Alpaca Options Agent

Paper trading · auto-refreshes every 30s

Competition result — 2026-08-31 to 2026-09-03 (judged window)

Final equity
$99,383
P&L
-617
Return
-0.62%
Closed
6
Win rate
33%

Official P&L window: 31 Aug 09:30 ET → 4 Sep 09:30 ET, scored on total account equity at the EOD 3 Sep snapshot. Started at $100,000.

Live now — after the window, still trading

Equity
$96,900
Realised P&L
-2,688
Open
4
Closed
34
Win rate
21%

The agent keeps running past the competition. On 4 Sep a deadline rule force-exited every position each tick while entries stayed open, so one contract was repeatedly bought and re-sold before it was caught and fixed — those round trips are in the post-window table below, and they fall entirely outside the judged window above.

Open positions

contractunderlyingrightqtyentrystoptargetexpirythesis
SMCI260918C00042000SMCIcall121.5737.5443.752026-09-18imported from broker on boot
NFLX260918P00076000NFLXput111.6777.6773.042026-09-18Move is only -0.67 ADR with RVOL 3.2, a meaningful but not extreme momentum signal, so favor a slightly OTM-to-ATM put with more time (10 DTE) over the 3 DTE contract to avoid rapid theta decay while price still develops. NFLX260918P00076000 offers a tight 1.2% spread, solid delta (-0.47) for directional exposure, and decent liquidity, balancing responsiveness with time cushion better than the 3 DTE or the wider-spread 38 DTE options.
SPY260918P00765000SPYput36.21769.69760.482026-09-18Move is only -0.53 ADR with modest RVOL 1.51, so signal is decent but not extreme; picking a ~10 DTE, ~0.45 delta contract with tight 0.5% spread and strong prior-day volume (5525) balances momentum exposure with liquidity/theta risk better than the tighter 3DTE contracts which offer little room or the longer-dated ones that overpay for a moderate signal.
AMD260918C00500000AMDcall117.20487.65519.622026-09-18Momentum is present but moderate (+0.71 ADR, RVOL 1.95) rather than extreme, so favor a near-ATM contract with tight spread and strong liquidity over the more extended/short-dated 3DTE options; 10 DTE gives room for follow-through while the 0.4% spread and high volume ensure clean execution.

Closed positions — competition window

contractqtyentryexitP&Lreason
MSTR260918C0014000028.759.95+240underlying 142.72 reached target 142.69
AVGO260918P0034500019.956.05-390underlying 353.64 broke stop 353.51
IWM260918P0029000063.282.18-660underlying 295.81 broke stop 295.34
TSLA260918C00365000111.706.95-475premium -41% at or below -40%
AAPL260909C0032000035.259.40+1,245premium +85% at or above 80%
TSLA260911C0037000028.254.80-690premium -42% at or below -40%

Closed positions — after the window

contractqtyentryexitP&Lreason
SMCI260918C0004000091.922.28+324underlying 40.20 reached target 39.92
SMCI260918C00042000111.641.32-352underlying 39.90 broke stop 39.93
SMCI260918C0004000082.142.12-16competition ends 2026-09-04
SMCI260918C0004000092.042.00-36competition ends 2026-09-04
SMCI260918C0004000092.092.05-36competition ends 2026-09-04
SMCI260918C0004000092.112.10-9competition ends 2026-09-04
SMCI260918C0004000092.122.07-45competition ends 2026-09-04
SMCI260918C0004000092.072.08+9competition ends 2026-09-04
SMCI260918C0004000092.041.95-81competition ends 2026-09-04
SMCI260918C0004000092.072.00-63competition ends 2026-09-04
SMCI260918C0004000092.052.01-36competition ends 2026-09-04
SMCI260918C0004000092.072.03-36competition ends 2026-09-04
SMCI260918C0004000092.052.03-18competition ends 2026-09-04
SMCI260918C0004000092.082.01-63competition ends 2026-09-04
SMCI260918C0004000092.021.94-72competition ends 2026-09-04
SMCI260918C00040000101.901.90+0competition ends 2026-09-04
SMCI260918C00040000101.921.88-40competition ends 2026-09-04
SMCI260918C00040000101.841.77-70competition ends 2026-09-04
SMCI260918C0004000091.961.79-153competition ends 2026-09-04
SMCI260918C00040000101.801.90+100competition ends 2026-09-04
SMCI260918C00040000101.901.78-120competition ends 2026-09-04
SMCI260918C00040000101.921.84-80competition ends 2026-09-04
SMCI260918C00040000101.871.85-20competition ends 2026-09-04
MSFT260918C0052000027.004.70-460competition ends 2026-09-04
AAPL260918C0032500027.458.50+210competition ends 2026-09-04
AAPL260918C0033000065.625.80+105competition ends 2026-09-04
TSLA260918C00380000112.655.75-690competition ends 2026-09-04
MSTR261016C00150000112.5010.40-210competition ends 2026-09-04

