Option Writers Newsletter
01:07:35 AM EDT | 05/21/2013
Good Month for Calls
By Jim Brown | It was a good month for covered calls. Will June be the same?

Option Writers Newsletter
09:00:06 PM EDT | 05/13/2013
Still Trending
By Jim Brown | New highs daily but the pace of gains is slowing.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:49:33 AM EDT | 05/07/2013
Trend Is Your Friend
By Jim Brown | You have heard the saying the trend is your friend. The last half of that sentence is "Until it ends."

Option Writers Newsletter
11:49:30 PM EDT | 04/29/2013
Time Is Running Out
By Jim Brown | We will know very soon if there is going to be a "Sell in May" event for the fourth consecutive year.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:18:11 AM EDT | 04/23/2013
Dip Buyers Fading
By Jim Brown | The market volatility is increasing as dip buying strength fades.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:14:32 PM EDT | 04/15/2013
Good News, Bad News
By Jim Brown | Good news, fat put premiums have returned.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:10:42 PM EDT | 04/08/2013
Bulls Back at Work
By Jim Brown | The bulls bought the dip and all the indexes finished in the green.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:13:27 PM EDT | 04/01/2013
Not a Big Dip
By Jim Brown | Monday's decline could have been a lot worse.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:03:08 PM EDT | 03/25/2013
Second Monday Down
By Jim Brown | I hope this is not the start of a new trend with Mondays dictating the direction for the week.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:32:01 PM EDT | 03/18/2013
On Second Thought
By Jim Brown | The government of Cyprus may be having second thoughts about its planned tax on bank deposits.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:39:36 PM EDT | 03/11/2013
Something for Everyone
By Jim Brown | The markets continue to creep higher despite weeks of gains and worries over the eventual correction.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:08:46 AM EDT | 03/05/2013
Rodney Dangerfield Rally
By Jim Brown | This rally can't get any respect with most analysts calling for a correction any day now.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:36:10 PM EDT | 02/25/2013
The Right Decision
By Jim Brown | The decision last week to avoid opening new long positions was apparently the right decision.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:34:50 PM EDT | 02/18/2013
No Premiums
By Jim Brown | Option premiums are the lowest I can remember and that covers a lot of history

Option Writers Newsletter
09:43:29 PM EDT | 02/11/2013
Sell Off Somewhere
By Jim Brown | There is a correction in our future but we may not live to see it.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:16:23 PM EDT | 02/04/2013
One of Those Days
By Jim Brown | The market finally retraced some gains but not enough to change the trend.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:18:57 PM EDT | 01/28/2013
That Was Not Fun
By Jim Brown | A note by an analyst caused a -14% drop in one of our positions that erased our profits and left us with a breakeven.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:12:42 PM EDT | 01/22/2013
Close NetFlix
By Jim Brown | We rarely hold over an earnings event and NetFlix has earnings on Wednesday.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:05:40 AM EDT | 01/22/2013
Earnings Will Now Appear
By Jim Brown | The flurry of earnings we saw last week only whetted the appetite of investors. The flurry turns into a flood this week.

Option Writers Newsletter
04:50:17 AM EDT | 01/15/2013
VIX is Low
By Jim Brown | When the VIX is low it is time to go. Unfortunately there is no expiration date on that adage

Option Writers Newsletter
10:52:07 PM EDT | 01/07/2013
Earnings Ahead
By Jim Brown | Dust off your crystal ball and bet on the earnings race. Who will beat and who will fall behind.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:59:55 AM EDT | 01/03/2013
Gotcha
By Jim Brown | Mister market is sleeping comfortable tonight knowing he caught the maximum number of investors leaning the wrong way.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:48:26 PM EDT | 12/26/2012
Tension Building
By Jim Brown | The markets traded lower again on Wednesday as fears grew the fiscal cliff negotiations were going to turn hostile.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:18:25 PM EDT | 12/24/2012
Cliff Setup
By Jim Brown | The markets faded on Monday's shortened trading session on worries over what the rest of the week will bring.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:05:41 PM EDT | 12/17/2012
Miracle on Wall Street
By Jim Brown | It is not a Santa Claus rally powering the market but expectations for a fiscal cliff miracle that caused buying today.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:02:17 PM EDT | 12/10/2012
Market Melting Up
By Jim Brown | Apparently the majority of investors still expect a fiscal cliff resolution and the market is creeping higher despite the headlines.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:26:48 PM EDT | 12/03/2012
Calm before the Storm?
By Jim Brown | The markets faded after the republican proposal was released but the decline was orderly and on low volume.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:13:15 PM EDT | 11/26/2012
Headline Hysteria
By Jim Brown | Congress is back from the holiday break and it is time for the fiscal cliff headlines to return.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:16:13 PM EDT | 11/19/2012
Congressional Intermission
By Jim Brown | This short squeeze has been brought to you by the adjournment of Congress until after Thanksgiving.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:10:28 PM EDT | 11/12/2012
Watch Out For the Cliff
By Jim Brown | While everyone is warning on the fiscal cliff there is still another pothole in our path.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:43:35 PM EDT | 10/31/2012
Beware Election Uncertainty
By Jim Brown | Sandy shook up the Northeast over the last four days but the elections are going to control the market for the next four days.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:56:24 AM EDT | 10/24/2012
We Should Be Really Happy
By Jim Brown | The Dow declined -262 points at the lows of the day and only one of our positions was stopped out.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:38:17 PM EDT | 10/15/2012
Earnings Cluttering the Calendar
By Jim Brown | It is tough to sell options during an earnings cycle. The risks are huge and the rewards are minimal.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:59:05 PM EDT | 10/08/2012
It Is That Time of the Month
By Jim Brown | This is the toughest time of the month for selling options.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:41:56 PM EDT | 10/01/2012
October Off to a Fast Start
By Jim Brown | The unexpected improvement in the ISM certainly played havoc with everyone that shorted the market on Friday in expectations for an October decline.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:26:26 AM EDT | 09/25/2012
Time for Window Dressing
By Jim Brown | The quarter ends this Friday and fund managers should be in window dressing mode the next couple of days.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:58:37 PM EDT | 09/17/2012
Just A Bump
By Jim Brown | The minor market decline today was just a bump in the road. We need a real dip to get bullish.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:45:33 PM EDT | 09/10/2012
Trouble Ahead
By Jim Brown | Expectations for the FOMC meeting on Thursday are so high that it will be very hard for traders not to be disappointed.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:15:53 AM EDT | 09/04/2012
The Beginning of Fall?
By Jim Brown | Historically September is a down month for the market. However, if we do lose ground this September it will be headline driven rather than a seasonal cycle.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:13:30 PM EDT | 08/27/2012
Waiting on the Bernanke and Draghi
By Jim Brown | The markets are moving sideways as we wait for the weekend speeches by Ben Bernanke and Mario Draghi at Jackson Hole.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:08:31 PM EDT | 08/20/2012
No Buyers, No Sellers
By Jim Brown | The market continued its low volatility streak with the Dow in a 46 point range.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:07:00 PM EDT | 08/13/2012
Rally Losing Traction?
By Jim Brown | The markets have traded flat for the last four days but there is still no indication of a sell off ahead.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:39:05 PM EDT | 08/06/2012
Time for an Election Rally?
By Jim Brown | The markets don't appear worried about weak economics or poor fundamentals. It must be the silly season for politics.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:26:59 PM EDT | 07/30/2012
Taking Profits
By Jim Brown | With the market stalled at its recent highs I believe it is time to take some profits

Option Writers Newsletter
11:06:31 PM EDT | 07/23/2012
Rebound Still a Loss
By Jim Brown | The markets rebounded from a massive -239 point sell off at the open to close down only -101. Rebound or sell off?

Option Writers Newsletter
06:55:04 PM EDT | 07/16/2012
Short Squeeze Fading
By Jim Brown | Friday's short squeeze faded on Monday after China's premier warned the economy was still slowing and U.S. economics weakened.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:08:15 PM EDT | 07/09/2012
Earnings Challenge
By Jim Brown | The markets declined today on new earnings warnings and further problems in Europe

Option Writers Newsletter
06:42:16 PM EDT | 06/30/2012
Shorts Squeezed Again
By Jim Brown | Shorts paid the price and longs rejoiced but one day does not make a trend.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:13:34 PM EDT | 06/25/2012
Headline Roulette
By Jim Brown | Between the European headlines, U.S. economics and the Supreme Court decision on Thursday any new plays are the equivalent of headline roulette.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:08:45 PM EDT | 06/18/2012
Greece Impact Fades
By Jim Brown | Greece was the opening headline but the real focus for the day was Spain and Italy.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:27:59 PM EDT | 06/17/2012
Volatility Ahead
By Jim Brown | The right parties won in Greece but that does not necessarily translate into a rally for Monday.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:57:33 PM EDT | 06/10/2012
Black Monday for Shorts
By Jim Brown | The combination of the EU bailout for Spain's banks and the blowout trade numbers for China has pushed the S&P futures up +16 points on Sunday night.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:01:10 PM EDT | 06/03/2012
Gloom, Doom, No Boom
By Jim Brown | June began the way May ended with plenty of gloom and doom and no booming rebound.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:47:58 PM EDT | 05/28/2012
Here Today, Gone Tonight
By Jim Brown | Good news from Greece produced a rally in the futures on Sunday night but it may have been fleeting.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:34:14 PM EDT | 05/20/2012
Correction Complete?
By Jim Brown | The major indexes are less than 1% away from a 10% correction with many of the sub indexes already well over -20%.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:51:08 PM EDT | 05/13/2012
Right Call
By Jim Brown | Waiting on the market last week was the right call.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:20:01 PM EDT | 05/07/2012
Lackluster Rebound
By Jim Brown | The S&P futures were down more than 15 points Sunday night but the cash market rebounded to close positive. Bullish right? Wrong!

Option Writers Newsletter
09:54:31 PM EDT | 05/07/2012
Trade Revision
By Jim Brown | There was a typo in the earlier newsletter.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:48:33 PM EDT | 05/06/2012
European Revolt
By Jim Brown | The painfully crafted Greek bailout is in jeopardy after weekend elections voted out the parties responsible for approving the bailout and imposing crushing austerity on the country.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:28:04 AM EDT | 04/30/2012
Buy or Sell?
By Jim Brown | A strong four day short covering rally powered the indexes higher but will it continue?

Option Writers Newsletter
00:17:13 AM EDT | 04/23/2012
Trouble in France
By Jim Brown | President Nicolas Sarkozy lost in the first round of the French elections to socialist Francois Hollande.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:38:36 PM EDT | 04/19/2012
Close Positions
By Jim Brown | This is expiration week and time has run out. Time to close our driller position

Option Writers Newsletter
10:56:55 PM EDT | 04/15/2012
Bulls Headed for the Barn
By Jim Brown | The AAII sentiment survey last week showed a 25% drop in bullish sentiment.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:30:59 PM EDT | 04/10/2012
Selling Continues
By Jim Brown | The markets continued lower on worries from Europe and lack of support from Bernanke.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:28:10 PM EDT | 04/09/2012
No Rebound
By Jim Brown | The Dow low at 12,903 to the close at 12,933 is a very lackluster rebound

Option Writers Newsletter
09:08:19 PM EDT | 04/08/2012
Buy the Dip?
By Jim Brown | The payroll numbers on Friday pushed the S&P futures down -20 points

Option Writers Newsletter
10:08:35 PM EDT | 04/01/2012
New Quarter, New Trend?
By Jim Brown | The markets struggled to post gains the last two weeks with window dressing keeping them in the green.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:24:08 PM EDT | 03/25/2012
Profit Taking Over?
By Jim Brown | The markets declined three out of five days last week for a very minor loss. Is the profit taking over?

Option Writers Newsletter
11:30:28 PM EDT | 03/18/2012
No Volatility = No Premiums
By Jim Brown | The VIX hit a five year low on Friday at 13.66 and option premiums have shrunk to multiyear lows as well.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:39:55 PM EDT | 03/15/2012
Meltup Continues
By Jim Brown | The market continues to inch higher with all the major indexes posting gains while the majority of market analysts predict a sell off

Option Writers Newsletter
09:25:32 PM EDT | 03/12/2012
Market Looked Weak Today
By Jim Brown | It may be just fear of the Fed on Tuesday but the market indexes struggled to post gains today.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:33:07 PM EDT | 03/11/2012
Back At Resistance
By Jim Brown | The S&P and Nasdaq rebounded from Tuesday's dip to return to resistance but the Dow and Russell 2000 remained laggards.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:09:05 PM EDT | 03/05/2012
Another Dip Bought
By Jim Brown | It was not exciting and we did not end with a gain but the Dow rebounded +79 points from the opening low at 12,884.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:27:19 PM EDT | 03/04/2012
Starting To Worry About Direction
By Jim Brown | The markets closed down on Friday but with only a minor weakness except for the Russell 2000.

