$QQQ 260727 684 Put(QQQ260727P684000.US)$Invesco QQQ Trust(QQQ.US)

The end-of-month option expiration finally corrected last week's performance, which was really poor. I felt very confused at the time, mainly due to the company's massive layoffs, which made me feel quite uncomfortable with all the corporate issues.

However, other positions also lost a significant amount. Overall, we still have profits for this month. Moving forward, I hope to earn a bit more next week.

Score for this trade: 7/10.

Actual Result:

2026-07-24 10:10:56 ET Bought QQQ Put 3.72

2026-07-24 10:17:56 ET Sold 4.36

Profit on 1 contract: (4.36 - 3.72) * 100 = +64 USD

Return rate approx: +17.2%

Pros:

- Direction correct: Both 1h and 2m charts showed clear Bearish signals, so the Put followed the main trend.

- Entry logic was decent: Didn't chase directly at the lowest point; it looked like a short squeeze after a sharp drop to the 687-688 range, near the short-term moving average/FVG, before weakening again to enter the Put.

- Position sizing correct: 1 contract. Although the premium of 372 USD was on the expensive side, it was still near the upper limit of a single learning position.

- Disciplined exit: Took profit at +17% and exited. Not being greedy in a second-wave Put play after a major drop is reasonable.

Cons:

- Return didn't reach the standard first take-profit zone: For 0DTE, the normal first take-profit is +25% to +50%. This +17% exit was early; however, considering the short-term support near 684.85 below, exiting early isn't wrong.

- Entry location wasn't as clean as the 09:30 trade: There had already been a significant drop earlier. This trade was closer to "chasing the mid-trend," so the risk-reward ratio wasn't as good as the opening breakout trade.

- Still market orders: Both buy and sell were market orders. Long-term, slippage will eat into profits, especially for contracts where the premium is already $3-4.

Breakdown:

- Direction: 8.5/10

- Entry: 7/10

- Position Sizing: 8/10

- Exit: 7/10

- Overall: 7/10

Conclusion: Following the trend was correct, and exiting quickly was also correct. However, this is no longer an A+ opening breakout trade, but rather a secondary trend-following scalp within a downtrend.

Trades at this level can continue in the future, but only with 1 contract. The target should be quick gains of +15% to +30%. If QQQ reclaims 688-689, cut immediately.