During the week of August 10 through August 14, 2026, the S&P 500 traded near record highs, opening the week around 7,758, touching an intra-week high of 7,810.01, and closing Friday at 7,785.76. Volatility contracted steadily, with the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) dropping from a weekly peak of 15.72 to close at 14.46, providing strong theta-decay tailwinds for short option campaigns.
Fund Trackers
Combined Growth Snapshot
- Aggregated Balance: $141,210.01
- Combined Weekly Net Dollar Profit: $2,207.56
- Combined Weekly Return on Capital (ROC): 8.46% (calculated from a weekly deployed risk pool of $26,083.00)
Travel Fund
- Total Account Balance: $58,883.92
- Total YTD Realized Gain: $12,883.92
- Remaining to $10,000 Goal: $0.00 (Goal Exceeded)
- Progress Bar: ██████████ 128.84%
- Required Weekly Velocity: $0.00/wk
IRA Fund
- Total Account Balance: $82,326.09
- Total YTD Realized Gain: $9,326.09
- Weekly Contribution: $1,509.80
Portfolio Risk & Heat Map
Risk Thresholds
- Travel Fund Risk Threshold ($2,300.00):
- High Risk Entry: -/ES261016P5800 / -/ES261016C8200 ($7,400.00 Risk)
- High Risk Entry: -/ES261030P5900 / -/ES261030C8100 ($8,400.00 Risk)
- High Risk Entry: -/CL261015P57 / -/CL261015C116 ($3,260.00 Risk)
- High Risk Entry: -/CL261117P60 / -/CL261117C125 ($2,720.00 Risk)
- IRA Fund Risk Threshold ($10,000.00):
- High Risk Entry: -/ES261030P6475 / -/ES261030C8450 ($18,528.00 Risk)
Portfolio Heat & Allocation
- Travel Fund Active Capital at Risk: $21,780.00 (Capital Allocation: 36.99%)
- IRA Fund Active Capital at Risk: $29,648.00 (Capital Allocation: 36.01%)
Active Open Positions
| Ticker | Strategy | Entry Date | DTE | Structural Risk Outlay |
| /ES | Strangle | 2026-07-23 | 85 | $7,400.00 |
| /ES | Strangle | 2026-07-29 | 93 | $8,400.00 |
| /CL | Strangle | 2026-08-07 | 69 | $3,260.00 |
| /CL | Strangle | 2026-08-12 | 97 | $2,720.00 |
| /CL | Strangle | 2026-08-03 | 106 | $5,560.00 |
| /CL | Strangle | 2026-08-12 | 64 | $5,560.00 |
| /ES | Strangle | 2026-08-14 | 77 | $18,528.00 |
New Position Openings
Travel Fund Opening: Crude Oil Strangle
- Leg 1: Short Put, DTE: 97, Strike: 60.00, Width: Undefined (Naked Put)
- Leg 2: Short Call, DTE: 97, Strike: 125.00, Width: Undefined (Naked Call)
- Capital Required: $2,720.00
- Standard Symbology: -/CL261117P60 / -/CL261117C125
IRA Fund Opening 1: Crude Oil Strangle
- Leg 1: Short Put, DTE: 64, Strike: 63.00, Width: Undefined (Naked Put)
- Leg 2: Short Call, DTE: 64, Strike: 120.00, Width: Undefined (Naked Call)
- Capital Required: $5,560.00
- Standard Symbology: -/CL261015P63 / -/CL261015C120
IRA Fund Opening 2: E-mini S&P 500 Strangle
- Leg 1: Short Put, DTE: 77, Strike: 6475.00, Width: Undefined (Naked Put)
- Leg 2: Short Call, DTE: 77, Strike: 8450.00, Width: Undefined (Naked Call)
- Capital Required: $18,528.00
- Standard Symbology: -/ES261030P6475 / -/ES261030C8450
Capital & Structure Breakdown
The new strangle campaigns establish wide structural boundaries designed to give price room to move without pressure. The Buffer Zones establish comfortable distance outside current market trading ranges, anchored by sub-63 put strikes and elevated call barriers above 120 on crude, along with deep 6,475 put protection on the S&P 500. The Time Differentials span 64 to 97 DTE, providing an extended duration runway so initial volatility swings don’t force defensive adjustments early.
Weekly Performance & Strategy Leaderboard
Performance Table
| Fund | Ticker | Strategy | Entry Date | Exit Date | DIT | Realized Credit | Net P/L |
| IRA Fund | /ES | Strangle | 2026-07-13 | 2026-08-12 | 30 | $2,026.00 | $1,005.02 |
| IRA Fund | /ES | Futures_111 | 2026-07-23 | 2026-08-14 | 22 | $600.00 | $504.78 |
| Travel Fund | /CL | Strangle | 2026-07-30 | 2026-08-12 | 13 | $1,420.00 | $697.76 |
Strategy Leaderboard
- Strangle: $1,702.78 (2 Trades Closed)
- Futures_111: $504.78 (1 Trade Closed)
“Under the Hood” Stats (Isolated to Current Week)
Core Metrics
- Profit Factor: N/A (Perfect Week)
- Win Rate: 100.00% (3/3 closed trades)
- Average Winning Trade: $735.85
- Average Losing Trade: $0.00
Efficiency Metrics
- Expectancy Per Trade: $735.85
- Average Days in Trade (DIT): 21.7 days
- Premium Capture Ratio: 54.56%
Capital Performance
- IRA Fund Weekly ROC: 6.89%
- Travel Fund Weekly ROC: 16.68%
Tactical Lesson
When managing unhedged strangle campaigns across multiple products, maintaining a controlled macro portfolio heat between 35% and 38% keeps margin requirements light while allowing systematic profit taking. Exiting positions between 13 and 30 days in trade right near the 50% premium capture mark locks in reliable velocity without staying exposed to late-cycle directional expansion. Utilizing wide time differentials at entry gives the position room to handle noise while theta decay does the heavy lifting.