Pre-earnings Momentum Trade With a Technical Trigger in Facebook Inc
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) : Pre-earnings Momentum Trade With a Technical Trigger
Date Published: 2019-06-25
Disclaimer
The results here are provided for general informational purposes from the CMLviz Trade Machine Stock Option Backtester as a convenience to the readers. The materials are not a substitute for obtaining professional advice from a qualified person, firm or corporation.Preface
There is a bullish momentum pattern in Facebook Inc stock 7 calendar days before earnings. Further, we use moving averages as a safety valve to try to avoid opening a bullish position while a stock is in a technical break down, like the fourth quarter of 2018.Facebook earnings are due out some time in late July, so this trade would trigger, if the technical conditions are satisfied, in mid July. Now would be the time to set the date with technical requirement alert.
Learn It
Here are the last two triggers, both in 2019:
* The backtest initiated on Jan 23, 2019 saw the call options rise 48% in two days.
* The backtest initiated on Apr 17, 2019 saw the call options rise 57% in six-days.
But we're not here to look at two-trades over six-months, we're here to look at a robust result.
We are holding a webinar on June 27th to go over this model and pattern, and several others while posting over 50 actual trade set ups in real time. Please feel free to register for the webinar (it's free):
Webinar: The five most powerful triggers, identifying more than 50 trade candidates in real-time.
LOGIC
The logic behind the option trading test is easy to understand -- in an any market there can be a stock rise ahead of earnings on optimism, or upward momentum, that sets in the one-week before an earnings date. That phenomenon has been well documented by Capital market Laboratories in our seminal webinar on market patterns.The Bullish Option Trade Before Earnings in Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)
We will examine the outcome of getting long a weekly call option in Facebook Inc 7-days before earnings (using calendar days) and selling the call before the earnings announcement if and only if this technical analysis condition is met: the stock price is above the 50-day simple moving average.Here's the set-up in great clarity; again, note that the trade closes before earnings, so this trade does not make a bet on the earnings result.
And here is the technical requirement -- note only one is "turned on," and that is the 50-day moving average requirement.:
Here's a visual representation, where the stock price 7-days before earnings (circled) is above the 50-day moving average (black line), and therefore triggers a back-test.
If the stock price fails the technical requirement, it's fine, we just put a pin in it and check next quarter.
RISK MANAGEMENT
We can add another layer of risk management to the back-test by instituting and 40% stop loss and a 40% limit gain. Here is that setting:
In English, at the close of each trading day we check to see if the long option is either up or down 40% relative to the open price. If it was, the trade was closed.
RESULTS
Here are the results over the last three-years in Facebook Inc:The mechanics of the TradeMachine® stock option backtester are that it uses end of day prices for every back-test entry and exit (every trigger).
Notice that while this is a 3-year back-test and we would expect four times that many earnings triggers (4 earnings per year), the technical requirement using the 50-day moving average has avoided 3 pre-earnings attempts. In other words -- it's working.
Setting Expectations
While this strategy had an overall return of 181.2%, the trade details keep us in bounds with expectations:➡ The average percent return per trade was 22.9%.
Checking the Moving Average
You can check to see if the 50-day MA for FB is above or below the current stock price by using the Pivot Points tab on www.CMLviz.com.Is This Just Because Of a Bull Market?
It's a fair question to ask if these returns are simply a reflection of a bull market rather than a successful strategy. It turns out that this phenomenon of pre-earnings optimism also worked very well during 2007-2008, when the S&P 500 collapsed into the "Great Recession." That research is reserved for Trade Machine members but will be discussed in the webinar on June 27th, 2019:
Webinar: The five most powerful triggers, identifying more than 50 trade candidates in real-time.
Back-testing More Time Periods in Facebook Inc
Now we can look at just the last year as well:
| FB: Long 40 Delta Call | |||
| % Wins: | 100.00% | ||
| Wins: 3 | Losses: 0 | ||
| % Return: | 150.2% | ||
Tap Here to See the Back-test
We're now looking at 150.2% returns, on 3 winning trades and 0 losing trades.
➡ The average percent return over the last year per trade was 57.58%.
WHAT HAPPENED
Pattern recognition. Tap here to try it for yourself.Risk Disclosure
Past performance is not an indication of future results.
Trading futures and options involves the risk of loss. Please consider carefully whether futures or options are appropriate to your financial situation. Only risk capital should be used when trading futures or options. Investors could lose more than their initial investment.
Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results. The risk of loss in trading can be substantial, carefully consider the inherent risks of such an investment in light of your financial condition.
Please note that the executions and other statistics in this article are hypothetical, and do not reflect the impact, if any, of certain market factors such as liquidity and slippage.
You should read the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options.