SPX Market Outlook, FOMC Setup & This Week’s Trade Ideas"

In this episode of the Stock Market Options Trading Podcast, Eric breaks down the current SPX market setup heading into a big week of economic events, including Wednesday’s FOMC meeting. After last Friday’s selloff, the market rallied hard on Monday—highlighting the continued volatility.

Eric recaps last week’s inflation data (CPI, PPI), stronger-than-expected consumer sentiment, and why these may give the Fed room to ease up. He also walks through this week’s AlphaCrunching forecast, revealing a potential shift toward late-week weakness and how that’s impacting his current trades.

Plus, you'll hear the latest backtested trade ideas, including put credit spreads and hedge setups—all driven by AlphaCrunching’s proprietary Triumph Rate metrics and trend data.

📈 Join Alpha Crunching for weekly SPX forecasts, trade ideas, and strategy tools: AlphaCrunching.com

🎙️ Chat with Eric and other traders in the free SMOT Community at StockMarketOptionsTrading.net

The S&P 500 is closing in on all-time highs, but is momentum starting to fade? In this episode, Eric O’Rourke breaks down the key SPX levels to watch, including major option walls, falling volatility, and upcoming economic events like CPI and PPI that could shake things up.

You'll also get a look at this week’s Alpha Crunching trade ideas and market forecast, plus how Eric is managing a mix of put and call credit spreads to stay balanced as the uptrend continues.

🔹 Get 50% off Alpha Crunching tools with code SPX50 at AlphaCrunching.com

🔹 Join the free SMOT Community Chat to connect with other traders at StockMarketOptionsTrading.net

New video episodes now available on YouTube! 🎥 Just search for Stock Market Options Trading.

Disclaimer:

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. Options trading involves risk and is not suitable for all investors. Nothing discussed should be considered financial or investment advice. Always do your own research or consult a licensed financial professional.

In this episode, I’m joined by longtime trader and retiree Brian Terry to talk about the realities of trading in retirement. We cover how trading can keep your mind sharp, add structure to your day, and become a fulfilling part-time income stream. Brian also shares practical tips for managing risk, avoiding overtrading, and staying consistent—especially when you’re no longer working a 9–5.

👉 Come join the free community at StockMarketOptionsTrading.net where Brian and I hang out and discuss trades in real time. You’ll also find on-demand courses and our private trading group where we post trade alerts and educational content each week.

Whether you’re retired or just planning ahead, this episode has something for every trader looking to keep learning and stay engaged.

🎯 Want to trade alongside us? Get a 30-day trial to the Alpha Traders Club at StockMarketOptionsTrading.net. Inside, you'll get access to real-time trade alerts, weekly trade breakdowns, and a private chat community focused on SPX options and consistent strategy execution.

In this week’s episode of the Stock Market Options Trading Podcast, Eric recaps last week’s pullback in SPX, driven by fresh EU tariff headlines, and how the forecast data from Alpha Crunching has responded. He highlights the shift in market tone based on the Average Strength Deviation (ASD) metric, which has now gone negative — a potential warning sign for deeper weakness ahead.

👉 You can access the Average Strength Deviation (ASD) indicator and all Alpha Crunching forecast tools at https://AlphaCrunching.com — use code SPX50 for 50% off your first plan.

Eric also walks through a potential SPX call credit spread trade he's considering around the 6000 level, outlining the logic behind the strike selection and risk management with a possible roll into an iron condor.

Plus, he touches on key option levels from SpotGamma, the latest consumer confidence data, and how this week’s economic calendar (including GDP and inflation reports) might play into market moves.

🎥 Watch the video version here: [Insert YouTube link]

Disclaimer:

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not financial advice. Always do your own due diligence before making any trading or investment decisions.

This week on the Stock Market Options Trading Podcast, I'm joined by fellow trader Brian Terry as we break down the market’s reaction to the Moody’s U.S. credit downgrade, recent economic data, and the relentless uptrend in the S&P 500. We dive into current market sentiment, the Fed’s role this week, and a few trade setups we’re watching closely—including a bullish broken wing butterfly on DASH and a 7-day SPX put credit spread from the AlphaCrunching.com trade ideas tab.

We also touch on using tools like SpotGamma levels, Truflation, and how we're managing trades during this volatile yet resilient market environment.

💬 Want to join the conversation and see all the charts we’re talking about?

Head over to https://www.stockmarketoptionstrading.net and become a free member to access the trade feed, comment on episodes, and follow along with our strategies.

