Episode 195

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Published on:

17th Aug 2026

195: The Friday-to-Monday SPX Edge

In this week's Stock Market Options Trading Podcast, we're looking at an interesting SPX pattern: Mondays have produced the strongest average S&P 500 returns so far in 2026.

Here's the video version: https://youtu.be/mM8y3koyL5A

That lines up with a rules-based strategy I've recently added back into the Alpha Crunching trade setups — a Friday 3DTE SPX put credit spread designed to take advantage of bullish market conditions heading into the weekend.

In this episode:

  • The Friday 3DTE SPX put credit spread and its 4-year backtest
  • Why a simple 3-day moving average filter matters
  • The surprising strength of Mondays in 2026
  • How the strategy fits into a diversified SPX options portfolio
  • FOMC Minutes and this week's economic calendar
  • Why markets are already looking ahead to Jackson Hole
  • SPX gamma levels, including the 7900 call wall
  • The employment data I'm watching this week

The goal isn't to predict where SPX goes next. It's to use data, backtesting and market statistics to identify potential edges and build repeatable trading strategies around them.

Alpha Crunching:

https://alphacrunching.com

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About the Podcast

Stock Market Options Trading
A retail trader's guide to consistent profits.
The Stock Market Options Trading Podcast is hosted by Eric O’Rourke, founder of https://AlphaCrunching.com, where a growing community of traders focus on short-duration SPX options strategies using a data-driven approach.

Join our podcast community over at https://www.stockmarketoptionstrading.net to improve your stock and options trading skills.

Check out the SMOT YouTube channel for quantitative options strategies and education here: https://www.youtube.com/stockmarketoptionstrading

For the Conservative Options Income Network run by Brian Terry:
https://www.stockmarketoptionstrading.net/spaces/12282222

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Eric O'Rourke