The Reset Trader

Woman swing trader.
Process-driven. Self-regulated.
Response over reaction.
NFA.

[The Reset Trader @theresettrader]

The Reset Trader is more than a trading journal.

I didn't learn safety, calm, or discipline growing up. I had to build them.

Trading became one of the places where I practice them:

Process over panic.
Risk before reward.
Response over reaction.

Each morning, I observe the market.
Each afternoon, I observe the trader.

I'm not here to predict what happens next or prove I'm right.

I'm here to define my risk, honor my rules, and become someone I can trust.

[The Reset Trader @theresettrader]

Today was about managing positions, not finding something new.

Trimmed BE after the position moved past 20% and kept the rest for the medium-term thesis.

Closed my INTC short puts after capturing about 68% of the premium.

I looked through several selloffs, including FICO, CDNS and NFLX, but didn’t force another entry just because something was down.

A good way to head into the long weekend.

[The Reset Trader @theresettrader]

9/4/26 Premarket Read:

The August jobs report came in much stronger than expected.

Payrolls: +162K vs. +56K expected
Unemployment: 4.1%
Wage growth: +0.3% MoM

Treasury yields and the dollar jumped after the report, while the probability of a September rate hike increased to 58%.

Futures are mixed, but the strength is concentrated in semiconductors.

NQ +0.07%
ES -0.22%
Russell -0.52%
RSP -0.48%

The headline indexes look fairly calm, but the market underneath is weaker.

Watching whether tech continues to hold up against higher yields after the open.

[The Reset Trader @theresettrader]

LULU dropped 18% after earnings.

My bearish read was right and the put debit spread would have paid well.

But the risk was more than I wanted to take on an earnings coin flip, so I skipped it.

Still the right decision for me. Moving on!

[The Reset Trader @theresettrader]

Thought about doing a put debit spread for LULU earnings today.

LULU is already down big from its highs, and when a name is this hated, the bar is on the floor. It could easily rip on results that are simply less bad than expected.

A debit spread would reduce the impact of IV crush, but I still needed a meaningful move lower for the trade to work.

It felt like a coin flip, so I skipped it.

[The Reset Trader @theresettrader]

Opened three defined-risk positions today.

I stayed patient with RKLB, waited for my setup and opened a call debit spread.

For MRNA and HD, I sold iron condors with the short strikes outside the expected moves. Both had elevated IV, enough credit for the risk and no earnings before expiration.

I also liked that these trades added exposure to different sectors instead of concentrating more risk in the same area.

All three trades met my rules. I have no idea if they’ll win, but following my process is the real win.

[The Reset Trader @theresettrader]

9/3/26 Morning Market Read:

Markets opened green and held the move through the ISM Services report.

SPY +0.37%
QQQ +0.27%
RSP +0.16%
IWM +0.05%
VIX ~15.1
10Y ~4.76%
WTI ~$92.20

Strong demand, weak hiring and rising input costs.

Big tech is mostly green, but semiconductors are getting hit. AVGO is down 6% after earnings.

Payrolls tomorrow.

[The Reset Trader @theresettrader]

Spent most of today researching CRDO after earnings.

It’s a strong business, but the customer concentration and overlap with my AVGO position made it an easy pass.

I also looked at MNST for diversification, but the options weren’t liquid enough.

No trades today, but the research helped me narrow down what belongs in my portfolio and what doesn’t.

[The Reset Trader @theresettrader]

9/2/26 Morning Market Read:

The market is mixed this morning, but there’s a clear rotation underneath the indexes.

SPY +0.27%

QQQ -0.12%

RSP +0.40%

IWM +0.93%

VIX ~15.6

10Y ~4.78%

WTI ~$89.20

Small caps, financials and healthcare are leading while tech remains mixed. NVDA, META and GOOG are higher, but weakness across software and several semiconductors is keeping QQQ lower.

ADP employment came in weaker than expected, while factory orders were stronger.

[The Reset Trader @theresettrader]

Tech took a pretty good hit today.

I spent most of the session looking through setups and screening for names getting stretched.

RKLB is getting closer to a level I’ve been watching, but I’m still waiting for the setup to actually confirm.

Same with a few oversold names I found today.

A red screen can make everything look tempting. I’d rather wait for the right setup than buy something just because it’s down.

[The Reset Trader @theresettrader]

9/1/26 Market Read:

Broad weakness this morning with tech getting hit the hardest.

