Week 1 is officially in the books and it taught me a lot.
This was my first time trading with structure, discipline, and defined risk. I entered my first net credit position, stepped into a bear call spread, and walked away with a +8.4% gain on the week.
But it almost went sideways.
The Trade: Bear Call Spread on AMD 1.00%↑
AMD started the week with strong upward momentum. After running from $115 to $140 in just two weeks, it looked a bit overbought for the summer.
I bet it wouldn’t run much higher, at least not without a pause.
So I built a bear call spread when the stock was trading around $137.
I used multiple strike levels, but the core of the trade was:
- Short $145 Calls
- Long $150 Calls
- Net Credit: ~$300
- Max Risk: ~$2,600
This was a big shift from my past.
In my earlier trading days, I only bought calls or puts. I was always net debit. This was the first time I sold premium and let the math work in my favor (at least in theory).
The Reality Check
AMD kept running.
By mid-week, it was hovering near $144–145, and I realized just how much risk I was carrying.
I stood to make $300, but could lose $2,600 if the stock broke through and stayed above my long call.
That was not the trade I thought I had on.
Fortunately, the move stalled near $145, right at my short call.
On Friday, AMD pushed slightly above but pulled back into the $143 range.
I closed the position and locked in a $355 realized gain.
Watch the Trade Breakdown
Lessons from Week 1
Diversify across tickers
One position can go sideways fast. A bit of diversification reduces headline and sector risk.
Do the math first
In a bear call spread, your long call defines your risk. My plan wasn’t to take a $2,600 loss — but I almost ended up with that exposure. Always run the numbers, even if the position looks “safe.”
Looking Ahead
This week taught me that defined-risk trades still require active management — and clarity on the trade’s structure.
Next week, I plan to:
- Size trades more conservatively
- Add a second ticker for diversification
- Share my PDF ruleset with subscribers
Follow the Journey
If you’re working on rebuilding with structure and discipline — not hype — this series is for you.
I’ll post weekly recaps like this, plus monthly summaries, trade logs, and tools I’m using to stay on track.
Subscribe to follow the journey.
This is only Week 1. Let’s see how far we can go.