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Expiration Week Countdown for January 11, 2026

NOTE: This material should be read and understood before you decide to trade these recommendations, and before you determine the extent of your capital commitment.

Expiration Week Countdown will recommend options on 6 stocks that have the potential to make significant moves during front-month options expiration week, based on our Expectational Analysis® approach. This method incorporates a combination of sentiment, fundamental and technical drivers to identify situations that offer strong profit potential. Moreover, by utilizing options instead of a stock to leverage the anticipated move, a trader can enhance his/her returns and do this with minimum dollars at risk.

Our Expiration Week Countdown trades will be front-month call or put options targeting gains of 100%, 200%, or 300%. For each trade, we will provide a specific target profit, a brief description of the drivers underlying the recommendation, and an "optimal entry zone" defining a price range for the underlying stock within which we feel optimal results may be obtained.

Target profits for the 6 recommendations in our Expiration Week Countdown will fall into one of three categories: +100% (double the purchase price), +200% (triple the purchase price), or 300% (quadruple the purchase price.) Trades placed in the 100% target profit group can be viewed as "high profit/lower risk," while the 200% target profit group may be classified as "higher profit/higher risk." In this manner, we set ourselves up to achieve bigger gains when our risk of large losses is highest, and this assures us that risk and potential reward are properly aligned.

The "Optimal Entry Zone" provided for each trade describes a range of prices for the underlying stock at which we feel optimal results can be achieved. This zone should be considered a guideline for position entry. All Expiration Week Countdown trades should generally be entered on the first trading day after they are received, with respect to the parameters outlined by this Optimal Entry Zone.

We strongly urge that you do not enter a recommended option play when the underlying is significantly outside the optimal entry zone given to you on Sunday evening. If you want to enter when the underlying is slightly above or below the range, do so with the understanding that your risk-reward in the trade will be compromised a little depending on how far outside the underlying is with respect to the OEZ. If the underlying is significantly outside the zone, do not place the trade. Under these circumstances, either the potential reward we saw in this trade has substantially deteriorated, or you could be entering an option that has a much greater chance of expiring worthless on expiration day relative to the data we were working with on Sunday evening. Be patient, and only enter the trade if the underlying moves back within or closer to the OEZ by the close of trading.

If uncertain about entering in the morning with respect to OEZ, we will send a follow-up by 12:15 p.m. ET if we do not intend on counting the trade on our track record as of noon. In such instances, we will send another follow-up after the close of trading. In the after-the-market close follow-up, we will notify you whether we are including or excluding the trade on our track record, based on the afternoon action.

Closeout instructions will not be provided for trades in our Expiration Week Countdown service. We recommend that positions be closed at the first opportunity their stated target profit levels can be attained. All remaining open positions should be closed using market orders on the afternoon of their expiration date, as set forth below.

Please note: There is no implicit statement or assessment underlying those recommendations carrying 300% target profits to the effect that we find these situations to be more attractive or more compelling than those underlying the recommendations carrying 200% target profits, or that there is a greater degree of confidence on our part that those trades with profits targeted at 300% have enhanced chances for success. In fact, it is axiomatic that 300% targeted trades are inherently riskier than their 200% targeted counterparts, as it is almost always the case in options trading that higher potential profit is associated with greater levels of risk of loss (in particular a more elevated probability for so-called total losses). We highly recommend that you trade all six of our recommendations -- but if you choose to trade a lesser number, we'd strongly advise against any selection approach that inherently favors those recommendations carrying 300% target profits.

Apple (AAPL) stock has pulled back to both its 100-day and 20-week moving average. The security is also trading at its 2024 highs and its September breakout pivot level, making now an ideal time to buy calls.

Wild Card Factor: There is put support at the 257.50 level, while the 270 call could become a magnet into January standard expiration.

Options look like an affordable route, per the security’s Schaeffer’s Volatility Index (SVI) of 24%, which sits in the 10th percentile of annual readings. What’s more, AAPL’s Schaeffer’s Volatility Scorecard (SVS) ranks at 78 out of 100, indicating it has tended to outperform volatility expectations over the past year.

A resistance level has formed for Chubb (CB) stock over the past month near $315, where it faced rejection in early January, immediately after a candle attempted a breakout. At a minimum, the equity’s close beneath the 20-day moving average could result in a countertrend move lower that tests its breakout level.

Wild Card Factor: There is large, peak call open interest (OI) sitting above the 310-strike, which according to our data was sold. This could result in options-related resistance going forward.

The stock’s SKEW rank was near an extreme, suggesting out-of-the money (OOTM) calls were more expensive than OOTM puts. This reflects optimism, which could soon unwind and generate headwinds. It’s also worth noting that options are affordably priced, per the security’s SVI of 16%, which sits in the 8th percentile of readings from the past 12 months.

As part of its bullish ascending triangle, Coeur Mining (CDE) stock broke and closed above the round $20 level -- which had been acting as resistance. Shares also regained the $10 billion market cap level and have also been respecting the rising 20-day moving average as trend support following a sharp October correction.

Wild Card Factor: The security will be trading in a negative gamma regime next week, suggesting dealers will be trading with price action.

Short interest has increased a whopping 180% since early November and now makes up 8.7% of the stock’s available float, indicating an unwinding of pessimism could generate tailwinds. Now looks like an excellent opportunity to bet on the stock’s next moves, too, as its SVS ranks at 94 out of 100.

Novo Nordisk (NVO) shares are stalling near a major pivot point that marked April lows, as well as Septembers and October highs. What’s more, the security just faced rejection at peak call OI at the 60-strike, is failing the 2025 anchored volume weighted average price (VWAP), and is losing steam at the 200-day moving average.

Wild Card Factor: There is maximum pain at $54, while peak put OI at the 50-strike could act as a magnet in a reversal.

An unwinding of optimism in the options pits could pressure shares lower, per their 50-day call/put volume ratio of 4.08 over at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), which sits higher than 90% of readings form the past year. Finally, the stock’s SVS ranks at 87 out of 100, making options a solid route.

Shares of social media platform Reddit (RDDT) just conquered the $238 price level, which coincides with seven times their initial public offering (IPO) price and the neckline of a bullish saucer pattern. With this in mind, we recommend buying calls on Friday’s retest of RDDT’s breakout level.

Wild Card Factor: The 19.28 million shares sold short make up 14.1% of the equity’s total available float. Should some of these shorts begin to hit the exits, RDDT could move higher.

Options are affordably priced, according to the security’s SVI that sits in the 19th percentile of annual readings. What’s more, the stock’s SVS sits at 74 out of 100, making now an opportune time to go long.

Shares of Roblox (RBLX) recently pulled back to their early 2025 weekly closing highs, with price now trading near their first day IPO close. There is put support at the 70-strike, with the security finding lows any time it nears this region, making now an excellent time to buy calls.

Wild Card Factor: Maximum pain rolls higher after January standard expiration, so there’s the potential for a reflexive move higher at the end of the week.

Short-term options traders have been much more bearish than usual, per RBLX’s Schaeffer’s put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) that sits in the 77th percentile of its annual range. This means unwinding pessimism could boost Roblox stock. What’s more, the equity’s SVS ranks 85 out of 100.

 

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