Option Writers Newsletter
04:14:26 AM EDT | 03/01/2012
Time For A Bounce?
By Jim Brown | The Dow did not bounce at the close as it has for the last month. Did sentiment change?

Option Writers Newsletter
10:18:39 PM EDT | 02/27/2012
Dip Buyers Alive and Well
By Jim Brown | The volatility arrived as expected with a triple digit loss on the Dow at the open but the loss was quickly erased by positive economics.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:21:34 PM EDT | 02/26/2012
Volatility Ahead?
By Jim Brown | We have been living a charmed life of shallow dips followed by new highs for more than two months. Eventually this dream will end.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:13:01 PM EDT | 02/20/2012
A Really Short Dip
By Jim Brown | Wednesday's decline to 1340 on the S&P was a really short dip followed by two days of gains.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:19:43 PM EDT | 02/15/2012
Finally A Dip
By Jim Brown | The Dow lost -97 today and S&P futures are down -7.50 tonight. How quickly will they buy this dip?

Option Writers Newsletter
08:31:07 PM EDT | 02/13/2012
Resistance Holding
By Jim Brown | Despite a strong gap open this morning the strong resistance at S&P 1350 continues to exert a hold on the market.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:55:17 PM EDT | 02/12/2012
Greek Parliament Blinks
By Jim Brown | With a lot of weeping and gnashing of teeth the Greek Parliament passed the new austerity/bailout plan late Sunday night.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:55:59 PM EDT | 02/06/2012
Still No Deal
By Jim Brown | It should not come as a surprise that Greece still has not agreed to the terms required to get the second bailout from the EU.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:45:35 PM EDT | 02/05/2012
Interesting Week Ahead
By Jim Brown | The economic calendar is light but there is no shortage of market moving events.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:35:28 PM EDT | 01/30/2012
Instant Replay
By Jim Brown | No entry on the play recommendation from Sunday but I am going to replay it again tonight.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:55:47 AM EDT | 01/30/2012
Europe Crushing Futures
By Jim Brown | It is Sunday night and the futures are tanking again. With the S&P futures down -8 as I write this the Monday open looks weak.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:12:44 AM EDT | 01/23/2012
Sunday Swoon
By Jim Brown | It is Sunday night and the futures are negative again. I feel like I have seen this moving before.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:58:52 PM EDT | 01/18/2012
Breakout in Progress
By Jim Brown | The slow uptrend grind finally overcame bearish resistance and a real breakout appeared

Option Writers Newsletter
08:37:33 PM EDT | 01/16/2012
European Uncertainty Reigns
By Jim Brown | Downgrades on downgrades in Europe and new worries over Greece should continue to keep pressure on the U.S. markets as earnings season kicks into high gear.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:01:49 PM EDT | 01/08/2012
Anticipating Weakness
By Jim Brown | The markets finished higher for the first week of 2012 but can it last?

Option Writers Newsletter
03:42:13 AM EDT | 01/02/2012
Two New Plays
By Jim Brown | I am expecting some volatility in January but hopefully it is to the upside

Option Writers Newsletter
02:40:29 AM EDT | 12/27/2011
Monday Is Sunday This Week
By Jim Brown | Markets are down in Asia on Tuesday morning on worries about weakness in holiday shopping and the impact of Europe on Japan.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:13:48 AM EDT | 12/19/2011
Another Sunday Swoon
By Jim Brown | It is Sunday night. Do you know where your futures are?

Option Writers Newsletter
03:21:26 AM EDT | 12/16/2011
Got Gold?
By Jim Brown | The market drop this week has not been kind but at least it gave us a unique opportunity to buy the precious metals on a dip.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:41:09 PM EDT | 12/12/2011
Bulls Hammered
By Jim Brown | They never had a chance. Ratings agencies going negative on Europe again and Intel warning on Q4 was a double tap that crushed the futures before the open.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:51:52 AM EDT | 12/12/2011
Volatile but Successful
By Jim Brown | It was a volatile week in the markets but a successful week for our existing plays.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:53:16 AM EDT | 12/05/2011
Bite the Bullet
By Jim Brown | Sunday night and futures are up +10 points. We may have to bite the bullet and buy (sell) something anyway.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:13:44 AM EDT | 12/01/2011
Still No Entry Point
By Jim Brown | Despite the 7% rally this week there has not been an entry point for new plays.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:11:32 PM EDT | 11/27/2011
S&P Futures Up +21
By Jim Brown | Will we ever return to "normal" markets? Last week the S&P completed a -10% decline and appeared ready to retest October lows.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:45:05 PM EDT | 11/24/2011
Option Investor Black Friday Special
By Jim Brown | Save Money, Get Free Silver This Weekend Only!

Option Writers Newsletter
09:33:23 PM EDT | 11/20/2011
Looks Like Another Rough Week
By Jim Brown | The Joint Super Committee appears to have dropped the ball and they will not be proposing spending cuts. The market is not happy.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:08:24 PM EDT | 11/13/2011
Going Up Or Down?
By Jim Brown | It will be interesting to see if the markets rally on the new Prime Minister in Italy or if they find something else to worry about.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:30:55 PM EDT | 11/07/2011
If at First You Don't Succeed
By Jim Brown | I am going to jinx the overnight markets by saying again, the futures are NOT down as of 8:30.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:54:16 AM EDT | 11/07/2011
Spoke Too Soon
By Jim Brown | Its 4:AM, Do You Know Where Your Futures Are?

Option Writers Newsletter
00:53:24 AM EDT | 11/07/2011
No Sell Off
By Jim Brown | It is Sunday night and the S&P futures are not down double digits. That is a refreshing change.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:54:40 PM EDT | 11/02/2011
Futures Down -10
By Jim Brown | This market is jinxed. The Fed meeting was mildly positive but events overseas are crushing futures again.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:23:46 AM EDT | 11/02/2011
Not Yet
By Jim Brown | The market declined -5% over the last two days and most analysts believe it could go lower.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:21:14 PM EDT | 10/30/2011
Just In Time
By Jim Brown | It appears we exited those positions on Friday just in time with Sears Holding losing nearly $4.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:30:01 PM EDT | 10/27/2011
Taking Profits Now
By Jim Brown | Irrational exuberance has reached its theoretical limit for me. The S&P is up +19.5% from the October lows.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:04:25 AM EDT | 10/24/2011
Bulls Are Running
By Jim Brown | For whatever reason, and there have been many given, the markets are in rally mode and nothing seems to matter.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:26:39 PM EDT | 10/20/2011
Bull's-eye On Our Back
By Jim Brown | Wynn declined from more than $139 on Wednesday to $119.60 on Thursday to stop us out by 15-cents.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:05:48 AM EDT | 10/20/2011
No Bounce
By Jim Brown | Apple shares rebounded from the overnight lows but the bounce was anemic and shares closed on the low of the day.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:41:29 AM EDT | 10/19/2011
Sell the Dip
By Jim Brown | Let's take advantage of the drop in Apple shares.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:20:41 PM EDT | 10/17/2011
Fifty Percent
By Jim Brown | Half of our plays were triggered at the open and it appear it was the right half.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:09:37 AM EDT | 10/17/2011
Up, Up and Away
By Jim Brown | It was another good week and the sharp decline to the Oct 4th lows have almost been forgotten.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:32:08 PM EDT | 10/09/2011
Trading Gods Smiled On Us
By Jim Brown | Last Sunday I said a bear market rally would really be appreciated next week. Evidently a higher power heard our pleas and provided an outstanding rally.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:22:34 PM EDT | 10/02/2011
Bear Market Rally
By Jim Brown | A bear market rally would definitely be appreciated this week but the outlook suggests it will only be a bear market. The futures started off deep in negative territory again on Sunday.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:41:47 PM EDT | 09/26/2011
Finally Some Good European News
By Jim Brown | After a rocky start stocks rallied late in the afternoon after news broke of a plan to supercharge the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF) and end the crisis in Europe.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:50:41 PM EDT | 09/25/2011
Futures Are Up But How Long?
By Jim Brown | I can't believe it is a Sunday night and the futures are actually up for a change. That does not mean Monday won't see a decline but at least we are not negative 20 points.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:56:02 PM EDT | 09/22/2011
The New Normal
By Jim Brown | I keep hearing the term "new normal" and I sure hope analysts are wrong in thinking this kind of volatility is going to stick with us. In fact I am betting they are wrong.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:03:18 PM EDT | 09/21/2011
Coal In Our Stocking
By Jim Brown | Two coal companies chose the same day to warn about sales and the result was a massive decline in the coal sector. Topping off the day the Fed said there were "significant" risks to the economic outlook.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:26:57 PM EDT | 09/18/2011
Ugly Monday
By Jim Brown | Our Mondays recently have been pretty grim. Here it is Sunday night and the futures are down -20 and Greece is circling the drain once again.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:11:53 PM EDT | 09/12/2011
Global Surprise
By Jim Brown | One of our recent positions surprised us with an acquisition today that pushed the position to a maximum profit.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:03:54 PM EDT | 09/11/2011
Futures Down Again
By Jim Brown | In what is becoming an increasingly regular pattern the S&P futures opened down sharply on Sunday night.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:25:14 PM EDT | 09/06/2011
Opportunity Knocking
By Jim Brown | Sometimes opportunity does not come when you expect it. With the worst start to September since WWII you would not normally be looking for bullish trades.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:21:15 PM EDT | 09/04/2011
Trouble Brewing
By Jim Brown | I really wish we could go back to a normal trading environment. Unfortunately the problems in Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East along with our own economic challenges are probably going to be with us for many months to come.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:53:09 PM EDT | 08/31/2011
Adding Long Term Positions
By Jim Brown | The Buffett trade last week produced so much positive email I am going to continue adding low risk, high reward plays that are outside our normal profile.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:36:04 PM EDT | 08/28/2011
Weakness Behind Us?
By Jim Brown | Ben Bernanke dangled a carrot in front of the market on Friday when he extended the September FOMC meeting to two days in order to "fully explore" Fed options.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:40:02 PM EDT | 08/25/2011
Warren Buffett Play
By Jim Brown | We may not have the same bankroll as Warren Buffett but we can accomplish the same results with a little different strategy.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:59:18 PM EDT | 08/24/2011
No Convincing Play
By Jim Brown | The market is providing us a very tough set of circumstances and high percentage trading opportunities are tough to predict.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:54:40 PM EDT | 08/21/2011
Eventually A Bottom Will Appear
By Jim Brown | Another -172 point drop in the Dow took it back to just over 10,800 and only a 100-points away from the closing low on August 10th. Is this just a retest or the beginning of a new decline?

Option Writers Newsletter
10:12:00 PM EDT | 08/18/2011
TEOTWAWKI
By Jim Brown | Has investing changed forever? Have we just entered The End of The World As We Know It?

