This “Casual Friday” Closeout Isn’t Quite What It Seems …

Hey Trader,


Back before everybody worked from home in their pajamas …


There was a thing called casual Fridays, where us office folks were gifted the ability to “dress down” one day per week.


My personal favorite outfit?


One of the many fashionable t-shirts from my vast collection, and a pair of Levi jeans.


Nothing like a good pair of Levis, am I right?


Speaking of …


Was it a coincidence that I closed out this +145% winner on Friday?


Levi Strauss & Co. (Ticker: LEVI) might not be the first name that comes to mind when you think about Big Money trades.


After all, the company moniker is more likely to bring a cowboy to your mind's eye than a hedge fund manager …


Which made it even more interesting when I saw a Smart Money move in LEVI’s pits.



On Friday, July 15 this trader opened up 2,000 August 18/19 call spreads, paying $0.50 for the 18’s calls, and selling the 19’s for $0.20.


All in all, this trade required an outlay of $60,000 … not exactly the biggest Big Money we’ve looked at by any means.


(In fact, when we’re used to seeing Big Money trades with a multi-million dollar price tag … a mere $60k almost looks downright paltry!)


But when looking at LEVI’s pits, a block of 2,000 contracts is surprisingly massive!



I also found it quite interesting because LEVI had been suffering a long downtrend on the charts…


And the denim company had already reported earnings, so volatility expectations were low …


(Which actually worked to our benefit, by keeping options prices cheap!)


So for better or worse, LEVI piqued my interest during my Friday Big Money Flow show


And I ended up deciding to piggyback the trade!


I even decided to hop on the same exact contract … but I didn’t feel the need to turn the trade into a spread to lower my costs.


I’d rather pay a little more to keep my profit potential unlimited!


So I made the trade, and went about my day … into the weekend, back into Monday …


But on Tuesday, I noticed my little LEVI trade was really starting to take off!


The shares were rallying, and my $0.50 option was now worth more than $1.00!


I took half of my position off, and decided to let the final five contracts run just a bit longer …


By Wednesday, my contracts were trading at $1.25 … that’s a 150% premium on what I had paid!


Given how wildly unpredictable this market has been lately … I had to take a bit more profit.


But … I had two more contracts to let ride …


And by the time Friday rolled around, with my final two contracts up 220% … I finally shut ‘er down.


All in all, I clocked a 145% gain!


And look at this …


I wasn’t the only one closing out on Friday …



It seems like Big Money also chose to take their winnings.


So is that it?


Is LEVI’s run higher?


Actually …


That “close out” was actually a “close and roll” … up and out to the September 20/22-strike call spread!


It looks like our little LEVI may still be ready to fly …


Will you be following it this time?


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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