Good morning, traders…
I recently attended a speaking event that completely changed my view of trading, teaching, and leadership.
At a huge arena in Newark, NJ, I met some legendary figures you might have heard of: Damon John from Shark Tank and John C. Maxwell.
Damon was friendly, charismatic, and insightful. No surprise there.
But John Maxwell had me in awe. He’s an absolute master teacher and communicator. I had breakfast with him and walked away thinking, “That’s who I want to be when I grow up.”
John has written over 100 books on leadership, including The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.
He started as a pastor, and it shows. He speaks with reverence, definition, and purpose.
John doesn’t just teach leadership. He embodies it.
It reminded me of something I learned in seminary: everyone needs a Paul, a Barnabas, and a Timothy.
These three biblical figures form a simple model for education and growth.
Paul represents the mentor: a strong voice who challenges you to think and grow.
Barnabas walks with you: a peer who encourages and sharpens you along the way.
Timothy is a person you mentor: the protege you help once you become the master.
Right now, I’m your Paul, your mentor. But one day you might be teaching your own Timothy.
No matter where you are in life or trading, those three voices can help you grow.
All this to say: Find those people. Stick close. Learn. Watch. Model what works.
Start by tuning your eyes to who you’re learning from, and your ears to what the market’s trying to tell you right now.
Let’s Break Down The Fundamental Factors Affecting The Market This Week (And Technical Setups I’m Trading)…
2 New Economic Reports (and What They’re Telling Us)
Yesterday’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) report came in flat: up just 0.1% year-over-year.
This report illustrates that President Trump’s tariffs haven’t caused widespread inflation … yet.
The market liked it. That’s good news.
Today, we’ll get the Producer Price Index (PPI). This tells us what producers pay, which gets passed on to consumers.
But there’s a big difference between these two indicators you need to understand:
PPI is a leading indicator. CPI is lagging.
A leading indicator shows you where the market or economy might be heading. If it costs producers more to make things, that cost usually trickles down to consumers later. So PPI gives you a heads-up.
A lagging indicator tells you where things have already been. By the time consumer prices reflect inflation, the underlying pressures have already been working their way through the system.
If you’re trading off lagging data thinking it’s leading, your timing will be off. Know the difference.
There are three primary factors affecting these reports:
- M2 money supply
- Interest rates
- Tariffs
If the Fed cuts rates or the White House kills the tariffs … the major concerns will be resolved.
But if Washington continues to balloon the national debt, rates stay high, and trade deals aren’t made … these inflation indicators will eventually start flashing red.
Those are the fundamentals. Now to the technicals…
3 Scanner Filters I’m Using (and 6 Setups That Check My Boxes)
I’ve been using three specific filters to find trades on my OMEN Scanner:
- Premium: $100,000+
- Trade size: 1000+ options volume
- Fill: Ask side, above ask, or ask-ish
Here are the top setups that meet these criteria:
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD)
On Monday, while AMD was dropping, Smart Money was loading up on $145 and $150 monthly calls. By noon, over $1.3 million poured in. It chopped sideways, then popped. A classic example of “buying the weakness.”
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ)
July 25 $42 calls are stacking up on my scanners. Why? Probably because earnings on the 21st. The chart is sitting just below $41.75, a key resistance level. If it breaks above, that’s your trigger.
Kraft Heinz Co. (NASDAQ: KHC).
Calls galore on this name. September 20 $25 calls. Multiple repeater bets, during Triple Witching Week, with volume at the ask.
This looks ready to run again. Watch for a break above $27.65 for confirmation.
3 Honorable Mentions
- WEBU: August $13 calls. The volume is there. Watch for a break over $12.95.
- OLN: This little-known name has stacked $1.5 million in calls in two days. I’m targeting the August 15 $22.50 strike. Look for a break above $22.20.
- SLV: August $34 calls have enormous volume, close to the money. If I can snag them under $1.50, I’m in.
Set price alerts. Use those filters. Watch for breaks above those key resistance levels.
Happy trading,
Ben Sturgill
P.S. We have a new trading challenge…
To make a 400% return on a new small account.
$1000 → $5,000 by October 14.
Join me and Danny Phee today, July 16 at 8:00 p.m EST to see how we’re gonna conquer the challenge.
We already 3x’d a small account TWICE using my Earnings Edge system…
Click here to see if we can do it again.
*Past performance does not indicate future results