Option Writers Newsletter
09:42:24 PM EDT | 08/17/2011
Tech Stocks Tank
By Jim Brown | The last couple days have been ugly for the tech sector with major declines in some high flyers. At the same time the energy sector has been in rally mode.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:46:51 PM EDT | 08/14/2011
Toe In the Water
By Jim Brown | Two days of market gains certainly don't make a trend but the extreme oversold conditions suggest we could see further upside. I don't want to back up the truck but I am willing to venture back into the game.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:09:11 PM EDT | 08/10/2011
Not Yet
By Jim Brown | The markets took another turn lower on Wednesday with the Dow losing -520 points. Not exactly the environment for premium sellers.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:45:32 PM EDT | 08/07/2011
Lookout Below
By Jim Brown | Unless you live under a rock you already know the credit rating for the U.S. was cut by S&P on Friday. The S&P futures on Sunday night are down -26 points and falling. Monday's open could be ugly.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:02:30 AM EDT | 08/05/2011
Cancel Entries
By Jim Brown | Fortunately our trigger conditions were not met at Thursday's open and the short puts on LVS and SNDK were not entered.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:54:34 PM EDT | 08/03/2011
Selling Over?
By Jim Brown | The Dow declined eight consecutive days and a feat only seen four times since 1978. Had Wednesday been negative it would have been the only time since 1978 with nine consecutive declines.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:57:15 AM EDT | 08/01/2011
Debt Deal Done
By Jim Brown | The grand bargain sprang back into life in Washington as the countdown clock slowly headed for a U.S. default on Wednesday. The party leaders and the president have an agreement and now it is up to the House and Senate to pass it. The Senate should not be a major problem but the House could be a challenge.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:35:26 PM EDT | 07/27/2011
Debt Dilemma
By Jim Brown | Give Congress enough time and they will mess up anything. While the Q2 economy was nothing to brag about it may turn out better than Q3 thanks to Congress and the months old problem of the debt limit. Giving them something to do that impacts the market is worse than giving a 5-year old a box of matches.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:53:50 PM EDT | 07/24/2011
Black Monday
By Jim Brown | The lack of an expected debt limit compromise over the weekend has caused a serious drop in the S&P futures with a decline of as much as -19 points at the open. Reportedly both sides will try to get together again on Monday but the markets are trading as though it may not happen.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:54:22 PM EDT | 07/18/2011
Futures Up, What Now?
By Jim Brown | After an ugly day in the markets the futures are actually up for a change. I have almost forgotten how to act with a positive overnight market.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:14:32 PM EDT | 07/17/2011
Tough Market To Trade
By Jim Brown | The last couple months have been a tough market to trade from the long side. I would like to think that is about to change but we have to wait for a new trend to appear rather than try and jump in front of it.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:26:47 PM EDT | 07/11/2011
No Entries Yet!
By Jim Brown | The European debt crisis I discussed on Sunday and the 6.4% inflation in China combined to knock our markets into the severely negative category at Monday's open.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:11:47 PM EDT | 07/10/2011
Monday Not Looking Good
By Jim Brown | The flare up of the European credit crisis again and a lack of good news out of the debt limit talks in Washington combined to push the S&P futures down -9 points at the Sunday evening open.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:48:31 PM EDT | 07/05/2011
Successful Exits
By Jim Brown | Fortunately the market failed to gap down triple digits and remained at resistance all day. We were able to exit three of our plays successfully.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:38:24 AM EDT | 07/03/2011
Do Over
By Jim Brown | Do you ever wish you could turn back time and get a "do over" on some of your trades? I definitely wish I could repeat last week.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:22:26 PM EDT | 06/26/2011
Try, Try Again
By Jim Brown | None of our positions were triggered on Friday because the qualifications were not met. That was apparently a good thing with all the indexes closing at their lows.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:26:30 PM EDT | 06/23/2011
Time to Get Active
By Jim Brown | The major drop at the open was bullish for the market because it wiped out all the weak holders from the earlier rebound. Everyone wishing they had bought last week's dip got another chance at an entry.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:51:15 PM EDT | 06/19/2011
Toe In The Water
By Jim Brown | I may be a little early but history suggests we could see a month end rebound on quarter end window dressing.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:52:57 PM EDT | 06/12/2011
Saved Money Last Week
By Jim Brown | By watching from the sidelines we probably saved some money last week. The expectations were for another down week and that is exactly what we got.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:56:07 PM EDT | 06/05/2011
Wrong Market For Put Selling
By Jim Brown | With the Dow/S&P now down five consecutive weeks we need to stand aside and wait for a positive trend to return. Put selling is a strategy for bullish markets.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:10:13 PM EDT | 05/29/2011
Lightning Strikes Twice
By Jim Brown | I understand having one stock plunge for a news event but two in the same day each for a $6 drop is the equivalent of lightning striking twice.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:31:23 PM EDT | 05/24/2011
Cancel Humana
By Jim Brown | The Humana recommendation was not triggered today because of the decline at the open.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:14:21 PM EDT | 05/23/2011
Europe Bites Again
By Jim Brown | The European debt crisis continues to torture our equity markets with another decline in the Euro pushing our dollar higher and equities lower. Fortunately it did not affect our positions.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:20:56 PM EDT | 05/22/2011
Trend Still Down
By Jim Brown | It was another tough week for investors with the major indexes down for the third consecutive week. Historically the May option expiration cycle is a tough week. In 2009 and 2010 the markets declined more than 3% each year. Last week was tame by comparison.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:21:58 PM EDT | 05/15/2011
Rocky Week But Still Profitable
By Jim Brown | Considering there were two days last week with triple digit Dow declines I am very happy about our positions and profitability. We have had a dry spell thanks to the choppy market over the last month.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:27:54 PM EDT | 05/08/2011
Run This Play Until We Win
By Jim Brown | Sometimes you just have to stay in the game long enough to outlast the other side. We had a tough time getting entries last week amid all the volatility but hopefully this week will be better.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:22:13 PM EDT | 05/04/2011
Market Still Weak, But New Entries
By Jim Brown | The markets were still weak on Wednesday. They were dragged lower by energy and the breakdown in commodities. However, the S&P did rebound off strong support at 1340.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:47:01 PM EDT | 05/03/2011
Worse Than It Appeared
By Jim Brown | The markets gave back some ground on Tuesday as energy and techs declined. On the surface the magnitude of the declines appeared small but there were some serious losses.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:26:10 PM EDT | 05/01/2011
Manic Monday
By Jim Brown | Silver opened at $42 on Sunday night and a decline of -12.5% but has rebounded back to $45 overnight. The dollar hit a new 30 month low. S&P futures are up strongly and Nasdaq futures are up even more. It should be a wild open on Monday and that is before the earnings and economics are released.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:59:25 PM EDT | 04/27/2011
Uncle Ben Spikes Market
By Jim Brown | Thanks to the FOMC statement and Bernanke's smooth and frank press conference the major indexes have all moved to new highs. For the Nasdaq that is a 10-year high. I have already gotten two newsletters tonight claiming this is a top for the market and time to go short. When will the bears ever learn?

Option Writers Newsletter
06:03:20 PM EDT | 04/25/2011
Techs Lead, Dow Lags
By Jim Brown | The Nasdaq finally assumed the leadership role but techs were unable to lift the Dow out of the profit taking doldrums. The heavy schedule of earnings and economics produced some early week volatility as traders get setup for the FOMC announcement and press conference on Wednesday.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:12:23 PM EDT | 04/24/2011
Earnings Shift Into High Gear
By Jim Brown | There are more than 175 S&P companies reporting earnings this week or roughly 34% of the S&P. This is the heaviest week of the earnings cycle. With the FOMC meeting and Bernanke press conference the week is sure to have some serious volatility.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:51:07 PM EDT | 04/20/2011
Overly Cautious Here
By Jim Brown | Nobody ever went broke sitting on cash. There was a monster short squeeze on Wednesday as a result of better economics and strong earnings from multiple companies.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:53:32 AM EDT | 04/20/2011
Not Buying the Gap Open
By Jim Brown | The market rebound on Tuesday was lackluster but a good start. However after Tuesday's earnings news it appears we are going to see a major gap open on Wednesday.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:41:59 PM EDT | 04/18/2011
Interesting Day for Stock Picks
By Jim Brown | The Dow dropped -247 points at the open but all three of the stocks I recommended on Sunday night were up strongly.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:50:45 PM EDT | 04/17/2011
Prepare For Volatility
By Jim Brown | The market has made zero progress since the end of March and the only trend has been sideways.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:13:37 PM EDT | 04/12/2011
Stops Hit
By Jim Brown | The market implosion at the open triggered some more exits. Thank goodness for stop losses.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:57:04 PM EDT | 04/11/2011
Markets Struggling
By Jim Brown | The indexes struggled ahead of the Q1 earnings cycle and initial support levels were tested again.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:46:26 PM EDT | 04/11/2011
MCM April 2011 Watch list
By Steven Gail | Watch list update

Option Writers Newsletter
07:27:08 PM EDT | 04/10/2011
Resistance Holding
By Jim Brown | Strong resistance at Nasdaq 2800 is still in play but initial support across all the indexes is also firm

Option Writers Newsletter
08:49:29 PM EDT | 04/06/2011
Stop Update
By Jim Brown | The market is struggling despite its gains today. While I would love to see a continued move higher we have to protect ourselves from the possibility of a decline.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:33:49 PM EDT | 04/04/2011
Closing One Position
By Jim Brown | The continued spike higher in Caterpillar has reduced the premium on the option to our exit point. I am recommending we close this position on Tuesday for a profit.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:43:58 PM EDT | 04/03/2011
Plenty of Opportunities
By Jim Brown | I found a lot f new plays this weekend thanks to the end of quarter window dressing. Most stocks have returned to a positive trend. Will it hold?

Option Writers Newsletter
06:50:10 PM EDT | 03/30/2011
Opening Gap Blues
By Jim Brown | The strong gap higher this morning filled us at the low for the day on the new positions but gave us a little more insurance on the existing portfolio.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:59:42 PM EDT | 03/29/2011
Wishes Do Come True
By Jim Brown | On Monday I wrote "I hope we get a dip to the 50-day at 1306" and a rebound so we can add more plays. Wish fulfilled.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:00:38 PM EDT | 03/28/2011
Last 30 Min
By Jim Brown | The markets held their gains from last week until the last 30 minutes of trading. A sell program hit the tape at just after 3:35 and knocked the indexes into negative territory.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:37:28 PM EDT | 03/27/2011
Not A Bad Week
By Jim Brown | The markets rebounded +6% in seven days and appear to be trying to retest the highs on the Dow and Russell. If the end of quarter window dressing follows the historical pattern it could happen before Friday.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:40:36 PM EDT | 03/23/2011
Downgrade Kills One Position
By Jim Brown | A Stifel Nicolaus downgrade on Concho caused a $5 intraday drop on Concho Resources and stopped us out of our short put position.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:11:19 PM EDT | 03/21/2011
Market Improves On Economic Optimism
By Jim Brown | The market rallied on hopes for a resolution to the Japan nuclear crisis and on the announcement of several mergers and acquisitions. Warren Buffett helped by publicly declaring it was a buying opportunity in Japan.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:23:08 PM EDT | 03/20/2011
Cancel IOC Recommendation
By Jim Brown | Because the normal earnings cycle does not start for four weeks I neglected to look at each stock to check for earnings. An alert reader, (thanks Don), brought it to my attention that IOC has earnings on Tuesday.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:50:50 PM EDT | 03/20/2011
Heads Or Tails?
By Jim Brown | Monday could be a coin toss for direction given the various news headlines crossing the wires late Sunday. Futures are still positive but -6 points off their opening highs.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:56:37 AM EDT | 03/18/2011
No Conviction In Sight
By Jim Brown | It was a good day for the Dow with a +161 point gain but it was all short covering at the open and the rest of the day was lacking conviction.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:33:05 PM EDT | 03/15/2011
Another Fun Day for the Bears
By Jim Brown | Dow -296 at the open and not a buyer in sight. Fortunately the tables turned but there was still a lack of conviction.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:13:46 AM EDT | 03/15/2011
Black Tuesday Ahead
By Jim Brown | The S&P futures are trading down -32 points on Monday night as a result of a new and larger radiation leak in Japan.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:58:04 PM EDT | 03/13/2011
Blue Monday Ahead
By Jim Brown | The S&P futures are trading down -9 points on Sunday night as a result of the damage in Japan and worries over how that will be felt in the global economy.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:05:15 PM EDT | 03/10/2011
Even The Good Declined
By Jim Brown | The overabundance of negative news this morning pushed all but a very few stocks to new lows for the month.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:09:43 AM EDT | 03/09/2011
No Conviction
By Jim Brown | Today's rally was purely short covering on low volume and it did not have any conviction.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:54:20 PM EDT | 03/07/2011
Blame It On Oil
By Jim Brown | Market reporters were blaming the market drop on the rise in oil prices but I don't think that was the real culprit.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:24:48 PM EDT | 03/06/2011
High Volatility Trading
By Jim Brown | The market over the last week has been nothing but highly volatile. The Dow moved in a triple digit range for the most days in a week since August.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:46:57 PM EDT | 03/03/2011
Nothing To Trade
By Jim Brown | The big short squeeze on Thursday left us nothing to trade today and the payroll report before the bell on Friday is serious event risk.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:05:27 PM EDT | 03/02/2011
Temporary Reprieve?
By Jim Brown | The minor rebound on Wednesday was less than exciting with plenty of intraday volatility. The bulls lacked conviction and we are still in danger of a continued drop.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:21:33 PM EDT | 03/01/2011
That Was A Short Rally
By Jim Brown | Oil prices were blamed for the market decline today but oil stocks did not rally on high prices. That suggests another reason for the selling.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:08:27 PM EDT | 02/28/2011
Bad News Bulls Back
By Jim Brown | The worries over the Middle East protests were ignored on Monday after the U.S. economic reports posted blowout gains.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:28:09 AM EDT | 02/28/2011
Time To Roll the Dice?
By Jim Brown | After a nice rebound to resistance on Friday is it time to roll the dice and gamble that the rally will continue or should we wait another 24 hours to see how the market behaves?

