Options trading · A personal journal
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BMY Earnings Beat, NVIDIA Selloff & Rising Market Volatility | Week 82
As of October 30, 2026, our options-selling-powered dividend stock portfolio stood at $13,395, marking a weekly decrease of 0.85% compared with the previous week.Year to date, our portfolio is up 33.24%. Despite the modest weekly decline, I'm pleased with how the portfolio has performed so far this year. However, strong returns don't necessarily mean every position is working as intended. This week offered a few good reminders of that.Our biggest focus was Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY), where we recently switched to the wheel strategy. Meanwhile, Bank of America (BAC) and Netflix (NFLX) remain our more challenging options positions. And then there's NVIDIA (NVDA), where the latest technology…
From Scotland to Wall Street: Buying IHG Stock and Collecting Options Premiums | Week 81
Greetings from Scotland! Over the past week, we've been making the most of the school break by travelling to this beautiful part of the world. We've explored Edinburgh and Glasgow, enjoyed a road trip through the spectacular Scottish Highlands, and even made it all the way to the legendary Loch Ness in our rental car.One of the highlights of the trip was the 50th anniversary conference of the Association of Translation Companies (ATC), attended by our CEO at Caulingo. Meanwhile, I took a somewhat different approach to exploring the local economy, spending time shopping at Primark and Deichmann, while occasionally exchanging handshakes with fellow European founders over breakfast.And,…
BMY Shares Called Away, Back to Selling Puts & Buying NIO | Week 80
As of October 16, 2026, our options-selling-powered dividend stock portfolio stood at $13,456, marking a weekly decline of 1.37% compared with the previous week.This actually came as a bit of a surprise to me, as the underlying stock prices in the portfolio seemed to be moving in the opposite direction. My best guess is that some option prices hadn't fully settled or updated when I checked the numbers early on Saturday morning. I'll need to double-check that.That said, it was another week of ups and downs. The previous week, I switched to selling covered calls on Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY). This week, I decided to let those shares get called away and return to selling puts, effectively…
Why I Paused NVDA Credit Spreads and Started BMY Covered Calls | Week 79
As of October 9, 2026, our options-selling-powered dividend stock portfolio stood at $13,643, showing a decent weekly increase of +0.72% compared with the previous week.Week 79 brought a significant change to our options-selling strategy. After approximately 18 months of actively managing Nvidia (NVDA) covered calls and weekly credit spreads, we decided to take a break from selling new weekly NVDA credit spreads and redirect some of that activity toward Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY).The portfolio generated $101.90 in options premium this week, while our year-to-date performance improved to +35.95%.However, the higher premium income came with a substantial increase in margin borrowing, which…
Tbilisi Marathon 2026: Running the 10K Through the Streets of Tbilisi
Another September, another Tbilisi Marathon — and, as usual, another video from the streets of Tbilisi. The city was still waking up when we headed out early on Sunday morning. There was that short window when the light is good, the streets are quieter than usual and thousands of people in running shoes somehow make perfect sense.We ran with friends and colleagues from Caucasus Translations. I was the only person in our little group with a sub-one-hour target; everyone else was there to take part, keep moving and enjoy a very different Sunday morning in the city. The video is probably the best record of it: the early journey, the bibs, the gathering at the start, runners on the road and the…
Managing a Losing BAC Put, NVDA Credit Spread and $51.92 in Premium | Week 78
As of October 2, 2026, my latest portfolio snapshot stood at $13,546, representing another decrease of -1.36% compared with the previous week.This week, the portfolio came under pressure as both BAC and NFLX declined. In addition, the U.S. dollar strengthened against the euro, which reduced my EUR-reported portfolio value by a few additional dollars due to exchange-rate movements.The portfolio is now up 33.46% year to date. For comparison, the S&P 500 is up roughly 12.3% in 2026, while NVDA is up around 24.12%.This week was quite interesting. I started with a small accidental day trade after mistakenly buying 100 shares of McDonald’s for the portfolio. Fortunately, I closed the position…
She Meant to Buy 0.1 McDonald’s Share. She Bought 100.