SPY -0.6%
QQQ -1.3%
IWM -0.8%
RSP -0.45%

VIX ~15.7
10Y ~4.77%
WTI ~$88

ISM manufacturing came in a little softer than expected and JOLTS was basically in line.

Employment and new orders also slowed, but prices are still elevated.

Stocks bounced a little after the data, but tech is still clearly the weak spot.

Energy, healthcare and defensives are holding up better.

[The Reset Trader @theresettrader]

Added to DAL and started a position in BA today.

Both are within an industry I understand well.

[The Reset Trader @theresettrader]

8/31/26 Morning Market Read:

Markets are lower this morning.

SPY -0.44%

QQQ -0.26%

RSP -0.55%

IWM -0.75%

VIX ~15.3

10Y ~4.76%

WTI ~$86

Weakness is broad, but semiconductors are holding up better while energy leads.

Oil and longer-term yields remain elevated as the market weighs renewed inflation concerns and the possibility of another Fed hike.

JOLTS and ISM manufacturing are due tomorrow, followed by ADP Wednesday, ISM services Thursday and the August jobs report Friday.

[The Reset Trader @theresettrader]

Warsh was more hawkish than the market expected today.

The probability of a September rate hike jumped from 35% yesterday to 57.5% today.

Small caps and semiconductors are getting hit the hardest. Gold, silver and Bitcoin are also lower.

VIX is still below 15, so this doesn’t look like panic.

[The Reset Trader @theresettrader]

8/28/26 Premarket Read:

Futures are mostly flat this morning.

SPY +0.14%

QQQ -0.09%

RSP +0.11%

IWM flat

VIX ~14.4

10Y ~4.68%

WTI ~$82.60

Breadth is slightly positive, but tech is mixed with some weakness in semiconductors.

Consumer sentiment came in stronger than expected at 55.2 versus 51.0. One-year inflation expectations eased slightly to 4.2%, while five-year expectations remained at 3.3%.

Both Warsh and Goolsbee speak today.

[The Reset Trader @theresettrader]

Closed my CDNS swing after it moved above my planned profit target.

I also reviewed several options setups today. Some looked good at first, but after checking historical moves, upcoming catalysts and my existing exposure, I passed.

I didn’t open anything new today. Nothing felt worth forcing.

[The Reset Trader @theresettrader]

8/27/26 Morning Market Read:

Tech is leading after strong NVDA earnings.

QQQ +0.92%
SPY +0.35%
RSP -0.29%
IWM -0.15%

NVDA is up more than 7%, but the strength is narrow.

Most sectors and much of the market are lower.
VIX ~14.7
10Y ~4.66%
WTI ~$83

Initial jobless claims came in at 203K, slightly better than expected.

Fed Chair Warsh speaks at Jackson Hole tomorrow.

[The Reset Trader @theresettrader]

RBC is expecting a beat and raise, driven by networking and optical demand. That also shows how high the bar already is.

https://t.co/KnaDJKfTFx

[The Reset Trader @theresettrader]

AVGO reports next week and it’s one of my larger holdings.

I’ll be watching AI revenue and guidance, demand for networking and custom accelerators, whether VMware continues to grow, and if the company keeps producing strong margins and free cash flow.

I also want to see progress on the debt and whether customer concentration is becoming a bigger risk.

Like NVDA, expectations are high, so a beat alone may not be enough. I’m listening for anything that strengthens or weakens the longer-term thesis.

[The Reset Trader @theresettrader]

That INTU recovery was pure luck.

INTU dropped hard after earnings, then recovered enough for my iron condor to close automatically at the 50% profit target.

The recovery was luck. Having the closing order in place before the move was process.

I also looked at NVDA earnings tonight. The volume and IV are huge, but the strikes I’m comfortable with aren’t paying enough.

No reason to force it just because it’s the biggest event of the week.

[The Reset Trader @theresettrader]

8/26/26 Morning Market Read:

The market opened slightly green after this morning’s inflation and GDP data.

SPY +0.12%

QQQ +0.14%

RSP +0.32%

IWM +0.18%

VIX ~15.5

10Y ~4.66%

WTI ~$81, down more than 1%

Core PCE rose 0.2% for the month and 3.3% over the last year, both in line with expectations. Headline PCE came in slightly hotter at 3.7%.

Second-quarter GDP growth was revised down from 2.1% to 1.5%, in line with expectations.

Equal weight and small caps are leading. Semis are mixed, with NVDA red ahead of tonight’s earnings.