Option Writers Newsletter
10:13:15 PM EDT | 02/24/2011
Third Time the Charm?
By Jim Brown | After two days of buying the dip with no success I wonder if the third time is the charm.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:22:59 PM EDT | 02/23/2011
Are We There Yet?
By Jim Brown | The increasingly bad news out of Libya with the death toll over 2,000 according to some reports, hammered the equity markets again on fears of contagion to Saudi Arabia.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:03:14 AM EDT | 02/23/2011
News Events Cause Serious Overreaction
By Jim Brown | We knew Tuesday was going to be ugly but the news related volatility was very overdone.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:21:54 PM EDT | 02/21/2011
Buy the Dip Or In Our Case Sell It
By Jim Brown | The U.S. market is setting up for a pretty strong opening dip if the S&P futures, currently down -16 points, holds that level until the open.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:19:12 AM EDT | 02/21/2011
Inflation Moves A World Away
By Jim Brown | China's reserve hike caused a sell off in a specific sector and knocked us out of a very nice position.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:47:20 AM EDT | 02/18/2011
Opening Volatility Costly
By Jim Brown | Thursday's opening volatility and earnings misses by other companies caused two stops to be hit.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:30:00 PM EDT | 02/15/2011
Time To Tighten Up
By Jim Brown | Today's decline may have been just some expiration volatility but I am raising the stops on everything just in case.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:22:38 PM EDT | 02/14/2011
50% Successful, 100% Profitable
By Jim Brown | We were only successful in entering one of the two suggested positions on Monday. One of the candidates was never in positive territory to meet the qualification for entry.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:33:51 AM EDT | 02/13/2011
Having More Fun Than Legally Possible
By Jim Brown | Our current positions all closed at new highs on Friday except for the aggressive play on FFIV, which was only a four-week high. You could not ask for a better portfolio today!

Option Writers Newsletter
09:42:03 PM EDT | 02/09/2011
Two More Bite the Dust
By Jim Brown | Two of the positions I discussed on Tuesday hit their stops as the market rally took the day off.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:02:37 PM EDT | 02/08/2011
Scratch One
By Jim Brown | One of our positions declined on no news to trigger our stop. Fortunately the rest of them did really well.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:27:30 PM EDT | 02/07/2011
Gap, No Crap
By Jim Brown | I hate to enter new positions on a gap open. Fortunately today was not a gap an crap but more of a gap and consolidate.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:45:10 PM EDT | 02/06/2011
Stubborn Market Refuses To Decline
By Jim Brown | Despite a worse than expected payroll report the market rallied again and closed right at a potential breakout point.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:50:44 PM EDT | 02/03/2011
Exit First Solar, Cheer For F5
By Jim Brown | The recent rally in First Solar has pushed the stock to $32 over our strike. I am recommending we close that play on Friday for a nice profit.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:58:28 PM EDT | 01/31/2011
Today Worked Out Well
By Jim Brown | I thought we had a good chance at a positive rebound after the news driven day on Friday. Our new plays are off to a good start.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:49:32 PM EDT | 01/30/2011
Not Exactly What We Expected
By Jim Brown | The market decline due to the protests in Egypt was not quite what we were expecting to generate a market dip. Regardless of the reason we will gladly accept the buying opportunity.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:05:57 AM EDT | 01/27/2011
Still On Hold
By Jim Brown | The FOMC left the "extended period" phrase in their statement and will continue their purchase of $600 billion securities in the QE2 program.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:45:03 PM EDT | 01/24/2011
Only One Entry
By Jim Brown | The bears were surprised once again and the Dow rambled to another new high. Definitely a tale of two markets because it was the only new high.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:15:22 PM EDT | 01/23/2011
Taking A Chance
By Jim Brown | We don't know if last week's dip is the start of something bigger or a one week wonder. New trades this week could have more risk than normal.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:59:11 PM EDT | 01/20/2011
BIDU Closing Price Change
By Jim Brown | I made a mistake in the closing price on BIDU.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:51:12 PM EDT | 01/20/2011
Back to Cash
By Jim Brown | The morning decline knocked us back to cash when BIDU hit our stop.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:25:18 AM EDT | 01/20/2011
Damage Worse Than It Appears
By Jim Brown | The Dow dropped -12 points but the Russell fell -2.5%. That is not a good sign

Option Writers Newsletter
10:11:24 PM EDT | 01/18/2011
75% In Play
By Jim Brown | Three of our new positions are in play and one failed to trigger. Plenty of opportunity ahead.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:48:21 AM EDT | 01/16/2011
Squeezing Premiums
By Jim Brown | With one week left in January options I believe we can squeeze some premium out of some February positions as they become front month.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:55:55 AM EDT | 01/10/2011
Just Passing Time
By Jim Brown | Not much to do but watch and wait. Futures are down -3 points on Monday morning as we wait for a dip.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:15:36 PM EDT | 01/05/2011
Back To Cash
By Jim Brown | Our final position was closed at the open and we are back to cash and looking for a buying opportunity.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:03:51 PM EDT | 01/04/2011
Wake Up Call
By Jim Brown | The market dip on Tuesday coupled with the decline in commodities was a wake up call for the bulls.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:59:03 AM EDT | 01/04/2011
Gains Slipping Fast
By Jim Brown | After a big opening spike on Monday each of our positions gave back most of their gains. <

Option Writers Newsletter
11:12:12 PM EDT | 01/02/2011
Fun While It Lasted
By Jim Brown | VMWare finally tripped the trailing stop loss but it was a great ride with more than $8 in profit.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:52:26 PM EDT | 12/30/2010
Preparing to Exit
By Jim Brown | I raised stop losses one last time and added some exit targets.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:02:01 PM EDT | 12/27/2010
Raising Stops Again
By Jim Brown | I am going to maintain this theme all week in expectations of an exit of all positions by next week.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:19:16 PM EDT | 12/26/2010
Reaching A Pivotal Point in the Market
By Jim Brown | We are reaching a point in the market where the bulls are either going to commit or fold their positions.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:53:22 PM EDT | 12/22/2010
Raising Stops Again
By Jim Brown | The market is inching slowly higher but I don't want to be lulled into a false sense of security.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:01:03 PM EDT | 12/20/2010
Two Ticks Up, One Tick Back
By Jim Brown | The market is really struggling to maintain forward momentum. The European debt crisis and the light holiday volume are both a challenge for the bulls.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:33:40 PM EDT | 12/19/2010
Undecided Market
By Jim Brown | Despite gains by the S&P and Nasdaq on all but two days in December the market direction is still undecided.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:28:19 PM EDT | 12/15/2010
Slow Bleed
By Jim Brown | The market decline is progressing very slowly but it is still a decline and this is why we have stop losses.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:39:59 PM EDT | 12/14/2010
Not Our Week So Far
By Jim Brown | The market has been fighting us this week but so far the damage is minimal.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:01:20 PM EDT | 12/13/2010
Drop Was Overdue
By Jim Brown | The Nasdaq drop today was the first loss in nine trading days. The Nasdaq and the market in general were due for a rest.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:13:25 PM EDT | 12/12/2010
Target Rich Environment
By Jim Brown | Scanning charts on a couple hundred stocks this weekend reminded me of the famous Tom Cruise line in Top Gun. "This is what I call a target rich environment!"

Option Writers Newsletter
11:09:37 PM EDT | 12/09/2010
No Change
By Jim Brown | The morning spike evaporated and there is serious event risk on Friday.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:51:33 PM EDT | 12/08/2010
And Then There Were None
By Jim Brown | Our last short-term play was stopped out for a profit on the morning dip.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:36:37 PM EDT | 12/07/2010
Only One Left
By Jim Brown | We closed out another three plays for profits this morning and escaped the afternoon decline.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:25:35 PM EDT | 12/06/2010
Good Day For Writers
By Jim Brown | Despite the negative market every position we had moved higher.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:45:21 PM EDT | 12/05/2010
Not Broken, Don't Fix It
By Jim Brown | We are on the way to our best month ever if the market Gods don't jinx us next week.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:04:27 PM EDT | 12/02/2010
And Then There Were Eight
By Jim Brown | Las Vegas Sands sevened out in its bid to develop two new sites in Macau. The resulting drop in the stock price hit our stop and took us out of that play.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:12:11 PM EDT | 12/01/2010
That Really Helped!
By Jim Brown | Nothing stopped out today! You have to love it when the shorts are forced to run for cover.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:29:33 PM EDT | 11/30/2010
Thank You Jefferies
By Jim Brown | An analyst at Jefferies upgraded one of our positions today and we got a nice 5% spike in the stock.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:09:24 PM EDT | 11/29/2010
Having Fun Yet?
By Jim Brown | The volatility continues with a dip below support on the Dow and right to support on the S&P before a late day buy program started squeezing the shorts.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:20:17 PM EDT | 11/28/2010
Three Guesses On Direction
By Jim Brown | After a couple of very volatile weeks that did not go anywhere do you think our luck is about to change? Now that the holidays are over will a directional bias emerge?

Option Writers Newsletter
10:25:10 PM EDT | 11/24/2010
Finally An Entry
By Jim Brown | Wednesday is not how I would have choreographed the perfect entry but at least it produced some strong moves.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:03:13 PM EDT | 11/23/2010
Running These Plays Until We Get It Right
By Jim Brown | Twice in a row now the market has been kind to us and gapped lower so that none of our plays were triggered.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:37:26 PM EDT | 11/22/2010
Lot of Work For Nothing
By Jim Brown | It is really frustrating to spend 6-7 hours researching plays, making choices, and writing up plays and then not have them triggered. Fortunately that is better than having them triggered during a market crash

Option Writers Newsletter
00:33:50 AM EDT | 11/22/2010
Aggressive Put Writing Strategy
By Jim Brown | The term aggressive put writing conjures up taking on some serious risk. Most traders don't realize it has no more risk than a covered call.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:16:18 PM EDT | 11/21/2010
Off To A Good Start
By Jim Brown | Our third play launch for the month is solidly in the green and futures are exploding higher late Sunday.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:23:52 PM EDT | 11/17/2010
Third Time Is The Charm
By Jim Brown | After two bouts of opening plays right in front of a market drop, hopefully the third time will be more successful.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:48:58 PM EDT | 11/16/2010
Expect the Unexpected
By Jim Brown | That sounds like a great plan until the unexpected is not what you expected it to be.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:20:01 PM EDT | 11/15/2010
Best Laid Plans
By Jim Brown | Sometimes the best-laid plans don't actually work out as expected.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:45:22 AM EDT | 11/15/2010
Not A Good Week
By Jim Brown | The worst week for the markets in more than three months produced some pain for premium sellers.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:57:55 PM EDT | 11/11/2010
I Am Done Having Fun
By Jim Brown | The markets have strung together several days of declines. It may be a buying opportunity long-term but I am done having fun.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:13:12 PM EDT | 11/09/2010
Rocky Markets Cost Money
By Jim Brown | The intraday dip in the market hit a couple stops but I still believe it is a buying opportunity.

Option Writers Newsletter
04:50:01 PM EDT | 11/08/2010
Let's Try This Again
By Jim Brown | The market rested on Monday and the S&P never made it to positive territory.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:07:54 AM EDT | 11/07/2010
Are You Ready To Rumble?
By Jim Brown | With the Fed as a trading partner I think it is time to become a little more aggressive.

Option Writers Newsletter
04:41:54 PM EDT | 11/04/2010
Bull Stampede
By Jim Brown | The bulls stampeded the shorts on Thursday as the Dow soared in a breakout from bullish consolidation.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:59:29 PM EDT | 11/03/2010
Time To Exit
By Jim Brown | Wednesday's gains pushed two of our positions to levels where we need to take profits.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:07:01 PM EDT | 11/02/2010
Short Covering Ahead of Fed
By Jim Brown | Today's rally came on a sharp drop in the dollar and a flurry of short covering ahead of the FOMC meeting on Wednesday.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:45:39 PM EDT | 11/01/2010
No Gap Rule
By Jim Brown | It appears I may have to come up with a "No Gap" rule on new entries.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:15:37 AM EDT | 10/31/2010
So Far So Good
By Jim Brown | First Solar declined more than $13 but our short put remained profitable and we are still in play.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:18:39 PM EDT | 10/28/2010
First Solar Flames Out
By Jim Brown | Another earnings surprise knocked $10 off First Solar tonight even though the earnings were good.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:29:38 PM EDT | 10/27/2010
Not A Fun Morning
By Jim Brown | Fear of the Fed took hold this morning and the Dow lost -150 points at the open. Fortunately traders and fund managers bought the dip again and succeeded in pushing the Nasdaq over 2500.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:00:20 AM EDT | 10/27/2010
Home On The Range
By Jim Brown | The market has moved into a very tight trading range that is going to break any day now.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:54:20 PM EDT | 10/24/2010
Buy Or Hold
By Jim Brown | With the market most likely to be in a holding pattern over the next week should we add to longs or hold what we have got?