What an accidental $23,572.50 MCD position taught me about position sizing, covered calls and knowing when to simply reverse a trade.Every time my daughter and I visit McDonald’s, we have a small family rule: we buy 0.1 share of McDonald’s stock.The idea is uncomplicated. We are customers, but we can also own a very small piece of the business. Over time, those fractional purchases have built a position of roughly 4.5 MCD shares.After the Tbilisi Marathon, I took her to McDonald’s. Later that evening she remembered the rule.“Dad, we forgot to buy McDonald’s stock.”The market was already closed. The next trading day, I told her we could make the usual purchase. My 8-year-old daughter entered…
Hiking to Chalaadi Glacier From Mestia, Georgia
We arrived in Mestia in September 2026 and checked in at Hotel Posta. Vazha was travelling with us, which made a bigger difference than it might sound. With our own driver, we were not limited to walking around Mestia or ticking off only the obvious stops. We could look at the day, look at the road, and decide to go somewhere else.That is how we ended up heading towards Chalaadi Glacier.I had done quite a few hikes and road trips around Georgia over the years, but this became one of the more interesting hikes for me. Not because it was the longest or hardest, but because the route changes character quite quickly: road access out of Mestia, a river valley, forest, rougher moraine, and then…
Week 77 / $233 Premium, BAC Roll and NVDA Adjustment
As of September 25, 2026, our latest portfolio snapshot stood at $13,733, representing a small 0.2% increase compared with the previous week.The $14,000 milestone remains within reach, but we have now been struggling to break through that level for several weeks.The portfolio is now up 34.41% year to date. For comparison, the S&P 500 is up roughly 13% in 2026, while NVDA is up around 20%.Beating both feels satisfying, but it also needs to be viewed in context. We have generated these returns while selling options during what remains a broadly positive year for U.S. equities. The more meaningful test will be whether the strategy can continue producing acceptable returns when markets…
Finally Reaching Samshvilde Fortress on a Day Trip from Tbilisi
Samshvilde is one of those places that looks close enough to Tbilisi for an easy day out, then feels much further away once you leave the city behind. This was our second proper attempt to reach Samshvilde Fortress. The first one, in May 2025, ended in heavy rain, mud and a sensible retreat before we reached the ruins. This time we came back with one unfinished job in mind: finally find the fortress.Driving from Tbilisi through Kiketi and OrbetiWe travelled by car from Tbilisi, but instead of treating the drive as the boring part before the hike, we went through the hills around Kojori, Kiketi and Orbeti. It was the more interesting way to go.The road takes you away from the city…
Week 76 / NVDA Spread, BAC Roll and New NU Position
Greetings from Mestia, Georgia, in the heart of Svaneti and not far from Ushguli — one of the highest populated settlements in Europe, sitting at roughly 2,050–2,200 metres above sea level.This weekend we escaped Tbilisi for a road trip to Svaneti with our friend and driver, Vazha. After an overnight stop in Kutaisi and a long drive deeper into the Caucasus, we finally reached Mestia.Svaneti really is one of those places that feels different from almost anywhere else: dramatic mountain scenery, medieval Svan defensive towers, tiny villages and a distinct local culture that has survived for centuries. It is remote, occasionally inconvenient and absolutely worth the journey.If you haven’t…
Week 75 / From Tbilisi to Wall Street: NVDA Options, NFLX Cooling Off and Another Step Toward $14K
Shana Tova to those who celebrate.Writing back from Tbilisi, where this has been a particularly interesting week. Today we said goodbye to the apartment we rented next to the Parliament.I really enjoyed living there, but we are already enjoying our new place even more. Hopefully, this will be our home for years to come — or perhaps the next step will be buying a private house in the suburbs of Tbilisi. We will see.Besides that, as of September 11, 2026, our small but ambitious stock portfolio closed at $13,866, representing a modest 0.77% decrease week over week. The $14K milestone remains within close reach, and we continue to steadily work toward that target.Market Overview: A Week…
Week 74 / Stock Portfolio Up 34.41% YTD as NFLX Position Grows
Greetings from Kakheti! This weekend, we’ve come to Tsinandali together with some of our CauLingo team members for the annual Tsinandali Festival. September is probably one of the best times to visit this part of Georgia — grape harvesting season, beautiful landscapes, music, wine, and that special Kakheti atmosphere. Simply awesome.Now back to the portfolio. As of September 4, 2026, our stock portfolio closed at $13,973, marking a 1.95% increase week over week. Ahh, $14K is so close — we can practically feel it!This week in the portfolio was a bit of a thriller, with most of the action once again concentrated around NVDA and NFLX.NVDA remained volatile following its latest earnings report…
Ireland trip. Wild Atlantic Road, Galway & Dublin
Ireland movie is out! Or at the start of summer, back in June, we traveled to Ireland for the GALA Conference, bringing together people from across the translation industry.
Straight from the airport, we picked up a rental car, quickly adjusted to driving on the other side of the road, and headed west to Galway.