Decision log

time (UTC)symbolactiondetailthesis
2026-09-08T14:31:22ZSMCI260918C00042000rejectedSMCI already has 1 open position(s) (cap 1)
2026-09-08T14:31:22ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T14:31:22ZAMD260918C00500000entry1x @ 17.24, delta 0.50Momentum is present but moderate (+0.71 ADR, RVOL 1.95) rather than extreme, so favor a near-ATM contract with tight spread and strong liquidity over the more extended/short-dated 3DTE options; 10 DTE gives room for follow-through while the 0.4% spread and high volume ensure clean execution.
2026-09-08T14:28:06ZAMD260918C00500000canceledaoa-AMD260918C00500000-buy-202609081428-r @ 18.34 unfilled, canceled
2026-09-08T14:28:05ZSMCI260918C00042000rejectedSMCI already has 1 open position(s) (cap 1)
2026-09-08T14:28:05ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T14:28:05ZAMD260918C00500000canceledaoa-AMD260918C00500000-buy-202609081428 @ 18.18 unfilled, canceled
2026-09-08T14:28:05ZAMD260918C00500000abandoned1x @ 18.34, delta 0.51Momentum is solid but not extreme (+0.74 ADR, RVOL 1.92), so a 10-DTE ATM-ish call gives room to work without the gamma risk of the 3-DTE strikes; this contract has the tightest spread (2.4%) and by far the deepest liquidity (5647 prior volume) among the near-dated ATM options, with a healthy 0.51 delta for balanced directional exposure.
2026-09-08T14:26:50ZSMCI260918C00041000rejectedSMCI already has 1 open position(s) (cap 1)
2026-09-08T14:26:50ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T14:26:50ZAMD260925C00500000rejectedquantity 0 is not tradeable
2026-09-08T14:23:40ZAMD260911C00495000canceledaoa-AMD260911C00495000-buy-202609081423-r @ 11.74 unfilled, canceled
2026-09-08T14:23:39ZSMCI260918C00042000rejectedSMCI already has 1 open position(s) (cap 1)
2026-09-08T14:23:39ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T14:23:39ZAMD260911C00495000canceledaoa-AMD260911C00495000-buy-202609081423 @ 11.71 unfilled, canceled
2026-09-08T14:23:39ZAMD260911C00495000abandoned1x @ 11.74, delta 0.52Momentum is present but not extreme (+0.61 ADR, RVOL 1.89), and this slightly ITM 3DTE contract offers a near-ATM delta (0.52) with by far the tightest spread (0.6%) in the chain, minimizing entry cost/slippage; near-term expiry capitalizes on the immediate momentum push without paying for excess time premium.
2026-09-08T14:22:20ZSMCI260918C00041500rejectedSMCI already has 1 open position(s) (cap 1)
2026-09-08T14:22:20ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T14:22:20ZAMD260925C00500000rejectedquantity 0 is not tradeable
2026-09-08T14:21:13ZSMCI260918C00042000rejectedSMCI already has 1 open position(s) (cap 1)
2026-09-08T14:21:13ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T14:20:06ZSMCI260918C00043000rejectedSMCI already has 1 open position(s) (cap 1)
2026-09-08T14:20:06ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T14:18:56ZSMCI260918C00041000rejectedSMCI already has 1 open position(s) (cap 1)
2026-09-08T14:18:56ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T14:17:45ZSMCI260918C00042000rejectedSMCI already has 1 open position(s) (cap 1)
2026-09-08T14:17:45ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T14:16:37ZSMCI260918C00041000rejectedSMCI already has 1 open position(s) (cap 1)
2026-09-08T14:16:37ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T14:15:26ZSMCI260918C00041000rejectedSMCI already has 1 open position(s) (cap 1)
2026-09-08T14:15:26ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T14:14:15ZSMCI260918C00042000rejectedSMCI already has 1 open position(s) (cap 1)
2026-09-08T14:14:15ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T14:13:03ZSMCI260918C00042000rejectedSMCI already has 1 open position(s) (cap 1)
2026-09-08T14:13:03ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T14:11:59ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T14:10:56ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T14:09:45ZSMCI260918C00041000rejectedSMCI already has 1 open position(s) (cap 1)
2026-09-08T14:09:45ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T14:08:17ZSPY260918P00765000entry3x @ 6.32, delta -0.45Move is only -0.53 ADR with modest RVOL 1.51, so signal is decent but not extreme; picking a ~10 DTE, ~0.45 delta contract with tight 0.5% spread and strong prior-day volume (5525) balances momentum exposure with liquidity/theta risk better than the tighter 3DTE contracts which offer little room or the longer-dated ones that overpay for a moderate signal.
2026-09-08T14:08:17ZSMCI260911C00042000rejectedSMCI already has 1 open position(s) (cap 1)
2026-09-08T14:08:17ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T14:07:08ZSPYskipconfidence 0.60The move is modest (-0.53 ADR) with only moderate RVOL, not a strong enough momentum signal to justify a directional options bet; better to wait for clearer confirmation of downside continuation.
2026-09-08T14:07:08ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T14:06:02ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T14:04:52ZSPYskipconfidence 0.60Move is only -0.5 ADR with modest RVOL 1.53 - a weak, already-partial momentum signal, not a strong breakdown to chase with a put. Better to wait for clearer confirmation than force an entry into a mediocre setup.
2026-09-08T14:04:52ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T14:03:46ZSMCI260918C00042000rejectedSMCI already has 1 open position(s) (cap 1)
2026-09-08T14:03:46ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T14:02:39ZSMCI260918C00042000rejectedSMCI already has 1 open position(s) (cap 1)
2026-09-08T14:02:39ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T14:01:37ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T14:00:29ZSMCI260918C00042000rejectedSMCI already has 1 open position(s) (cap 1)
2026-09-08T14:00:29ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T13:59:26ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T13:57:13ZSMCI260918C00041500rejectedSMCI already has 1 open position(s) (cap 1)
2026-09-08T13:57:13ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T13:56:06ZSMCI260918C00042000rejectedSMCI already has 1 open position(s) (cap 1)
2026-09-08T13:56:06ZSHOPskipconfidence 0.00no viable contracts to choose from
2026-09-08T13:54:55ZSMCI260918C00041000rejectedSMCI already has 1 open position(s) (cap 1)