Good morning, traders…

You’ve had a great run. Your account is up big. 

And then it happens…

Suddenly, the setups that worked all year stop working. The patterns that felt bulletproof start breaking down. 

The overall market trend changes. 

And if you don’t respond appropriately, you’ll give back everything you made (and then some).

I know because it almost happened to me in September. 

My account had surged 70% in a few weeks*, and I immediately recognized the danger: big spikes often lead to big reversals. 

So I set a mental stop-rule — a line in the sand, trailing 10% below my account’s returns — that tells me when to flatten everything and walk away.

That decision saved me from some reckless decisions. 

Now, the market is shifting again. We’re no longer riding the smooth uptrend we’ve enjoyed all summer. 

Earnings are mixed, the Federal Reserve calendar is packed, private equity credit crunch rumors are swirling, and market internals are flashing yellow warning signs. 

This is when scanner filtering, risk management, and trade selectivity separate those who survive from those who get destroyed. 

You can’t trade this market the same way you traded August and September. The strategies that worked then might hurt you now. 

I’ve tweaked my options scanner to add specificity. I’ve set mental stops to protect what I’ve built. And I’ve identified 5 juicy charts with aggressive Smart Money positioning (despite the choppy conditions).

These adjustments aren’t complicated, but they’re critical. Miss them, and you’ll be the impatient trader handing money to the patient ones…

Do THIS Before A Trend Reversal Takes Your Money.

Tighten Up Your Risk Management

If you’ve been trading successfully in 2025, it’s time to prioritize protecting those gains.

After a big run of wins, I set a mental stop-loss. If my portfolio draws down more than 10% from its peak, I cut everything for a few days.

Regroup, reassess, and identify what’s going wrong. 

Scale back or protect. 

Don’t assume the market owes you more just because you’ve been winning.

Tweak Your Scanner Approach

I’m tweaking how I use my OMEN Scanner as the market shifts…

Filter settings: Premium minimum around $100,000, trade size minimum around $1,000.

Set to ask side or “above ask” so I’m seeing aggressive buying—not passive fills.

During the day: Switch to “options count” and sort by most activity to spot repeated flow.

This helps me identify what Smart Money is doing. I can more easily see repeated waves of call buying, aggressive sweeps, and unusual activity. 

When you see flow coming in early (say by 10:00 a.m.), you can flag it and set your alerts.

Don’t chase blindly. Wait for your trigger. Scanners show you where the action is. Your job is to wait for confirmation before you enter.

5 Call Options The Smart Money Keeps Buying

Despite the choppy market, these 5 stocks are getting insane Smart Money flow…

Energy Fuels, Inc. (NASDAQ: UUUU)

This one showed repeated call sweeps and odd-lots throughout the session. Multiple waves of aggressive call buying. I’m watching the November 19 $30 Calls if it can break above $23.50.

Core & Main, Inc. (NYSE: CNM)

My scanner showed $12 million in premium flow on the December 19 $140 Calls. That’s a huge bet on a stock that doesn’t normally get Smart Money flow. Very intriguing.

Sabre Corp. (NASDAQ: SABR)

Suggestion: Enter the November 21 $2.50 Calls if SABR breaks $2.28. Set the alert and be ready.

iShares Silver Trust (NYSE: SLV)

With dollar devaluation talk and money-printing concerns rising, Silver has been on a tear. It’s now dropped to the 21-day EMA on the daily chart after a historic run. There’s strong support at these levels. I’m looking at November $45 Calls.

SoundHound AI, Inc. (NASDAQ: SOUN)

SOUN shows a clean uptrend, consolidation, and a pullback to the 21 EMA. What more can I ask for? It’s a textbook technical setup. I like November $20 Calls if it holds support here.

Every one of these setups presents calculated risks with defined entries and alert levels. 

Those are the only kinds of setups I want right now. 

That’s why I’m going back to the basics and trading the 1 strategy that works in 80% of market conditions.*

I’m talking about the same approach I used to turn $50 into $1,260 in just 2 months…*

And I’m about to reveal exactly how YOU can weaponize this strategy during my Simpler Options 2-Day Virtual Bootcamp.

If you’ve been wanting to understand how options really work, now is the time…

The market won’t wait for you to figure this out on your own.

The market won’t wait for you to figure this out on your own. 

Happy trading,

Ben Sturgill

*Past performance does not indicate future results. Not typical.