Option Writers Newsletter
00:11:19 AM EDT | 10/22/2010
Bulls Still Dip Buying
By Jim Brown | Thursday was an opportunity for the bears and they could not manage a decline.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:24:47 PM EDT | 10/19/2010
China Surprise
By Jim Brown | China surprised with a rate hike and created a monster short squeeze in the dollar.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:39:41 PM EDT | 10/18/2010
Betting On Overnight Futures
By Jim Brown | The S&P futures were down -9 points late last night but you would never know it from the market close today.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:03:25 AM EDT | 10/18/2010
Mortgages Mangle Market
By Jim Brown | The new mortgage problem weighed on the market on Friday but based on the futures it could really mess it up on Monday.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:03:35 PM EDT | 10/14/2010
Day Early
By Jim Brown | It appears we should have waited one more day before considering new entries.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:22:44 AM EDT | 10/14/2010
Acting in Self Defense
By Jim Brown | The big market spike on Wednesday did not inspire confidence after the closing decline but it was still a gain.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:24:28 PM EDT | 10/12/2010
One More Day
By Jim Brown | The FOMC minutes were exactly what traders expected but the market failed to react.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:22:47 PM EDT | 10/10/2010
Tipping Point
By Jim Brown | The FOMC minutes on Tuesday could be a tipping point for this market.

Option Writers Newsletter
04:42:28 PM EDT | 10/04/2010
MCM October Watch list
By Steven Gail | Watch list update

Option Writers Newsletter
07:53:30 PM EDT | 10/02/2010
No Entries This Week
By Jim Brown | The market weakness we were expecting began right on schedule.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:22:56 PM EDT | 09/28/2010
Escaped With Our Profits
By Jim Brown | September turned into a good month and I am happy to be back in cash and waiting for an October dip.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:28:06 PM EDT | 09/27/2010
Close All Positions
By Jim Brown | The market failed to maintain any forward momentum going into quarter end so it is time to exit gracefully.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:14:01 PM EDT | 09/26/2010
Taking Profits
By Jim Brown | The market is nearing a point where the rally is going to fail. Time to take profits.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:10:12 PM EDT | 09/23/2010
Two Bite the Dust
By Jim Brown | The market volatility bit us today with two positions stopped out on the market weakness. Fortunately there was no loss.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:36:36 PM EDT | 09/20/2010
We Could Quit Now
By Jim Brown | After gains in 12 of the last 14 days maybe we should quit now and take profits.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:44:18 PM EDT | 09/18/2010
So Far, So Good
By Jim Brown | All our new positions are in the green and they have moved away from the stops.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:47:19 PM EDT | 09/14/2010
The Game Is A Foot
By Jim Brown | We avoided the opening dip and all positions were triggered when the S&P hit 1124.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:57:50 PM EDT | 09/13/2010
Gap As Expected
By Jim Brown | The Dow gapped up over 100 points and promptly gave back its gains. Strength in the Nasdaq finally won out and the shorts piled in at the close.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:31:41 PM EDT | 09/12/2010
Gap Open!
By Jim Brown | Futures are up +8 points Sunday night on news that the Basel accords did not add anything new and stringent to the bank capital package.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:33:58 AM EDT | 09/08/2010
Comfortable In Cash
By Jim Brown | The profit taking came right on schedule and the tight stop on our remaining play took us out for a very nice profit.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:04:04 PM EDT | 09/05/2010
Know When To Fold Them
By Jim Brown | After a +5% rebound by the markets in only three days we should be looking for a pullback.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:16:29 AM EDT | 09/03/2010
Tighten Stops
By Jim Brown | After a couple days of outstanding gains it is time to tighten stops.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:34:26 PM EDT | 08/31/2010
Flame Out
By Jim Brown | Our solar play flamed out on the opening dip this morning but the other two positions are basking in the glow of some decent gains.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:16:27 PM EDT | 08/30/2010
Not As Planned
By Jim Brown | Today's entries did not go quite as we would have liked. The market failed and the Dow lost -140 points.

Option Writers Newsletter
04:39:07 AM EDT | 08/30/2010
Old Faithful
By Jim Brown | I am still not convinced the markets will favor us with a few days of bullish movement but I am ready to stick my toe in the water with some old picks that have served us well.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:59:48 PM EDT | 08/23/2010
Waste of Effort
By Jim Brown | Scanning charts today looking for bullish candidates was a waste of effort.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:23:34 AM EDT | 08/23/2010
No Update Today
By Jim Brown | Computer problems caused us grief all weekend.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:57:52 AM EDT | 08/20/2010
Right Decision
By Jim Brown | It appears we made the right decision in standing aside this week.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:29:58 PM EDT | 08/15/2010
Standing Aside
By Jim Brown | After a bad week in the markets the futures are down again Sunday night.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:05:08 PM EDT | 08/12/2010
Exit Complete
By Jim Brown | After three days of market drops we have now exited all positions. The market is now free to rally.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:35:18 PM EDT | 08/11/2010
That Was Not Fun
By Jim Brown | The -200 point drop at the open took us out of five more positions for a net loss of a nickel.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:06:12 PM EDT | 08/10/2010
42-Cents
By Jim Brown | The -150 point drop in the Dow cost us 42-cents on three positions that hit their stops.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:11:55 PM EDT | 08/09/2010
We Could Quit Now
By Jim Brown | In theory we could quit now and enjoy a nice gain for August and avoid the risk of the FOMC meeting.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:59:03 PM EDT | 08/07/2010
Our Luck Is Holding
By Jim Brown | Despite a week of market gains that occurred on only one day our positions are still safe.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:04:22 PM EDT | 08/03/2010
Potash Stopped Out
By Jim Brown | The opening dip this morning took us out of the Potash position.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:13:06 PM EDT | 08/02/2010
Seriously At Risk
By Jim Brown | The gap open on Monday filled us at levels that were much higher than Friday's close. Premiums deflated and now we are at risk for market weakness.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:06:07 PM EDT | 08/01/2010
Mixed Emotions
By Jim Brown | I have some seriously mixed emotions about entering plays this week but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:56:53 PM EDT | 07/29/2010
Back to Cash Again
By Jim Brown | Stops were hit on our two remaining plays as the market weakens after the peak in earnings.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:52:22 PM EDT | 07/27/2010
Market Starting To Weaken
By Jim Brown | Strong earnings by Dupont were not enough to keep the market moving higher.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:03:10 PM EDT | 07/26/2010
All Stocks Did Not Gain
By Jim Brown | Despite the strong market open this morning not all stocks on our entry list managed to post gains.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:56:43 AM EDT | 07/26/2010
One More Time
By Jim Brown | We were stopped out so quickly on a couple of our prior plays I am going to recommend them again and hopefully the market will cooperate.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:01:46 PM EDT | 07/22/2010
Not Supposed To Win
By Jim Brown | At 3:30 this afternoon Goldman dropped more than $3 on news the SEC was going to review the timing of the settlement.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:43:09 AM EDT | 07/21/2010
That Was Not Fun
By Jim Brown | The -148 point opening dip on Tuesday wiped out all but one position after Goldman earnings disappointed.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:54:39 PM EDT | 07/19/2010
Could Be Trouble
By Jim Brown | IBM and Texas Instruments both reported earnings after the close and both disappointed.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:34:11 PM EDT | 07/17/2010
Market Troubles
By Jim Brown | The drop in Consumer Sentiment knocked 261 points off the Dow and killed two of our positions.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:17:00 PM EDT | 07/12/2010
Successful Entries
By Jim Brown | The markets declined slightly before lunch but the buy the close trend is still alive.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:41:23 AM EDT | 07/11/2010
Taking A Chance
By Jim Brown | Despite the lack of a dip to buy last week I am going to take a chance on entering some new plays.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:14:38 PM EDT | 07/08/2010
Last 30 Minutes Is A Killer
By Jim Brown | The last two days the markets spiked higher in the last 30 minutes as shorts were forced to cover.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:26:30 PM EDT | 07/08/2010
MCM July Watch list
By Steven Gail | Watch list update

Option Writers Newsletter
11:20:50 PM EDT | 07/07/2010
Monster Short Squeeze
By Jim Brown | The bears got a taste of trouble on Wednesday after more than a week of ruling over the markets.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:00:54 AM EDT | 07/06/2010
Volatility Remains
By Jim Brown | I was expecting a potential bounce on Tuesday but the S&P futures were -9 early Monday night.

Option Writers Newsletter
04:56:10 AM EDT | 07/01/2010
Time for a Bounce?
By Jim Brown | Now that all the indexes have broken to new lows you would think it was a guarantee of a new bear market.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:58:47 AM EDT | 06/24/2010
Flat and Watching
By Jim Brown | The morning dip on the really ugly housing numbers succeeded in closing our remaining three positions.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:54:55 PM EDT | 06/22/2010
Two More Casualties
By Jim Brown | The market decline today knocked out two more positions but both were profitable.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:52:34 AM EDT | 06/22/2010
Lost One
By Jim Brown | We actually came out pretty good on the market roll over today with only one stop loss hit.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:39:58 PM EDT | 06/20/2010
Undecided Bulls
By Jim Brown | Expiration week found traders undecided about direction but the bulls were still able to hold the S&P at four-week highs.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:34:07 PM EDT | 06/14/2010
Textbook Gap and Crap
By Jim Brown | The bulls ran out of liquid cheer and the hangover started before the morning was even over. Heck of a way to kick off the July option cycle.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:19:16 PM EDT | 06/12/2010
Corrected With Symbols For July
By Jim Brown | The market improved slightly last week and although not out of danger it may be time to stick a toe in the water.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:45:12 PM EDT | 06/12/2010
Time to Take A Chance
By Jim Brown | The market improved slightly last week and although not out of danger it may be time to stick a toe in the water.

Option Writers Newsletter
04:54:26 AM EDT | 06/07/2010
Busy Two Weeks
By Jim Brown | The market volatility continues to make writing options a risky business.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:02:54 PM EDT | 05/18/2010
Down As Expected
By Jim Brown | The Dow sank to a -115 point loss after spiking higher at the open.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:19:41 PM EDT | 05/17/2010
Triple Digits But No Change
By Jim Brown | The Dow erased a -189 point morning decline but the indexes stalled at resistance on the rebound.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:53:28 PM EDT | 05/16/2010
Negativity Growing
By Jim Brown | The market decline on Thursday and Friday has turned sentiment bearish.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:04:35 PM EDT | 05/13/2010
Dodged A Bullet
By Jim Brown | We picked the perfect exit on the two index plays this morning.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:09:34 PM EDT | 05/12/2010
Time to Lighten Up
By Jim Brown | A couple positions have reached the point where we should take profits.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:58:22 PM EDT | 05/10/2010
Not Quite According to Plan
By Jim Brown | The market did not cooperate as I had hoped.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:16:20 AM EDT | 05/10/2010
Two More Plays
By Jim Brown | The rise in the overnight futures is too tempting to pass up a couple index plays as well.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:56:22 AM EDT | 05/10/2010
Target Rich Environment
By Jim Brown | Last week's crash pushed thousands of stocks back to support and created a great buying opportunity.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:20:56 PM EDT | 05/06/2010
Out Before The Crash
By Jim Brown | We were stopped out of our last position today before the crash occurred.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:25:54 PM EDT | 05/04/2010
Rough Market to Be Short
By Jim Brown | The monster gap down open was enough to cause us pain in the portfolio.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:25:18 PM EDT | 05/03/2010
Goldman Rebounds, Potash Plunges
By Jim Brown | Goldman Sachs rebounded on the strength of the Warren Buffet support over the weekend.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:51:27 PM EDT | 05/01/2010
Toe In the Water
By Jim Brown | Despite the ugly close on Friday it may be time to stick a toe back into the market waters.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:02:27 AM EDT | 04/30/2010
Friday Is The Key
By Jim Brown | The markets recovered from their early week decline but the week is not over yet.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:21:15 PM EDT | 04/21/2010
Goldman Sellers Still Active
By Jim Brown | Goldman broke support on Wednesday to trade down to $157.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:30:28 PM EDT | 04/19/2010
Goldman Leads Market Higher
By Jim Brown | It was a touch and go session with several changes from positive to negative but at the close Goldman led the financials higher.

