Happy Wednesday, traders…

Ben here.

Students are always asking me what my daily routine is for finding winning options trades…

For many traders, this process can feel like a guessing game, leaving them frustrated with disappointing results.

But you don’t have to guess. There are ways to see what the best traders in the world are doing, allowing you to piggyback on their moves.

And if you can see where the ‘smart money’ is positioned, you can ride their coattails to potential profits.

That’s where my SPYDER Scanner comes into play. It’s a window into the minds of institutional traders — those with access to deeper insights (and deeper pockets). 

I use my scanner every single day. Without this insight, I never would’ve been able to pull this win rate off:

310 Trades

259 Wins

50 Losses

1 Breakeven

Win Rate = 83.5%

Average Trade Result = 65.3%

Average Gain of Winning Trades = 90.5%*

Today, I’ll show you how to do the same in your own trading…

By combining insights from the scanners with thoughtful technical analysis, you can pinpoint high-probability setups every day of the week. 

With that in mind, let’s break down how you can use my SPYDER Scanner to identify five-star trading opportunities before they fully unfold…

Why Check the Scanners?

It’s simple: the scanners help you see how institutional investors — the so-called ‘smart money’ — are approaching their trades. 

These guys aren’t like you and me. They’re traders with access to large amounts of capital and information, generally giving them a better understanding of market movements. 

By paying attention to their trades, you’ll get a sense of where large capital flows are moving — and potentially where the market is headed. 

Here’s what to look for:

• Multiple Buys in a Particular Contract: When you see several large trades (buys) in a specific options contract, it’s a signal that smart money might be expecting a move in that stock. (The more buys you see, the stronger the signal.)
• Check the Chart: Look at the stock chart after you see these buys. Has the chart already “taken off” after these buys? (It’s usually better if the stock hasn’t surged yet because it might mean the big move is still to come.)

Analyzing the Sweep: Is the ‘Smart Money’ Still Holding?

After spotting potential trades on the scanner, the next step is to figure out if smart money traders are still holding their positions (or if they’ve already sold).

You can do this by checking the following liquidity indicators:

1. Open Interest: Open interest tells you how many contracts are still open and not yet closed or exercised. If there is still a lot of open interest in the contract you’re looking at, it’s a good sign that the smart money might still be holding their positions.
2. Options Volume: Options volume tells you how many contracts are trading hands that day. If this number is high — especially above the open interest number — that’s a sign that the ‘smart money’ is still actively buying. 

But why is it important if you see a massive amount of contracts being held (or traded)?

• Reason 1: If they haven’t sold their contracts yet and they haven’t made a huge profit, it’s likely they’re still in the trade, waiting for a bigger move.
• Reason 2: If they are still in, you need to know where they bought in. This helps you set a target for your own entry price.

Planning Your Trade

If the trade hasn’t made its move yet, you’ll want to decide at what price you’re willing to buy the contracts. 

But don’t just jump in because smart money is involved. Make sure the trade meets your own technical criteria.

Look for reliable patterns on the chart, like:

• 3x a Lady: A pattern indicating three separate signals confirming a move.
• Breakouts: A stock moving above a resistance level.
• Pullbacks: A brief decline in price after a strong upward move.

Only enter the trade if it meets your technical requirements.

You can also use the scanner to prepare for the next trading day by looking at the biggest trades from the previous day…

• Review Yesterday’s Trades: Look at the largest trades on the scanner from the previous day. Ask yourself whether these trades have already played out or not.
• Check If Smart Money is Still In: If the trades haven’t fully worked out, it’s worth checking if the smart money is still in those positions. If they are, the trade might still have potential.
• Analyze the Technical Setup: As always, don’t follow blindly. Check the chart and ensure that the setup aligns with your trading strategy.
• Target Their Entry Point: Find out where the smart money bought in and use that as a guide for your own entry point.

Using ‘Smart Money’ Data in Live Trading

Let’s go through a quick example to illustrate how this works in practice:

• Morning Scan: You check the Spyder Scanner in the morning and notice several large buys in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) call options.
• Chart Analysis: You pull up the AAPL chart and see that the price hasn’t surged yet. This means the big move might still be coming.
• Open Interest Double-Check: You double-check the open interest and see that it’s still high, indicating that the smart money hasn’t sold its positions yet.
• Set Up Your Trade: You find a technical setup on the chart, like a breakout above a resistance level. You decide to enter the trade if the price reaches a certain point, using the smart money’s entry as your guide.

Finding good day trades is about more than just following scanners blindly. It requires careful analysis and confirmation through technical setups. 

My SPYDER Scanner can help you see what the smart money is doing, but you still need to follow your risk management rules. 

Remember, even with the ‘smart money’ helping us, not every setup will work…

But by combining scanner data with solid technical analysis, you’ll increase your chances of finding winning setups.

This is how I’ve achieved my 83% win rate over 300+ options trades. It’s time for you to start doing the same. 

And speaking of scanner data, let’s look at:

💰The Biggest Smart-Money Bets of the Day💰

• $8.9 million bullish bet on VLO 12/20/2024 $150 calls @ $3.00 avg. (seen on 9/24)

• $6.5 million bullish bet on CARR 12/20/2024 $85 calls @ $3.13 avg. (seen on 9/24)

• $6.1 million bullish bet on TLT 12/20/2024 $102 calls @ $1.48 avg. (seen on 9/24)

Happy trading,

Ben Sturgill

P.S. There are hundreds of ‘smart money’ sweeps to choose from every day on my SPYDER Scanner…

These exact setups have led to recent gains of 168% on GOOGL, 253% on CCJ, and even a staggering 300% on INTC!*

So, if you want to start nailing trades like those…

Join my colleague Danny Phee THIS SUNDAY, September 29 at 3 p.m. EST to see the most promising ‘smart money’ setups for next week. 

Seats are limited — Reserve yours before it’s too late!

*Past performance does not indicate future results