📈 Volatility, Indicators, and the SPX Weekly Forecast | Episode 151

In this episode of the Stock Market Options Trading Podcast, I cover how volatile price action can distort technical indicators—and what that means for traders. Using Alpha Crunching’s SPX Weekly Forecast as an example, we look at how past outlier moves (like the recent tariff news spike) are dropping out of the data and shifting indicator readings.

I also walk through:

• Why this week’s forecast still looks bullish despite a lower net gain
• The impact of recent news and options positioning on key SPX levels
• Potential trade ideas using put credit spreads and how I’m managing them
• Updated weekly Triumph Rates (WTR) and what they say about market conditions

🎥 Watch this episode on YouTube to follow along with charts and levels

https://youtu.be/rd5RFVy7WKs

Mentioned Tools:

Alpha Crunching – Weekly forecast & trade ideas

https://www.alphacrunching.com (Use code SPX50 for 50% Discount)

SpotGamma – Daily options positioning updates

https://spotgamma.com

Want to connect? Find me on X:

Eric O'Rourke: https://twitter.com/OptionAssassin

After that, join other listeners at https://StockMarketOptionsTrading.net and join the community for free right now where there are daily posts with clues to the where the market may be headed next.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice.

📈 First Video Podcast, SPX Forecast After 9-Day Rally, Iron Condor Adjustments & Market Forecasts

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/Pk22BcCBfn0

Welcome to episode 150 of the Stock Market Options Trading Podcast! 🎉

This week’s special episode marks our very first video podcast — now available on YouTube and your favorite audio platforms like Apple and Spotify. If you're watching on YouTube, don’t forget there are 149 audio-only episodes full of SPX options strategies, technical analysis, and educational content.

In this episode, Eric breaks down:

🔴 Why he’s wearing a red shirt (hint: SPX is red today)

📉 A recap of last week’s historic 9-day rally and what’s driving current volatility

🧠 A live walkthrough of his adjusted SPX Iron Condor trade and how he managed risk after the rally

🔍 Key SpotGamma levels for SPX (Call Wall, Put Wall, and Volume Triggers)

📊 A look at Alpha Crunching’s updated weekly SPX forecast and how traders can use it to anticipate market momentum

⚙️ How Triumph Rates and strategy filters guide potential trades like call debit spreads

🗓️ A quick rundown of this week’s economic events including the FOMC meeting and PMI data

📉 Why Eric is still trading small size below the 200-day moving average and how he’s combining mechanical trades with Iron Condors for income

Whether you’re trading SPX options full-time or just learning the ropes, this episode is packed with practical market context, chart visuals, and strategy adjustments to help navigate current conditions.

👇 Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode

Alpha Crunching Weekly Forecast Indicator:

https://www.tella.tv/video/weekly-forecast-heikin-ashi-for-profitable-trend-trades-cxun

https://www.alphacrunching.com (Use code SPX50 for 50% discount)

Alpha Crunching Call Debit Spread:

https://www.alphacrunching.com/blog/call-spread-option-strategy

SpotGamma.com for Call and Put Walls

Economic Calendar:

https://www.forexfactory.com/calendar

Want to connect? Find me on X:

Eric O'Rourke: https://twitter.com/OptionAssassin

After that, join other listeners at https://StockMarketOptionsTrading.net and join the community for free right now where there are daily posts with clues to the where the market may be headed next.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice.

Welcome back to the Stock Market Options Trading Podcast! I'm your host, Eric O'Rourke, and in this episode I break down the latest market action, key technical levels, and how I’m trading SPX options during this volatile stretch.

📉 This week, the S&P500 dropped over 2% to start the week as uncertainty around tariffs continues to dominate headlines. I talk through how I’m navigating the range-bound market with iron condors and why I'm keeping trades short and wide.

📊 I also share insights from Alpha Crunching’s Weekly Triumph Rate (WTR), which remains below 50% across the board — a rare occurrence signaling more weakness under the hood.

📈 We take a closer look at:

• Real-time inflation data from Truflation
• How truflation compares to CPI and what it may signal before official reports
• Historical SPY reactions to Fed rate cuts, with a helpful chart from TrendSpider

🗓️ Plus, I touch on key economic events to watch this week including flash PMI, durable goods, and consumer sentiment.

📌 Resources mentioned:

• 🔗 Alpha Crunching Weekly Triumph Rate
• 🔗 Truflation Dashboard
• 🔗 TrendSpider Rate Cut Chart Tweet
• 🔗 Grok on xAI (for research)

Thanks for listening! Be sure to subscribe and check out AlphaCrunching.com for data-backed trade ideas and SPX forecast tools. Get 50% off your first month or year!