Option Writers Newsletter
04:18:36 PM EDT | 04/18/2010
Safe!
By Jim Brown | By raising the stops on Thursday night we escaped without taking any losses.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:49:31 PM EDT | 04/15/2010
Googled!
By Jim Brown | Google disappointed investors in several ways on Thursday and the stock was knocked for a -$30 loss in afterhours.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:32:58 PM EDT | 04/14/2010
Finally Some Conviction
By Jim Brown | A lot of that conviction came from short covering but earnings produced that short covering.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:07:21 PM EDT | 04/12/2010
Less Than Inspiring Market
By Jim Brown | The Dow moved over 11,000 but struggled to hold that level. With all the major indexes up only single digits it was less than inspiring.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:15:32 PM EDT | 04/10/2010
May Quick Hits
By Jim Brown | I believe the market will hold at these levels at least through option expiration assuming Intel does not stink up the place.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:45:26 PM EDT | 04/07/2010
No Dip Buyers
By Jim Brown | There was a small rebound off the intraday lows but it lacked conviction.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:34:51 PM EDT | 04/04/2010
Flipping A Coin
By Jim Brown | Friday's jobs report was less than expected but it still managed to push the futures higher.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:21:33 PM EDT | 04/01/2010
Then There Were None
By Jim Brown | We closed our last position for a profit leaving us flat over the holidays.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:23:16 PM EDT | 03/31/2010
Then There Was One
By Jim Brown | We closed another position for a profit leaving only one open position.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:20:18 PM EDT | 03/30/2010
Another Profitable Close
By Jim Brown | We closed the position on Potash at the open for a $1.09 profit.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:44:44 PM EDT | 03/29/2010
Sun Shining on First Solar
By Jim Brown | FSLR rallied again today and we were able to close the trade at 50-cents or less with a $1.58 profit.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:24:33 PM EDT | 03/28/2010
Don't Lie To Investors
By Jim Brown | IOC plunged $13 intraday on Friday after RealMoney posted a story that called IOC officers scammers.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:30:58 PM EDT | 03/25/2010
That Was Not Fun
By Jim Brown | That was an ugly close with major givebacks of early gains and in some cases some large losses.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:47:30 PM EDT | 03/24/2010
Updating Stops
By Jim Brown | After the market weakness today I am raising some stops.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:54:42 PM EDT | 03/22/2010
Escaped the Opening Dip
By Jim Brown | We only lost one position on the opening drop this morning.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:10:44 PM EDT | 03/20/2010
Coal Crushed
By Jim Brown | BTU lost $4 over the last two days and we were stopped out for a profit.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:52:19 PM EDT | 03/17/2010
Another One Bites the Dust
By Jim Brown | The FedEx play was closed when the option traded under 10-cents.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:04:58 PM EDT | 03/16/2010
Coal Is Hot
By Jim Brown | There was another takeover announcement after the close in the coal sector.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:33:11 PM EDT | 03/15/2010
I Jinxed Us
By Jim Brown | I committed a major error in the Sunday update when I said we were having a good month.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:30:31 PM EDT | 03/14/2010
Capitalize On News
By Jim Brown | We are going to use a news event to add another play for Monday morning.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:50:11 PM EDT | 03/11/2010
Another Target Hit
By Jim Brown | We were able to exit the KCI play for a nickel and free up some margin for a new play tonight.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:55:19 PM EDT | 03/10/2010
Kinetic Profits
By Jim Brown | The +$6 spike on Kinetic Concepts guaranteed us nearly 100% profit on that position.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:04:26 PM EDT | 03/08/2010
Six of Eight
By Jim Brown | We got entries on six of the eight plays and successfully closed two existing plays.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:12:03 PM EDT | 03/07/2010
Shifting to April
By Jim Brown | With the VIX at a two-year low at 17.42 the available premium on March options is nearly zero. Time to shift gears and start looking ahead to April strikes.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:53:05 PM EDT | 03/03/2010
Good Thing I Missed It
By Jim Brown | Those fat premiums on MDVN don't look nearly as appetizing today after a -67% drop in the stock at the open.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:37:35 AM EDT | 03/03/2010
Tough Day For Charts
By Jim Brown | This was one of those days where every chart you look at has possibilities bit none had probabilities. I easily looked at more than 500 charts and while I found some really interesting stocks there were none that screamed, "Buy me."

Option Writers Newsletter
10:07:08 PM EDT | 03/01/2010
Should Have Backed Up the Truck
By Jim Brown | A day like today makes you wish we had backed up the truck and written a dozen different puts at the open.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:49:24 PM EDT | 03/01/2010
MCM March Watch list
By Steven Gail | Watch list update

Option Writers Newsletter
11:20:03 PM EDT | 02/28/2010
Dust Ourselves Off and Start Over
By Jim Brown | Time to quit worrying about the past and tackle a new month

Option Writers Newsletter
11:56:09 PM EDT | 02/25/2010
Killed Our Entire Month
By Jim Brown | There are days I honestly think about retiring. Thursday was one of them.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:52:50 PM EDT | 02/24/2010
Three Out of Four
By Jim Brown | We got an entry on three of the four new positions thanks to the positive market.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:27:55 PM EDT | 02/23/2010
Extremely Painful
By Jim Brown | The stop crushing drop after the Consumer Confidence report this morning eliminated many of our positions.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:08:55 PM EDT | 02/21/2010
Reluctant Rally
By Jim Brown | Low volume is not confirming the current rally but stocks are still moving higher.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:05:50 PM EDT | 02/16/2010
Gap Higher Cut Into Premiums
By Jim Brown | Tuesday's gap higher cut into our premiums at the open and forced me to raise stops on everything.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:00:28 AM EDT | 02/16/2010
ALERT: Closing MED FEB 20
By Steven Gail | CLOSING MED SHORT FEB 20 Call $2.20 - $2.40

Option Writers Newsletter
10:12:52 PM EDT | 02/14/2010
Adding Some March Plays
By Jim Brown | The market appears reluctant to decline further although it will be a tough fight to move higher.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:47:15 PM EDT | 02/10/2010
Corrected Stop
By Jim Brown | I corrected the stop loss on TM from the prior email.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:44:59 PM EDT | 02/10/2010
So Far, So Good
By Jim Brown | No stops hit and we got a successful entry in our new short put.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:19:55 PM EDT | 02/09/2010
Short Squeezed Out
By Jim Brown | It was bound to happen eventually. These triple digit short squeezes will eventually stop out almost any position.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:00:50 PM EDT | 02/08/2010
Closing On the Lows
By Jim Brown | Friday's short squeeze did not hold and the major indexes rolled over to close on the lows.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:51:51 PM EDT | 02/07/2010
Which Way Do We Go?
By Jim Brown | The markets close on Friday and the futures on Sunday night are giving us no clues about direction.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:52:44 PM EDT | 02/04/2010
Stopped Out For a Profit
By Jim Brown | On a day with a huge market downdraft you would expect to lose some plays when stops are hit.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:08:26 PM EDT | 02/03/2010
Adding Two New Positions
By Jim Brown | The rally fizzled and the path of least resistance is still down.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:47:14 PM EDT | 02/02/2010
Another One Bites the Dust
By Jim Brown | The second day of short squeezing knocked two more positions off our portfolio.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:11:12 AM EDT | 02/02/2010
Short Squeeze
By Jim Brown | Every market decline is always sprinkled with a handful of short squeezes when you least expect them.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:57:00 PM EDT | 01/31/2010
Month Ended With A Bang
By Jim Brown | We came really close to exiting January with a profit despite the dozen of so days of high volatility and gap open markets.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:13:01 AM EDT | 01/29/2010
No Losses
By Jim Brown | One more day down and our profits are increasing with the market in decline.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:16:33 AM EDT | 01/28/2010
One By One
By Jim Brown | We lost another positions today to a stop loss but it remained profitable.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:16:26 PM EDT | 01/26/2010
Sun Shine on CSIQ
By Jim Brown | The sun shined on solar play CSIQ and we were stopped out of that position.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:47:17 PM EDT | 01/25/2010
Finally A Gap In Our Favor
By Jim Brown | The markets gapped up on Monday as Bernanke's confirmation appeared more certain.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:49:32 PM EDT | 01/24/2010
Coin Toss
By Jim Brown | Futures are up slightly Sunday night but the direction next week is as unsure as a coin toss.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:11:49 AM EDT | 01/22/2010
Flat Again
By Jim Brown | The opening drop and the very negative market took us out of both positions for a minor loss.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:47:03 PM EDT | 01/20/2010
Sell The News
By Jim Brown | The markets crashed back to support on Wednesday in a sell the news rally that was less about Scott Brown and more about bank warnings and China's halt to bank lending.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:22:22 AM EDT | 01/20/2010
A Heck of a Day
By Jim Brown | The market rallied on news out of Massachusetts over the weekend that a republican challenger was about to pull an upset of the century. Those who shorted the close on Friday were racing to close those positions.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:57:00 PM EDT | 01/16/2010
One Week Late
By Jim Brown | Too bad that market drop came a week later than we planned but as traders we know we have to roll with the punches. With two weeks left in January we have some lost ground to recover.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:57:28 AM EDT | 01/14/2010
Buyers Setting the Intel Stage
By Jim Brown | Buyers bought the dip once again and the Dow finished at a new high. The bulls were placing their bets ahead of the Intel earnings Thursday evening.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:56:19 PM EDT | 01/12/2010
Earnings Surprises Pushes Market Lower
By Jim Brown | An earnings miss by Alcoa and a warning by Chevron combined to take some froth out of the market.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:22:33 AM EDT | 01/12/2010
Are The Bulls Tiring?
By Jim Brown | After a dip at the open the rebound was not as quick and was far less certain until a buy program at the close rescued the S&P from a loss and brought the Nasdaq back from a bigger loss.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:33:28 PM EDT | 01/10/2010
The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men
By Jim Brown | Sometimes the best laid plans fail because the scenario does not play out as expected. That is the case with the current market. The stage was set for a decline late last week but it never appeared.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:52:37 AM EDT | 01/08/2010
Tale of Two Markets
By Jim Brown | For nearly two weeks the Nasdaq held up the broader market as it posted strong gains and broke out of its bearish formation. Now the Nasdaq is taking a break and the S&P is leading the way higher on the strength of year-end retirement cash flowing into index funds.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:13:54 AM EDT | 01/07/2010
Market Struggling But Holding the High Ground
By Jim Brown | Another day with no gains but one day closer to Friday's Non-Farm Payrolls. Any day that does not end with a loss is a plus ahead of the Payroll report.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:19:35 AM EDT | 01/06/2010
Time to Prune the List
By Jim Brown | After a couple days of sharp gains on several of our watch list candidates I am going to eliminate some and adjust the targets on others.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:56:55 PM EDT | 01/04/2010
Another Fun Day In the Markets
By Jim Brown | A plus 155 Dow day after the jam job on Thursday's close. Sure glad we had downside triggers on all those lottery plays. I am really glad we did not get a big opening dip and then a +155 point rally!

Option Writers Newsletter
10:01:45 PM EDT | 01/02/2010
Rolling the Dice
By Jim Brown | The window dressers ran out of cash and weakness appeared. Is it just a dip before the normal first week fund money rally or is it a preview of things to come?

Option Writers Newsletter
02:05:01 AM EDT | 12/31/2009
Safe In Cash
By Jim Brown | The window dressers survived another day and were able to revive the indexes from their opening drop. With four hours left in 2010 their work is almost over.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:57:14 AM EDT | 12/30/2009
Time To Bail
By Jim Brown | I don't like the way the market is shaping up for Wednesday and Thursday. We had a big sell program at the close and futures are drifting lower overnight.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:33:08 AM EDT | 12/29/2009
No Stops, No Exit Targets Hit
By Jim Brown | Just another calm day in a year-end rally. We have a few days left before the fireworks start.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:43:10 AM EDT | 12/27/2009
Setting Some Exit Targets
By Jim Brown | Despite most of our positions being well above the strike prices and will potentially expire worthless I am skeptical about the current rally and suggest exiting some positions.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:09:20 PM EDT | 12/23/2009
Slow And Steady Wins The Race
By Jim Brown | Three days in a row with positive market gains. Nothing spectacular but solid gains over resistance except for the Dow.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:50:36 AM EDT | 12/23/2009
So Far So Good
By Jim Brown | It has been a good week and it is only Tuesday. Two days in a row of market gains has been about our limit lately but I am hoping this trend continues.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:22:39 PM EDT | 12/21/2009
Santa Claus Rally
By Jim Brown | You have to love a good Santa Claus rally when stocks go up for no particular reason. The Santa season historically adds around 2.5% to the S&P for the last ten days of the year, +1.5% starting on Christmas Eve.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:59:17 AM EDT | 12/21/2009
Eight Days Until 2010
By Jim Brown | With the end of December normally bullish that gives us 8 trading days to try and skim some put premiums before rolling crossing the tax year expiration date and facing a potential dip in the market.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:27:23 AM EDT | 12/18/2009
I Really Hate Mornings
By Jim Brown | The opening dip in the markets Thursday morning crushed nearly every high flyer of late. It was definitely a day where scared fund managers pulled the exit trigger in a hurry when they saw trouble looming ahead.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:27:38 PM EDT | 12/16/2009
Now For the Real Market Test
By Jim Brown | The Fed did exactly what everyone expected and we got some limited volatility with the obligatory sell off. What happens next is the real test for the market. Do we rally on the benign announcement or does the market exaggerate the Fed's worries about inflation and sell off?

