A Mega Move On A Mega Cap

Hey Trader,


The Big Tech earnings deluge continues …


With arguably the two most important names – Apple (Ticker: AAPL) and Amazon (Ticker: AMZN) taking their trip to the earnings confessional tonight.


But there’s plenty of other mega-caps who have already stepped up to the earnings mic …


And Big Money seems to be watching one in particular.


Take a look at this crafty Smart Money play …


Big Money Oogles Google


Perhaps unsurprisingly, GOOGL shares haven’t been immune to the Big Tech headwinds that have been hammering the market for most of 2022.



After a February post-earnings pop to a new all-time high (split adjusted) of $151.55, GOOGL has choppily trended downward, with the shares now seemingly stuck between $101-$119 over the last two months.


Tuesday evening saw the internet titan step up to the earnings mic … and the news was okay, with GOOGL narrowly missing revenue expectations.


In response, the shares popped 7.7% on Wednesday to close at $113.06.


So what next? Will GOOGL finally break out of its months-long sideways trading range?


Big Money says … probably not. 



This trader opened 14,000 August 108/101-strike put spreads, buying the 108-strike puts for $2.07, and selling the 101’s for $0.61. They’re hoping GOOGL sheds 4.5% or more over the next three and a half weeks.


Normally, this spread would carry a price tag of $2,044,000 … 


But this trader decided to take it a step further, and sell 14,000 14,000 August 116-strike calls for $1.76! 


This means the trader actually netted a profit of $420,000 on this trade, which they’ll get to keep provided GOOGL doesn’t soar above $116 … which would only require an additional 2.7% increase between now and August expiration.


Their put-spread also opens them up to even more profit potential.


If GOOGL sheds its post-earnings gains before August expiration, this trader may find themselves walking away with even more money in their pocket …


In fact, should the shares drop to $101 or below, this trader will be able to pocket the maximum profit of $9,800,000, bringing their total earnings to $10,220,000.


Smart Money indeed!


Your Only Option,

Mark Sebastian

Mark Sebastian

Mark Sebastian

Mark Sebastian is a former member of both the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) and the American Stock Exchange (AMEX), where he spent years mastering the art of options trading in the most competitive environment imaginable. As Chief Investment Officer at the hedge fund Karman Line Capital, Mark manages sophisticated options strategies for institutional clients. He is the author of two highly regarded books on options trading: ‘The Option Traders Hedge Fund’ and ‘Trading Options for Edge.’ Mark is a frequent guest on major financial networks including CNBC, Fox Business News, Bloomberg, and First Business News, where he provides expert commentary on market volatility and options strategies.

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About the Author

Mark Sebastian

Mark Sebastian

Former CBOE floor trader and CIO at Karman Line Capital. Author of ‘The Option Traders Hedge Fund’ with over 30 years of options trading experience.

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