Schaeffer's Weekly Options Countdown subscribers scored an impressive gain with our Block Inc (NYSE:XYZ) weekly 9/5 79-strike put recommendation. In fact, investors quadrupled their money in less than a week, so it's time to dig into the drivers behind this winning trade.

At the time of our recommendation on Sunday, Aug. 31, Block (XYZ) had been stuck under $80 for over a month, with three rejections resulting in lows around $73. It seemed like that could roll over, though, as fintech peers stalled out.

What's more, there was peak call open (OI) interest at $80, so as prices moved lower, call hedges could make a move back to the $73-$74 area or below. Plus, a pivot high had just tested and faced rejection at that area, with shares closing below the Jan. 13 pivot low at $80.50, which acted as key resistance.

The stock went on to string five consecutive losses before yesterday's bounce, slipping back below the 20-day moving average after a short stint above it. XYZ was last seen down 0.3% to trade at $75.55, but Schaeffer's subscribers already collected a +300% profit after they closed their positions on Thursday, Sept. 4.

Subscribers to Schaeffer's Weekend Trader options recommendation service received this SHOP commentary on Sunday night, along with a detailed options trade recommendation -- including complete entry and exit parameters. Learn more about why Weekend Trader is one of our most popular options trading services.

Shopify Inc (NASDAQ:SHOP) stock has pulled back from multi-year highs to potential support at the 30-day moving average, which previously acted as resistance in February and March before stepping in as a floor in May. The $139.68 level, which coincides with double the equity’s April lows and is roughly 10% below its post-earnings peak, has also been supportive over the past week. Meanwhile, $137.70 represents an 8,000% return on the security’s initial public offering (IPO) price, which is the post for a 10-for-1 stock split.

 

 
There is still plenty of pessimism surrounding SHOP, leaving ample room for upgrades. In fact, 20 of the 47 analysts in coverage still sport a “hold” or worse rating. Plus, short interest is slowly rolling over from an 18-month high in June, and a decent chunk of overhead calls at the 145- and 155-strikes expired on Friday.
 
Our recommended October call has a leverage ratio of 7.6, and will double on a 13.1% rise in the underlying security.

Subscribers to Schaeffer's Weekend Trader options recommendation service received this RKLB commentary on Sunday night, along with a detailed options trade recommendation -- including complete entry and exit parameters. Learn more about why Weekend Trader is one of our most popular options trading services.

Rocket Lab Corp (NASDAQ:RKLB) stock marked a more than 20% pullback from its July 18, record close of $48.60 to last week's low of $38.26, the latter of which coincides with big put support in the weekly 8/29 expiration series as well as the 50-day moving average. With this technical setup in place, now looks like a good time to buy in on the dip. 

Short interest still accounts for 12% of the security’s available float, even though it has been slowly declining from all-time highs in May. With many shorts underwater, they could view this pullback as a covering opportunity and create additional tailwinds for RKLB.

It’s also worth noting that implied volatility (IV) ranks lower than 86% of readings from the past year. Our recommended call option has a leverage ratio of 4.1, and will double on a 26% rise in the underlying security.

Subscribers to Schaeffer's Weekend Trader options recommendation service received this SPG commentary on Sunday night, along with a detailed options trade recommendation -- including complete entry and exit parameters. Learn more about why Weekend Trader is one of our most popular options trading services.

Shopping mall stock Simon Property Group Inc (NYSE:SPG) cleared a pivot range between $168.50 and $171.50 from its November-December lows and April-May highs. The security also broke above its 200-day moving average, which previously acted as an area of resistance. What’s more, our data shows that over the past three years the stock averaged a 155% gain after 66% of the instances of instances in which it came within striking distance of this trendline.

 

While shares are now breaking above their year-to-date breakeven, most analysts remain neutral toward SPG. In fact, 10 of the 19 in coverage currently sport a “hold” rating. This leaves plenty of room for potential upgrades moving forward.

Options look affordably priced, making this an excellent time to bet on the equity's next move. This is per Simon Property Group stock’s Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 19%, which sits in the low 4th percentile of readings from the past year.

 

Our recommended call has a leverage ratio of 14.68, and will double on a 6.4% rise in the underlying security.

Subscribers to Schaeffer's Weekend Trader options recommendation service received this SN commentary on Sunday night, along with a detailed options trade recommendation -- including complete entry and exit parameters. Learn more about why Weekend Trader is one of our most popular options trading services.

After the appliance company’s most recent earnings report, SharkNinja Inc (NYSE:SN) stock found support at the $114-$115 range, which is the site of its 2024 and February highs. With shares now sporting a roughly 20% year-to-date lead following a pullback to the 20-day moving average, we're recommending a bullish position on SN. 

 

Options traders lean bearish toward the security, indicating a sentiment shift could generate tailwinds. This is per SN’s 50-day put/call volume ratio of 1.94 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), which ranks higher than 91% of readings from the past year.

