mondays…”

But I’m the opposite. I’m always super excited for Monday morning because I truly love my job. 

Today, I want to discuss why I love trading options (and why you should as well)…

The options market is complex, but it’s not impossible to grasp.

After all, you might be holding options without even realizing it…

If you own car insurance, then you’re essentially holding a put option on your car.

Your “contracts” will pay out if the damage to your car is above a certain threshold (which, in this analogy, acts like your insurance’s strike price).

This is exactly how options trading works, with one key difference…

If you dent your car, the insurance company will (hopefully) pay to repair the damages. However, you don’t get paid in cash.

But if you’re directionally correct on an options bet, you can potentially make more money than any common-share trader would (with less upfront risk).

This is why options trading works so well for me: I can define my risk and give my trades more potential upside … simultaneously.

Better yet, this works on two fronts. 

Let me show you how options trading can allow you to leverage your capital (and your time) to the maximum…

You Can Make More Money With Less Capital

Imagine that I want to bet on Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) going up in the near term. 

AMZN is trading for $190 but I only have $1,900 in my trading account.

When trading the stock, the best I can do is buy ten shares. 

If AMZN goes up 5%, my $1,900 will turn into $1,995 … giving me a measly $95 in profits.

Not a great reward for risking $1,900, right?

However, if I bought $1,900 worth of weekly (or even monthly) call options, and AMZN moved up 5%, the contracts would likely be up over 100% (or even 200-500%).

In fact, I recently did exactly that…*

On Thursday, May 9, at 10:47 a.m. EST, I sent out a text alert to Spyder Members, telling them that I bought AMZN 5/17/2024 $190 calls at $2.50:

I warned everyone that this play was risky, but the chart was looking strong, breaking out above a key level at $189.60 (more on that later)…

Sure enough, it didn’t take long for this move to play out.

Only 37 minutes later, I took my first scale-out at $3.00. The underlying stock had barely moved yet my calls were still up 20% in less than an hour:

Then, just 14 minutes after my first scale-out, I took my second scale-out at $3.50 — now, a 40% gain in 51 minutes:

I’m still holding the remainder of the position.

Do you see how powerful options trading can be?

The best part is that I wouldn’t need to risk the entire $1,900 to give myself a solid risk/reward profile.

I could make three to five smaller options bets with $1,900 … and if just one of those positions went into the money, I’d probably still make more money than I would by trading common shares.

Of course, there’s a catch. Unlike common shares, options expire. You must be aware of your contract’s lifespan and trade accordingly.

But if you work hard at it and stay disciplined, options trading can open up an entirely new world of trading possibilities.

And it’s not just about price, but also time…

You Can Do More With Less Time

In the same way that you can potentially earn more profits with less upfront capital by trading options … you can also do more with less time.

I’m a busy guy. I hate wasting time. On top of trading, I’m a devoted father. I have three boys with very busy schedules. 

Rarely a day goes by when I don’t have basketball practice, a carpool, or a school event to attend for my sons. 

Due to my schedule, I’m always looking to do more with less time — which is another reason why I love trading options.

If you time your entries and exits correctly, you can make huge profits much faster in options than you can by trading common shares.

Just look at some of my recent options trades (alerted to Spyder Members):

Like this 250% move* on Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. (NASDAQ: KDP)…

4/1/2024 10:58 AM (EST):

Bought KDP 5/17/24 $33 calls at $0.40

4/25/2024 9:38 AM (EST):

Scaled out of all KDP MAY 17 $33 calls at $1.40

Or this 150% move* on Aptiv PLC (NYSE: APTV).

5/2/2024 10:50 AM (EST):

Bought APTV 6/21/24 $80 calls at $3.00

5/6/2024 1:46 PM (EST):

Final Scale APTV 6/21/24 $80 calls at $7.50

You would’ve had to risk a lot more — or waited much longer — to see similar gains in these underlying stocks.

But I get that nailing these trades is easier said than done…

WARNING: Timing is everything in the options market. Being too early (or late) is the same as being dead wrong.

If you’re a Spyder Member, I work hard to take most of the guessing games out of your trading by telling you exactly when I enter and exit my positions.

But realistically, you’re not always going to follow me into trades. And you certainly shouldn’t be chasing my alerts.

However, there’s an easy way to notify yourself about your entries and exits — setting price alerts.

A big part of my trading strategy is identifying key price levels — and then buying calls when the underlying stock breaks above a certain price.

But I can’t watch every chart all day, it’s impossible…

Instead, I set price alerts on my charts at key levels.

I’ll even set specific sounds for certain stocks, so I know exactly what’s happening while I’m folding laundry or shooting hoops with my sons. 

That way, I get notified immediately (via a pop-up on my brokerage account or a text on my phone) when the price break occurs, and I can act quickly and decisively. 

Better yet, I don’t have to sit at my computer all day. I can actually enjoy my life while still being up-to-date with the market. 

Now, before we go, let’s look at:

💰The Biggest Smart-Money Bets of the Day💰

• $3.14 million bullish bet on CCJ 12/20/2024 $60 calls @ $4.15 avg. (seen on 5/10)

• $1.87 million bullish bet on PYPL 08/16/2024 $60 calls @ $6.95 avg. (seen on 5/10)

• $1.47 million bullish bet on MS 05/31/2024 $94 calls @ $4.60 avg. (seen on 5/10)

Happy trading,

Ben Sturgill

P.S. If you want access to more ‘smart money’ sweeps (like the one that led to my recent 250% win on KDP)…*

There’s no better place to start than in my Spyder Webinars.

TODAY, May 13 at 8:30 a.m. EST — I’m hosting an urgent LIVE WEBINAR where I’ll reveal the BIGGEST and MOST PROMISING ‘smart money’ setups I’m seeing this week.

Don’t miss out — CLICK HERE NOW TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT.

*Past performance does not indicate future results