For the past two months I have been tracking institutional options flow and
actually trading the setups it generates. Not paper trading. Real entries
with real size.
April is now fully closed out so I can share the complete picture.
The idea behind flow-following is simple: when institutions buy large
blocks of calls on a specific strike before a stock moves, that activity
shows up in the tape. Volume exceeds open interest on the contract, premium
is ask-side (buyers initiating), and the same ticker gets flagged multiple
times in a session. I track when those conditions line up and take the trade
if the chart confirms.
Here are the documented trades with full entry and exit:
MRVL $170 Call, expiry May 15
Entry: $1.70 on April 17
Exit: $3.73
Result: +$203 (+119%)
The scanner flagged 5 separate institutional alerts on this contract in one
session. Stock was at $139.32 at the time — the $170 strike was $30
out of the money. That is the kind of conviction that stands out.
MRVL $165 Call, expiry May 8
Entry: $3.50 on April 20
Exit: $3.23
Result: -$27 (-7.71%)
This one did not work. The strike was too close to where the stock was
already trading. In hindsight the better setup was the deeper OTM call
from three days earlier. I logged it and moved on.
CCJ $140 Call, expiry June 18
Entry: $4.75 on April 20
Exit: $5.25
Result: +$50 (+10%)
Steady call accumulation in CCJ over several sessions before the price
reacted. The longer expiry gave it room. Smaller return but cleaner setup.
For the full month I tracked positions in MU, AMD, NVDA, INTC, and GOOGL
following the same methodology. Total realized P&L for April across all
positions: +$2,868.94.
The one thing that surprised me most: the RSI of the stock at the time of
the flow alert predicted outcomes more than premium size did.
Signals where RSI was 55-65 at alert time: 86% win rate over 3 days.
Signals where RSI was above 75 at alert time: 53% win rate.
Flow coming into a stock that has already run hard does not have the same
edge as flow coming into a stock that is firm but not extended. I now filter
out anything above RSI 68 before I even look at the contract details.
Curious whether anyone else tracks RSI at the time of the alert rather than
just using it as a general market filter. Does your experience with flow
signals match this?
I followed unusual option flow signals for all of April. Here are the actual trades, wins and losses
byu/ShelterBubbly7854 inoptions
Posted by ShelterBubbly7854