Option Writers Newsletter
11:43:49 PM EDT | 12/15/2009
A Good Day in a Weak Market
By Jim Brown | After Austria nationalized a bank too big to fail the futures returned from their overnight lows and the markets rallied shortly after the open. We were successful in closing all buy one of the positions outlined in the Monday night email.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:59:35 AM EDT | 12/15/2009
Trouble In Paradise
By Jim Brown | After a decent day in the U.S. markets with the indexes closing over recent resistance the outlook for Tuesday is for storm clouds. Austria put one of its major banks on the watch list and the Euro fell sharply pushing the dollar back to six-week highs. Dollar up, futures down.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:02:51 AM EDT | 12/14/2009
Never A Dull Moment
By Jim Brown | Just when it looked like the futures were going to tank into Monday's open the news broke that Abu Dhabi stepped in with a $10 billion rescue plan for Dubai. $4.1 billion in payments due on Tuesday will be covered by the loan and there will be no default. Futures exploded on the news for a +8 gain.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:05:33 AM EDT | 12/11/2009
Gap and Fade
By Jim Brown | Another gap and fade day in the markets with crude knocked below $70 again and Fuel Systems dropping -10% on no news. Lots of stock charts fading into the close despite the indexes posting gains.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:09:30 PM EDT | 12/09/2009
Adding Another Position
By Jim Brown | The end of the day rebound off support was bullish. Futures are up overnight and expiration is only a week away. I am adding a couple more positions for the December expiration.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:59:44 AM EDT | 12/09/2009
Russian Roulette
By Jim Brown | I am going to add a couple plays for Wednesday but we are playing Russian roulette here. Futures were up +3.50 when I started this article but have suddenly fallen back to zero.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:36:31 PM EDT | 12/07/2009
No Change
By Jim Brown | The markets were unable to hold their gains today and settled back at the low end of their range.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:53:24 AM EDT | 12/07/2009
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
By Jim Brown | The good news is that Asia did not tank Sunday night. The Shanghai Composite flirted with both sides of zero and finished up about 15 points. Not a big win but well off the lows.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:53:36 PM EDT | 12/03/2009
Officer, I Never Saw That Truck
By Jim Brown | The nearly -100 point drop on the Dow in the 15 minutes of trading came out of nowhere and was over before most people even knew it happened.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:26:04 PM EDT | 12/03/2009
Close Cameco Position
By Jim Brown | Thanks to a strong rebound in Cameco I am recommending we close the position.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:43:52 AM EDT | 12/01/2009
Finally An Entry That Was Not A Gap Open
By Jim Brown | The markets opened slightly mixed this morning and added a few points before testing support once again but it was not the major gap opens we have been seeing. We actually got some good entries and futures are positive again tonight.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:15:49 AM EDT | 11/30/2009
Going To Be An Interesting Day
By Jim Brown | Some of the shock from the Dubai news appears to be wearing off but the futures are far from exuberant. The dollar is falling again and gold prices are flat

Option Writers Newsletter
06:46:26 PM EDT | 11/26/2009
Not Looking Good
By Jim Brown | Worries over a possible default on sovereign debt by Dubai has led to large declines around the globe on Thursday. The S&P futures are currently down -24.25 points and the dollar is rebounding as a safe haven play.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:50:07 AM EDT | 11/25/2009
Dollar Imploding, Futures Higher
By Jim Brown | The dollar index imploded to 74.62 overnight but the futures are only up +5.50. Gold hit 1,180 overnight.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:00:41 AM EDT | 11/23/2009
Thank You and Here We Go Again
By Jim Brown | Dollar Index falling to support at 75 again, futures out of sight and lots of good information in the reader survey.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:57:56 PM EDT | 11/21/2009
Option Writer Reader Survey
By Jim Brown | We are looking at remodeling the various newsletters produced by Option Investor in 2010

Option Writers Newsletter
09:25:41 PM EDT | 11/19/2009
Nice Thought
By Jim Brown | Changing the stop losses was a nice thought but the opening gap lower defeated our plan.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:40:18 PM EDT | 11/18/2009
Change Stops
By Jim Brown | With one more day before expiration I am raising the stops on two positions.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:32:02 PM EDT | 11/16/2009
Uncharted Territory
By Jim Brown | The dollar traded at new 15-month lows and the markets at new 13-month highs. If we can hold this trend the rest of the week we could really get a short squeeze going.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:53:28 AM EDT | 11/16/2009
Play It Again Sam
By Jim Brown | The Dollar is imploding overnight, gold hit $1130 and the S&P futures are up +7.50. I have a serious case of Déjà vu.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:35:31 AM EDT | 11/13/2009
Beaten "Cents-less" By The Dollar
By Jim Brown | The rally on the dollar broke above prior resistance and sent the dollar index to 75.65 and well over the 74.77 of the prior day. These are major moves in the currency markets producing equal inverse moves in equities.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:59:46 PM EDT | 11/11/2009
Less Than Satisfying
By Jim Brown | The morning spike, intraday decline and closing rebound were certainly less than I expected with the futures up +9 points overnight.

Option Writers Newsletter
04:33:39 AM EDT | 11/11/2009
Ready to Rumble Again?
By Jim Brown | The dollar is plunging again and the futures are moving sharply higher.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:09:01 PM EDT | 11/09/2009
Dollar Dive Drives Stocks
By Jim Brown | The falling dollar gave stocks a lift and the Dow closed over 10200.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:02:47 PM EDT | 11/09/2009
Abort MOS Trade
By Jim Brown | There was a problem with the MOS recommendation this morning.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:17:39 AM EDT | 11/09/2009
Blast Off?
By Jim Brown | With the futures up so strongly this morning and the dollar imploding it appears we are going to blast over current resistance.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:57:41 AM EDT | 11/06/2009
Reprieve!
By Jim Brown | I feel like a condemned man heading to the gas chamber that just found out he had a stay of execution.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:39:41 AM EDT | 11/05/2009
Just Not Having Fun
By Jim Brown | Wednesday was a really strange day and it was not kind to us.

Option Writers Newsletter
04:16:10 AM EDT | 11/04/2009
Putting A Toe In the Water
By Jim Brown | With two major economic events on Wednesday and Friday I am rolling the dice on a potential play.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:41:32 AM EDT | 11/02/2009
CIT Files For Bankruptcy
By Jim Brown | CIT filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sunday and the plan wipes out existing shareholders.

Option Writers Newsletter
04:00:26 AM EDT | 10/30/2009
Perfect Example
By Jim Brown | After Wednesday's close all the market reporters were doing specials on the possibility of a correction. The markets had reached critical support. Chicken Little was warming up for his featured performance.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:11:23 AM EDT | 10/26/2009
Holding My Breath
By Jim Brown | I was very glad to see our current position not lose ground on Friday. That shows great relative strength.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:35:20 PM EDT | 10/22/2009
More Fun Than A Dentist Appointment
By Jim Brown | The morning dip took us out of our remaining positions but there was no real damage.

Option Writers Newsletter
04:54:39 AM EDT | 10/22/2009
Raise Stops
By Jim Brown | There has been no overnight follow through to the market implosion just before the close but I want to be cautious.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:09:05 PM EDT | 10/20/2009
Exit FXI Puts
By Jim Brown | Time to be cautious and exit this position.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:25:09 AM EDT | 10/20/2009
Prepare For FXI Exit
By Jim Brown | The Asian markets are strongly positive again on Tuesday and I an thinking about taking profits in the FXI position before the GDP release on Thursday.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:23:20 AM EDT | 10/19/2009
Crude Higher, Futures Higher
By Jim Brown | Monday is shaping up as a positive day. The dollar is up slightly and the Asian markets are higher and the U.S. futures are higher.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:19:02 PM EDT | 10/15/2009
Bulls Still Moving But Not A Stampede
By Jim Brown | The markets managed another gain on Thursday but it was a tough battle with the Nasdaq gaining only one point.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:46:48 PM EDT | 10/14/2009
Intel and JPM Push Dow Over 10K
By Jim Brown | Everyone claimed the good earnings news was already priced in but it appears everyone was wrong.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:41:24 AM EDT | 10/14/2009
What's Wrong With This Picture?
By Jim Brown | The price of oil is back over $75 but the majority of oil stocks lost ground on Tuesday.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:23:25 PM EDT | 10/12/2009
OK, Now What?
By Jim Brown | We were triggered on 3 of the 4 positions at the opening bounce but the afternoon rollover took us back to the entry points.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:02:29 AM EDT | 10/12/2009
Holding My Nose
By Jim Brown | After a week of strong gains I am going to try to sneak in a few plays before the October options expiration.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:04:10 PM EDT | 10/06/2009
Put Down Those Torches
By Jim Brown | I see dozens of readers heading my way with torches and rope. Bar the doors Egor we are going to hold our ground.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:05:29 AM EDT | 10/06/2009
Not Having Fun Yet
By Jim Brown | The markets rallied with the Dow tacking on +112 points but the internals are telling a different story.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:43:41 PM EDT | 10/04/2009
Still Waiting
By Jim Brown | The markets declined last week as expected but I am not ready to start buying the dip just yet.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:19:07 PM EDT | 10/01/2009
No Surprise For Us
By Jim Brown | The markets imploded on the first day of October with the Dow down -2.1%, Naz -3.1%, SPX -2.6% and Russell -3.4%.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:49:42 AM EDT | 10/01/2009
Close But No Cigar
By Jim Brown | Fund managers and market makers tried hard to finish the month in the green and create a record quarter for the Dow.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:57:17 PM EDT | 09/29/2009
Tick Tock Tick
By Jim Brown | Counting down the minutes until the quarter expires.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:41:46 AM EDT | 09/29/2009
No Change
By Jim Brown | Today's rally was not unexpected with only three days left in the quarter.

Option Writers Newsletter
05:46:57 PM EDT | 09/26/2009
A Time For Patience
By Jim Brown | As we enter October it may be wise to watch from a safe distance rather than step into the potential volatility

Option Writers Newsletter
07:53:17 PM EDT | 09/24/2009
Somebody Pinch Me
By Jim Brown | Walter loses nearly $10 in only two days. Surely I am dreaming!

Option Writers Newsletter
05:08:03 AM EDT | 09/22/2009
Futures Expiration
By Jim Brown | Tuesday's pending expiration of crude futures reached out and bit us on Monday.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:15:57 AM EDT | 09/21/2009
Time For the Real Market
By Jim Brown | The witch is dead and futures are down. Time for the real market to appear.

Option Writers Newsletter
04:52:44 AM EDT | 09/17/2009
Surprise, Surprise
By Jim Brown | Amazing what a downgrade will do to a momentum stock.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:15:06 PM EDT | 09/15/2009
I Love It When A Plan Comes Together
By Jim Brown | We managed to successfully close all of our positions today and launch three new ones.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:10:14 AM EDT | 09/15/2009
The Bull Is Back
By Jim Brown | After a nasty Monday morning dip the bulls came roaring back and the bullishness was much stronger than the ending numbers represented.

Option Writers Newsletter
04:01:38 AM EDT | 09/14/2009
I Really, Really Hate Monday Mornings!
By Jim Brown | When I logged into my charts Sunday night to see the S&P futures down -10 points I was not a happy camper.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:25:58 PM EDT | 09/09/2009
Morning Gap Bites Again
By Jim Brown | The gap down open this morning bit us again with a couple stops. One was hit by a single penny.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:34:58 PM EDT | 09/08/2009
I Hate Mornings
By Jim Brown | I hate watching the market gap up a hundred points at the open and all my entry triggers hit because I know the rest of the day is not going to be pleasant.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:13:33 PM EDT | 09/07/2009
September To Remember?
By Jim Brown | Normally the month of September is remembered for its high volatility and large market declines. Hopefully this September will be remembered for moving in the opposite direction.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:44:37 PM EDT | 09/01/2009
That Is One Way To Clean House
By Jim Brown | Not exactly how I wanted to exit all those plays but we still escaped with our profits.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:49:34 PM EDT | 09/01/2009
Change TRV Stop to $48.75
By Jim Brown | I would really like to not be stopped out at the close

Option Writers Newsletter
11:49:24 AM EDT | 09/01/2009
Out With the Old, In With the New
By Jim Brown | The morning drop caused some changes to the portfolio and gave us some new entries.

Option Writers Newsletter
08:55:24 PM EDT | 08/31/2009
That Was Not Fun
By Jim Brown | The two times we have been stopped out of a number of positions over the last two months were both times the market imploded on a -5% loss on China's exchange.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:52:46 PM EDT | 08/30/2009
Waiting On The Band
By Jim Brown | Our dance card is full and we are waiting patiently for the music to start. We have a great portfolio as long as the next move is higher. Will the next song the band plays be the "Charge of the Light Brigade" or "Taps"?