From there came a spectacular visit to the Cliffs of Moher and the wild Atlantic coast - dramatic cliffs, endless ocean, strong winds, and some truly unforgettable scenery, partly powered by Jameson, Guinness and chowder on Fisher Street.
Back in Dublin, between conference sessions, we also squeezed in a birthday celebration, caught up with an old friend, ate plenty of chowder, kept…
Week 73 / NVDA Earnings Relieve Pressure as Portfolio Climbs to $13,735
Greetings from Tbilisi, Georgia. Our Summer vacation is officially over, the new school year has already begun, and we returned home-away-home mid-week. It’s good to be back! That said, welcome to the 73rd edition of our Weekly Stock Portfolio Update. Let’s dive in!As of August 28, 2026, our stock portfolio closed at $13,735, marking a 1.95% increase week over week.This week’s biggest event was undoubtedly NVIDIA’s earnings report. NVDA delivered another strong quarter, reporting $96.2 billion in revenue, up 106% year over year, while Data Center revenue surged 117% to $89.0 billion. The company also guided for approximately $108 billion in revenue next quarter, reinforcing the strength of…
Week 72 / $124 Premium, NVDA Earnings and NFLX Roll
Greetings from our summer residence in Latvia! Wow, time flies - the last week has passed in a flash while I’ve been busy building a pergola, milling the ground, digging, planting, and generally trying to get as much done as possible.Meanwhile, the school year has already started in Tbilisi, so we’ll be arriving a few days late. We probably won’t return to our cottage until the end of March, so before leaving I installed a solar-powered surveillance camera.Now, hopefully, we’ll be able to watch from afar as the garden changes colors, the seasons come and go, and the deer feast on our cherry trees. Hopefully, that’s the most exciting thing the camera will capture!Now back to the portfolio -…
Week 71 / Selling NVDA Credit Spreads Ahead of Earnings
Greetings from Capšu Zeme, aka our summer residence in Western Latvia. After spending about eight days in Riga, we finally made it back to our place. We’ve been working in the garden, harvesting cucumbers and blueberries, and even digging up some potatoes. Lovely.As of August 14, 2026, our stock portfolio closed at $13,606, which is another increase by 0.99% week over week. This comes as a bit of a surprise, as I was expecting some pullback in NVDA stock. Instead, it kept rallying. With the earnings report just around the corner (August 26), I expect volatility to remain elevated for at least another week.This week, I was considering moving away from selling credit spreads on NVDA and…
Week 70 / Portfolio Cracks 13K While NVDA Tests My Options Strategy
Greetings from Riga! What was meant to be a family holiday in Ireland somehow turned into… a family holiday in Riga. Nevertheless, against the odds and while sipping the local beer we keep pushing our stock portfolio to new highs. Which, to be fair, makes me a bit worried. New highs feel great, but history has a habit of reminding us that big rallies can eventually be followed by some pretty painful downturns. Anyhow, as of August 7, 2026, the stock portfolio closed at $13,473, which is a strong up by 4.93% week over week. The biggest push has come from NVDA, which has rallied from the low $190s to around $223 in just a few days, ahead of its earnings later in…
Week 69 / Options Portfolio Collects $102 as NVDA Remains the Main Risk
As of July 31, 2026, the stock portfolio closed at $12,840, down a modest 0.44% week over week. Not every week can be a victory lap, and this one was more about defending positions than celebrating gains.Despite the slight weekly decline, the longer-term picture remains encouraging. The portfolio is now up 24.46% year to date, comfortably ahead of both the S&P 500 (+8.89%) and NVDA (+4.72%).The main source of excitement—and stress—was once again NVDA. The stock quickly fell below $200, putting pressure on our credit spread and forcing me to act. Rather than waiting and hoping for the best, I rolled the position forward and down to lower strikes.At one point, it looked increasingly…
Week 68 / NFLX Rebounds, NVDA Spread Opened, $67.91 Collected
As of July 24, 2026, our stock portfolio closed at $12,897, gaining +1.63% week over week. The portfolio’s growth was significantly supported by the recovery in Netflix (NFLX), which finally closed above $70 after trading below that level for some time.In recent weeks, portfolio performance had been weighed down primarily by the underperforming NFLX put position, which we previously rolled to a December 2027 expiration.This week, I also opened a bear call spread on NFLX with the aim of collecting additional options premium while maintaining a cautious short-term outlook. You can read more about the trade here: Using Bear Call Spreads to Offset Losses on a Troubled NFLX Put PositionOn a…