Options look affordably priced, too, making this an excellent time to bet on the equity's next move. In fact, SharkNinja stock’s Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 41% stands in the 14th percentile of readings from the past year. The equity has also tended to outperform volatility expectations over the past year, as suggested by its Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) of 90 out of 100.

It’s also worth noting that there is potential for a short squeeze back to the 130-strike call, after the equity held the peak call open interest (OI) level. Our recommended call option has a leverage ratio of 7.64 and will double on a 13.8 % rise in the underlying security.

Schaeffer's Expiration Week Countdown subscribers saw a massive return on their investment in less than a week, thanks to our SoundHound AI Inc (NASDAQ:SOUN) August 13.50-strike call recommendation. Now is a good time to unpack how this trade unfolded.

At the time of our recommendation on Aug. 10, the AI stock had just conquered its July highs and the $5 billion market cap level, closing at its highest level since February. Plus, investors were buzzing over Vision AI -- an advanced visual understanding engine, which is natively integrated with the company's its voice-first platform.

From a contrarian perspective, short interest was near all-time highs, despite the stock breaking out of a longer-term basing pattern. In fact, a whopping 33.3% of SOUN’s total available float was sold short.

We also recommended watching out for a post-earnings volatility crush on the heels of SoundHound AI's quarterly report. Sure enough, the shares followed up Friday's 26.4% surge with a 17.3% gain on Monday, and strung together four-straight daily wins before today's pullback. SOUND was last seen down 1.2% to trade at $16.30, but Schaeffer's subscribers collected a +309% profit after closing their positions in the previous session.

Subscribers to Schaeffer's Weekend Trader options recommendation service received this METC commentary on Sunday night, along with a detailed options trade recommendation -- including complete entry and exit parameters. Learn more about why Weekend Trader is one of our most popular options trading services.

Rare earth minerals stock Ramaco Resources' Inc (NASDAQ:METC) Friday earnings reaction low came in just above the site of the put-heavy 16 strike. However, shares then reversed and closed nearer to the intraday high, with METC now up 90% in 2025. The 30-day moving average caught the Friday low, a trendline that also marked a bottom in early July after an ugly candle.

 
The potential recovery of rare earth elements in Wyoming could make this stock attractive for speculators, especially on a pullback. Analyst outlook is minimal at best, with just three "buy" recommendations on the books, leaving plenty of room for optimism. Short interest is at an all-time high, surging 73% since June, while implied volatility (IV) is reasonable with the 30-day at 90% and options IV priced at 88%.
 
Our recommended September 17 call has a leverage ratio of 3.6 and will double on a 27.8% pop in the underlying equity.

Subscribers to Schaeffer's Weekend Trader options recommendation service received this GE commentary on Sunday night, along with a detailed options trade recommendation -- including complete entry and exit parameters. Learn more about why Weekend Trader is one of our most popular options trading services.

An unwinding of bearish sentiment could provide tailwinds. At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), General Electric stock’s 50-day put/call volume ratio ranks in the 93rd percentile of its annual range.
 
The equity is seeing attractively priced premium at the moment, too. GE’s Schaeffer’s Volatility Index (SVI) of 27% ranks in the low 9th percentile of its annual range, meaning options traders are pricing in low volatility expectations at the moment.
 
Our recommended call option has a leverage ratio of 11.3 and will double in a 9.5% pop in the underlying equity.

Subscribers to Schaeffer's Weekend Trader options recommendation service received this AXP commentary on Sunday night, along with a detailed options trade recommendation -- including complete entry and exit parameters. Learn more about why Weekend Trader is one of our most popular options trading services.

Subscribers to Schaeffer's Weekend Trader options recommendation service received this EAT commentary on Sunday night, along with a detailed options trade recommendation -- including complete entry and exit parameters. Learn more about why Weekend Trader is one of our most popular options trading services.

Subscribers to Schaeffer's Weekend Trader options recommendation service received this ZS commentary on Sunday night, along with a detailed options trade recommendation -- including complete entry and exit parameters. Learn more about why Weekend Trader is one of our most popular options trading services.

Subscribers to Schaeffer's Weekend Trader options recommendation service received this NET commentary on Sunday night, along with a detailed options trade recommendation -- including complete entry and exit parameters. Learn more about why Weekend Trader is one of our most popular options trading services.

Cybersecurity stock Cloudflare Inc (NYSE:NET) pulled back and bounced near its earlier all-time high breakout and 20-day moving average. Now the equity is above open interest (OI) balance at the 190-strike and peak call level, and could run call stack towards the 220-strike by July expiration. In other words, this gives NET a decent chance to hit our targets.

 

 
Looking toward the options pits, an unwinding of bearish sentiment could trigger tailwinds. NET's 50-day put/call volume ratio at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) ranks higher than 72% of readings from the past year.
 
Options are affordably priced, per the stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 43% that ranks in the 14th percentile of its annual range, implying that options players are pricing in lower-than-usual volatility expectations. Plus, the security's Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) sits at 80 out of 100, meaning it has tended to exceed volatility expectations during the past year.
 
Our recommended September call has a leverage ratio of 5.2 and will double in value on a 21.6% pop in the underlying equity.