Option Writers Newsletter
00:23:35 AM EDT | 08/28/2009
Time to Tighten Up
By Jim Brown | It appears the rally is losing steam and it maybe time to tighten up our stops.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:42:31 PM EDT | 08/23/2009
Nice Setup For September
By Jim Brown | We got rid of the stragglers and have a nice portfolio of great plays for the September cycle. Now all we need is for the market to go sideways or higher for the next four weeks.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:24:55 PM EDT | 08/20/2009
Clean Escape
By Jim Brown | We exited the BEXP play cleanly and without a loss.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:50:08 PM EDT | 08/20/2009
Close BEXP
By Jim Brown | It appears the momentum in BEXP has faded and I would rather exit here for a breakeven than wait and hope it returns.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:32:26 PM EDT | 08/19/2009
Opening Dip A Killer
By Jim Brown | The market dip at the open this morning caused two plays to gap down to the stop loss before the bell even quit ringing.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:43:05 PM EDT | 08/18/2009
Is It Real Or Memorex?
By Jim Brown | We got a rally on Tuesday and those that entered our plays at the open got some good fills. Most were at the high of the day.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:35:56 AM EDT | 08/18/2009
Do Over
By Jim Brown | I am actually very happy we got the implosion in the market today. That gave us some much stronger premiums and only a couple of changes.

Option Writers Newsletter
04:15:20 AM EDT | 08/17/2009
Do Not Enter New Plays
By Jim Brown | With the overnight futures in serious decline, -170 on the Dow and -19 on the S&P I do NOT want to enter any of the positions recommended in the weekend newsletter

Option Writers Newsletter
08:58:12 PM EDT | 08/15/2009
Loading The Boat
By Jim Brown | For the first round of additions for the September expiration cycle I am adding some extra plays.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:14:01 PM EDT | 08/11/2009
Exit LDK
By Jim Brown | Impending earnings and a negative outlook from iSupply suggests we cut and run.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:38:08 PM EDT | 08/10/2009
Going To Need More Plays
By Jim Brown | The market gapped down at the open and triggered an exit on Juniper.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:50:44 PM EDT | 08/08/2009
Thank You Cisco
By Jim Brown | Cisco spoiled the Nasdaq party and one of our plays.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:18:16 AM EDT | 08/04/2009
Never a Dull Moment
By Jim Brown | Two gaps on plays, one up, one down

Option Writers Newsletter
03:11:24 AM EDT | 08/03/2009
Stick With The Winners
By Jim Brown | When something is working there is no reason to change the plan.

Option Writers Newsletter
06:09:23 PM EDT | 07/28/2009
Watch List Plays Triggered
By Jim Brown | Two of the watch list plays were triggered today when the underlying dipped to the trigger price.

Option Writers Newsletter
00:25:10 AM EDT | 07/26/2009
Candidates Disappearing
By Jim Brown | The current positions in the portfolio are doing great thanks to the market rally. However, with four weeks left in the August expiration cycle the search for new candidates is becoming progressively harder.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:22:15 AM EDT | 07/19/2009
That Was Depressing
By Jim Brown | Hindsight is always 20:20. If we had known last weekend that the markets were going to explode for a 7% gain there would have been a lot more plays on the play list.

Option Writers Newsletter
07:21:03 PM EDT | 07/11/2009
New Opportunities in Oil
By Jim Brown | The market appears to be setting up for a continued decline if the earnings next week are worse than expected. This is not an environment to be writing a bunch of naked puts but there are still opportunities if you look hard enough

Option Writers Newsletter
06:48:02 PM EDT | 07/05/2009
A New Direction
By Jim Brown | The new Option Writer will have a dual focus. High return speculation and conservative cash flow.

Option Writers Newsletter
01:50:46 PM EDT | 06/23/2009
New Recommendation for July
By Robert Ogilvie | This agriculture stocks rallied with the rest of the commodity stocks as a result of money pouring back into the market.

Option Writers Newsletter
12:30:00 PM EDT | 06/10/2009
New Position Recommendation
By Robert Ogilvie | New Recommendation for June

Option Writers Newsletter
12:30:00 PM EDT | 06/02/2009
New Position Recommendation
By Robert Ogilvie | New Recommendation for June

Option Writers Newsletter
03:30:00 PM EDT | 06/01/2009
New Position Recommendation
By Robert Ogilvie | New Recommendation for June

Option Writers Newsletter
03:30:00 PM EDT | 05/19/2009
New Position Recommendation
By Robert Ogilvie | New Recommendation for June

Option Writers Newsletter
03:30:00 PM EDT | 05/14/2009
New Position Update
By Robert Ogilvie | New Recommendation for June

Option Writers Newsletter
03:30:00 PM EDT | 05/05/2009
May Position Adjustment
By Robert Ogilvie | May Position Adjustment

Option Writers Newsletter
03:39:57 PM EDT | 04/30/2009
May Position Adjustment
By Robert Ogilvie | Taking profits

Option Writers Newsletter
09:37:37 AM EDT | 04/30/2009
Option Writer's Current Portfolio
By Robert Ogilvie | Here is the May portfolio so far

Option Writers Newsletter
02:18:06 PM EDT | 04/28/2009
May Positions Alert
By Robert Ogilvie | Making a bet on gaming stocks

Option Writers Newsletter
10:09:40 AM EDT | 04/27/2009
May Positions Alert
By Robert Ogilvie | Scaling into the market takes patience

Option Writers Newsletter
11:37:10 AM EDT | 04/22/2009
May Positions Alert
By Robert Ogilvie | Dripping into an overbought environment

Option Writers Newsletter
02:00:14 PM EDT | 04/16/2009
May Positions Alert
By Robert Ogilvie | Finishing the hedge on our existing May position

Option Writers Newsletter
12:19:18 PM EDT | 04/16/2009
April Position Summary
By Robert Ogilvie | This is the list of the positions for April.

Option Writers Newsletter
11:38:24 AM EDT | 04/14/2009
May Positions Alert
By Robert Ogilvie | This is our first May option cycle alert

Option Writers Newsletter
10:59:24 AM EDT | 04/06/2009
April Position-Gold SPDR Update
By Robert Ogilvie | Selling the puts into weakness

Option Writers Newsletter
03:49:03 PM EDT | 04/02/2009
April Position
By Robert Ogilvie | EPS Implied Volatility Trade from Market Wrap

Option Writers Newsletter
11:28:35 AM EDT | 04/01/2009
April Position Update - US Oil Fund
By Robert Ogilvie | Position alert

Option Writers Newsletter
03:02:25 PM EDT | 03/30/2009
April Position Update - US Oil Fund
By Robert Ogilvie | Selling puts when it hit our target

Option Writers Newsletter
11:07:06 AM EDT | 03/27/2009
Portfolio Update
By Robert Ogilvie | Here is a summary of the positions so far

Option Writers Newsletter
12:14:25 PM EDT | 03/26/2009
April Position Update - Mosaic
By Robert Ogilvie | Hedging an existing position

Option Writers Newsletter
11:17:29 AM EDT | 03/26/2009
April Position: Verizon-VZ
By Robert Ogilvie | We are slowly adding positions into this rally

Option Writers Newsletter
08:30:59 PM EDT | 03/24/2009
April Position Summary
By Robert Ogilvie | We are just getting started with the positions for April

Option Writers Newsletter
11:22:04 AM EDT | 03/24/2009
New Portfolio Position
By Robert Ogilvie | Short Oil Trade Using Options

Option Writers Newsletter
10:09:40 AM EDT | 03/23/2009
April Position
By Robert Ogilvie | Adding high volatility plays into the mix

Option Writers Newsletter
12:40:20 PM EDT | 03/20/2009
April Position
By Robert Ogilvie | Selling calls on GLD is a short on Gold

Option Writers Newsletter
05:12:43 PM EDT | 03/16/2009
April Option Writer Watchlist
By Robert Ogilvie | Here is a quick list of the stocks we are looking at writing option against.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:32:40 PM EDT | 03/16/2009
Risk Management Overview
By Robert Ogilvie | Most of you have probably read that it is common practice to know where your exits are prior to entering your position.

Option Writers Newsletter
04:55:29 PM EDT | 03/13/2009
March Position Summary
By Robert Ogilvie | Here is a summary of where we are month to date. It is less than usual because we only did a few positions.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:15:20 PM EDT | 03/11/2009
March Position
By Robert Ogilvie | Hedging existing puts positions with calls

Option Writers Newsletter
03:56:07 PM EST | 03/03/2009
March Positions
By Robert Ogilvie | Adding positions to the portfolio

Option Writers Newsletter
02:44:32 PM EST | 03/02/2009
March Position Summary
By Robert Ogilvie | This is a recap of the current positions in the Option Writer portfolio.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:59:45 AM EST | 02/27/2009
March Position
By Robert Ogilvie | Trading the NASDAQ's relative strength

Option Writers Newsletter
09:38:35 AM EST | 02/25/2009
March Position
By Robert Ogilvie | Closing the WYNN EPS Implied Volatility Trade

Option Writers Newsletter
03:44:55 PM EST | 02/24/2009
March Position
By Robert Ogilvie | This is an EPS Implied Volatility Trade

Option Writers Newsletter
02:11:15 PM EST | 02/24/2009
March Position
By Robert Ogilvie | The the market makes its first rally off the recent lows, our CMG position is extending from the 50 day moving average.

Option Writers Newsletter
12:40:16 PM EST | 02/23/2009
March Position
By Robert Ogilvie | Slowly entering into the market takes patience.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:56:44 AM EST | 02/19/2009
March Position
By Robert Ogilvie | We have to be very cautious and patient with the positions and Put strike prices we sell.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:35:52 PM EST | 02/13/2009
March Position
By Robert Ogilvie | We are beginning to allocate positions for the March expiration cycle.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:38:49 AM EST | 02/11/2009
Risk Management
By Robert Ogilvie | Risk management is an important part of trading; especially when you are trading leveraged investment vehicles.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:44:55 PM EST | 02/09/2009
Actionable Alert
By Robert Ogilvie | Along with the positions is a suggestion to reduce some of the positions.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:36:25 PM EST | 02/03/2009
February Option Position
By Robert Ogilvie | Allocation to the small caps helps provide exposure to the army while the big caps are the officers.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:28:14 PM EST | 02/03/2009
February Option Position
By Robert Ogilvie | Adding energy to the portfolio in a different way.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:34:42 PM EST | 02/02/2009
February Option Position
By Robert Ogilvie | Adding a little international exposure

Option Writers Newsletter
09:59:41 AM EST | 01/28/2009
February Option Position
By Robert Ogilvie | Positioning into infrastructure stocks

Option Writers Newsletter
10:31:09 AM EST | 01/25/2009
February Option Position
By Robert Ogilvie | Selling Puts on leveraged ETFs results in leveraging the risk. But higher risks result in higher premiums.

Option Writers Newsletter
10:08:49 AM EST | 01/25/2009
February Option Position
By Robert Ogilvie | Selling puts is a bullish trade concept and usually best done when the markets are either consolidating or uptrending.

Option Writers Newsletter
03:22:45 PM EST | 01/16/2009
January Expiration Summary
By Robert Ogilvie | Positions in the portfolio mostly held up in this week's bout of selling pressure.

Option Writers Newsletter
02:48:29 PM EST | 01/16/2009
January Expiration Summary
By Robert Ogilvie | Today is the close of option expiration.

Option Writers Newsletter
09:42:01 AM EST | 01/12/2009
February Option Writer watchlist
By Robert Ogilvie | working watchlist of February positions

Option Writers Newsletter
09:29:24 AM EST | 01/12/2009
February Option Position
By Robert Ogilvie | Speculating on the Verizon/Research in Motion Storm success

Option Writers Newsletter
10:40:30 AM EST | 01/07/2009
January Portfolio Summary
By Robert Ogilvie | Portfolio Update

Option Writers Newsletter
03:34:30 PM EST | 01/06/2009
January Positions Hedge
By Robert Ogilvie | We are WYNNing with our Short JAN 35 Put

Option Writers Newsletter
09:55:20 AM EST | 01/06/2009
January EPS Trade
By Robert Ogilvie | Mosaic EPS trade recap

Option Writers Newsletter
09:41:09 AM EST | 01/06/2009
January Positions Hedge
By Robert Ogilvie | Hedging Mac World

Option Writers Newsletter
03:53:01 PM EST | 01/05/2009
January EPS Trade
By Robert Ogilvie |

Option Writers Newsletter
10:18:07 AM EST | 01/05/2009
January Positions Hedge
By Robert Ogilvie | Selling calls against the existing puts creates a short strangle

Option Writers Newsletter
04:25:02 PM EST | 01/02/2009
January Portfolio Summary
By Robert Ogilvie | Positions and Risk Management Summary

Option Writers Newsletter
03:17:19 PM EST | 01/02/2009
January Positions Hedge
By Robert Ogilvie | Selling calls against the puts to hedge

Earlier newsletters: 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008