Quote from Maverick74:
The hedge funds control this market, not John Q Public. If the hedge funds are worried about downside exposure, they hedge. There is no reason for them to dump positions that could be in the billions because of an event that at the end of the day amounts to just noise. Take the politics out of it, it has no bearing on this situation. It's supply and demand.
Maybe the hedge funds are OUT of control - if they are being forced to cover their short positions.
While most people I talk to agree this is not a fundamental rally (the geopolitical and economical stage is fragile). Being a spec. rally coupled with short-covering will drive this up to noise bleed levels, then the plug is pulled.
Most people I talk to are making money hand over fist. Long, Long, Long, Covered Calls, short puts, etc.
Even our (managed) accounts are making money hand over fist.
The only people that are getting hit are the people that are trying to call the top (which happen to be the same group that try to call the bottom). Or those newbies that have been selling "STUPID" Iron Condors and have never seen a one directional market.
Ask FB how their short NDX 1675-1700 c/s is looking (note sold at 2.80).
It continues to shock me how people come in and learn something so simple "it seems like free money" Iron Condor and it works for months and then WHAM! Did they take an option course once and learned some basic strategy and then "POOF, I'm a trader!".
I talked with MAV yesterday and he said that everyone is getting hurt, I was totally amazed. Majority of the people I am talking to are making money. Maybe (and I am new here) people on this message board are top and bottom pickers and are getting work.
Important lesson - when the Freight Train is coming - GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY!
Yeah - I could be a short-covering market, but it doesn't really matter who is driving the train. Wait tell we get some relief before you start getting short - or get short with soft deltas (not selling call spreads - DUH!)
People selling call spreads up here (calling the top) have NO IDEA what Volatility is, how Vega effects their position, or very simply calls and puts are the SAME THING.
Some one told me they noticed the VIX was VERY low and they think the market is going to sell off. Fine I said (now the important question), so what position are you putting on? They said selling OTM call spreads - ROFL (ahh ha ha ha - I had to put my phone on mute - because I was really laughing).
My only response was "Thanks for Playing, No more bets, New Roller coming out!". Needless to say he didn't get the joke.
Being the nice guy I am - I had to explain it to him. He had no clue!
I had to share that with you - just to show you how people have NO CLUE!