Week 29: Earnings Season Lifts Off & Tech Stumbles
A quieter macro backdrop gave way to late-week selling in technology — but strong earnings from banks and a resilient vol structure kept three portfolios close to the index while one stood apart. →
Week 28 (6–10 July) was anything but quiet. Renewed tensions between the United States and Iran dominated the headlines and injected sharp intraweek swings across equities, bonds, oil and gold. Despite the turbulence, US equity markets managed to close the week in positive territory: the S&P 500 gained around 0.7% on the week and now sits +10.4% year-to-date. For options traders, the week offered a compelling combination of geopolitical risk spikes and ultimately orderly market behaviour — an environment that tests discipline and rewards structured positioning.
A quieter macro backdrop gave way to late-week selling in technology — but strong earnings from banks and a resilient vol structure kept three portfolios close to the index while one stood apart. →
A week of falling volatility and flattening term structures rewarded systematic positioning — but tactical gamma trades faced headwinds. →
A week of falling volatility and flattening term structures rewarded systematic positioning — but tactical gamma trades faced headwinds. →
A stronger-than-expected US jobs report ended nine consecutive weeks of S&P 500 gains — and tested every strategy in our model portfolio. →
A shortened week, record highs, and a VIX that finally blinked. Here's what happened and how our model portfolios responded. →