The Oracle trade closed early. Here's exactly what happened next.
Real trades. Real money. Documented live.
→ This week’s scoreboard is live on the Start Here page.
The Oracle position I opened last Tuesday closed on Friday — automatically, at exactly 50% profit.
I didn’t have to make a decision. The GTC order I placed when I opened the trade did it for me.
If you haven’t seen the video I posted about this, it covers why I close at 50% instead of riding to expiry. The short version: after 50% is captured, the remaining upside doesn’t justify carrying 100% of the risk. I left $8,300 on the table on purpose.
But the part I didn’t cover in the video is what happens immediately after the position closes.
$340,000 freed. Redeployed by Monday.
When Oracle closed, $340,000 in collateral came back. That’s not sitting money — that’s the engine of the next trade.
The question in a low-VIX environment is where to put it. VIX at 16 means the broad market is calm, and calm markets pay less premium. You can still deploy, but the checklist gets more selective.
By Monday morning, two names had cleared every filter: Google and NVIDIA.
What I opened
Google ($360P, Jul 17) — $8.90 premium. 6 contracts. $5,340 collected. The $360 strike sits below a business with real infrastructure, real cash flows, and a dominant position in cloud and search. Strong fundamentals are what justify the strike — not bullishness on the stock.
NVIDIA ($205P, Jul 17) — $6.35 premium. 5 contracts. $3,175 collected. Strike sits 6.5% below current price. The AI infrastructure thesis supports the floor. I’m not trying to buy NVIDIA at $205 — I’m collecting premium on a name where the downside has a basis.
Total new premium: $8,515.
The Oracle position paid $8,300. The capital it freed paid $8,515 in the next cycle — in less than a week.
TastyTrade’s research backs this up. Their data shows that closing short options at 50% profit and redeploying the capital outperforms holding to expiry — not occasionally, but consistently. More occurrences per year, higher win rate, and the freed capital goes back to work instead of sitting in a position that’s already given up most of what it’s going to give.
That’s the compounding effect people don’t talk about. It’s not dramatic. It’s mechanical. Close one trade, open the next, keep the engine running.
The full portfolio is live on the Start Here page — positions, strikes, premiums, and where everything stands.
— Keith
The Income Wheel | theincomewheel.com
Real trades. Real money. Documented live.
Nothing here is financial advice. I’m documenting how I personally trade — not telling you what to do with your money.