⚠ Your trade log shows open puts, but the positions file the screener plans
around is empty. The free-capacity number here is likely overstated; update
config/positions.yaml so next week's run sizes correctly.
☑
2 ideas this week, all clear of earnings
taking all 2 sets aside $32k of your $60k limit, leaving $28k
cash set aside if you take all 2
$32k of your $60k limit, $28k left
Blue is cash reserved by these ideas, the rest is room left. Your $60k
limit is the most you could be asked to buy if every put were assigned at once.
PEP
high conviction
new this week
Sell 1 PEP put, $130 strike, expires 21 Aug 2026
~$1.45 a share
in plain terms
You collect $144 now. If PEP is at or above $130
on 21 Aug 2026, the put expires and the $144 is yours. If it is below $130,
you buy 100 shares at $130 (a name you are glad to own there), and the premium
trims your cost to about $129 a share.
cash set aside (collateral)
$13,000
odds you just keep it
~75%
technical, if you want it: delta -0.25, 30 days to expiry
✓ safe across earnings (none before it ends)
✓ fits your limits, $13k within the $20k per-name cap
why this one
Fair value $158. Trades ~16x forward EPS, a clear discount to its own 5-/10-yr average of ~23-26x; ~19-20x on ~$8.3 FY EPS plus healthy FCF and net analyst targets in the $160s support fair value near $155-165.
The case. PepsiCo is a wide-moat consumer-staples compounder (strong FCF, dividend aristocrat, resilient global snacks/beverage franchise) that has de-rated sharply into the low $130s. At a $130 strike I would be a willing owner near a multi-year valuation low, collecting premium while I wait. Quality-first name I am comfortable being assigned.
If you get assigned. Accept assignment at effective basis ~$128.55 and hold as a core dividend payer; if a temporary cash gap occurs, bridge within the cap and pay down from monthly premium. Roll only for credit if most premium has decayed.
NVDA
medium conviction
same as last week
Sell 1 NVDA put, $195 strike, expires 21 Aug 2026
~$3.17 a share
in plain terms
You collect $318 now. If NVDA is at or above $195
on 21 Aug 2026, the put expires and the $318 is yours. If it is below $195,
you buy 100 shares at $195 (a name you are glad to own there), and the premium
trims your cost to about $192 a share.
cash set aside (collateral)
$19,500
odds you just keep it
~79%
technical, if you want it: delta -0.21, 30 days to expiry
✓ safe across earnings (next report 26 Aug, after this ends)
✓ fits your limits, $20k within the $20k per-name cap
why this one
Fair value $205. ~40x FY27 EPS (~$5.34) is reasonable versus its history given 30%+ growth (PEG near/below 1), best-in-class margins and net cash; comprehensive lenses support fair value ~$200-215, so a $195 strike sits modestly below fair value.
The case. NVIDIA is the dominant AI accelerator franchise with ~50% net margins, a net-cash balance sheet and 30%+ earnings growth, exactly the growth-conviction name the playbook says can justify assignment at a fair strike. A $195 strike (~8% below spot) is a price I would own. Only the 30-DTE (Aug 21) expiry is used because it settles before the Aug 26 earnings report.
If you get assigned. Accept assignment at effective basis ~$191.83 as a high-conviction long-term AI holding; bridge briefly on margin within the cap only if needed and pay down from cash. Single high-IV name kept to medium conviction and one contract.
What these words mean
Cash-secured put: you agree to buy 100 shares at the strike and set the cash aside now, and you are paid a premium for agreeing.
Strike: the price you would buy at. Premium: the cash you are paid today.
Collateral: the cash reserved, which is strike times 100. Assignment: if the stock ends below the strike, you buy the 100 shares.
Odds you keep it (from delta): the rough chance the put expires worthless so the premium is yours. Days to expiry: how long until it settles.
Earnings blackout: we skip any put open across an earnings date, the one night a stock can jump hard.
clears your rules
caution, look closer
blocked, breaks a rule
Why not the others
As-of ~2026-07-22 (implied by 30-DTE->Aug 21 / 37-DTE->Aug 28). Aggregate proposed collateral $32,500 of $60,000 cap; remaining capacity after fills $27,500; each name within the $20k per-name cap; near-fully-invested posture with the cap doing the risk work (no standing reserve), no return target reverse-engineering. EARNINGS BLACKOUT rejections (report falls within the put's life): NEE 7/24, XOM 7/31, IBM 7/22 (also just crashed ~25% on a pre-announced miss and deteriorating fundamentals), APH 7/29, WMT 8/20. NVDA reports 8/26, so only the Aug 21 (30-DTE) leg is compliant; the Aug 28 leg was excluded. CRWD is the only other earnings-clear name (reports 9/2) but is DROPPED on the valuation gate: extreme multiple (>100x forward, negative GAAP net margin) means no OTM strike can be justified at or below fair value for a conservative book. Liquidity rejections: SSB and BRX (OI ~0-40, very wide/zero bids); VICR and VIAV excluded on quality plus extreme ~110%+ IV (small-cap, event-like vol) inconsistent with the quality-first mandate. Chosen strikes sit in the -0.20 to -0.30 delta band (~75-79% POP), OTM, at/below fair value, with tight quotes and deep open interest. Not financial advice.
Run history
| When | Ideas | Top pick | Cost |
|---|
| Wed 22 Jul 2026, 08:47 PM |
2 |
PEP |
$2.17 |
| Wed 15 Jul 2026, 08:45 PM |
1 |
NVDA |
$4.59 |
| Sun 05 Jul 2026, 09:39 PM |
1 |
NVDA |
$1.35 |
| Sun 05 Jul 2026, 05:37 PM |
1 |
NVDA |
$2.57 |
| Sun 05 Jul 2026, 07:45 PM |
1 |
NVDA |
$3.14 |