What’s Actually Working in This Wild Market?
Let’s just say it — trading this market has been anything but predictable.
We’ve had headlines drive overnight rallies, only for them to get walked back before the opening bell. One day there’s a rumor about tariff exemptions on semiconductors and smartphones — markets pop. The next day, it’s clarified as false, and we give it all back. And this isn’t just noise. It’s real whiplash for traders trying to find their footing.
So the question is: What’s actually working?
During my Opening Playbook session with Graham, (which is live again today @ 10am, of course), Graham shed some light on two key factors:
- The kinds of stocks he is looking at
- The type of strategy he is using
Here’s some of those insights directly from Graham:
Hi folks, thanks Nate for letting me take over your newsletter for a day.
In my experience lately, this market is much less about calling direction and more about adapting to the volatility. This isn’t a trending market. It’s a choppy, reactive, news-driven one — and that means you need tools and trades that pay you even when you don’t predict things perfectly.
That’s why I’ve found real value in shorter-term setups that let me get in, get paid, and get out — especially on high-quality stocks in strong sectors. While everyone’s watching tech names like Apple (AAPL) or NVIDIA (NVDA) flip from green to red in five-minute candles, I’ve been quietly favoring sectors like Utilities, Financials, and Health Care. These aren’t the ones you see trending on social media — but they’ve been quietly stable. And in this market, stability is underrated.
Take a name like ED — a utility stock that’s been one of the better-behaved charts out there. It showed a clean breakout setup, and the options were reasonably priced. No drama, no chasing rumors, just a trade that made sense.
The same goes for Progressive (PGR), which I’ve leaned on as a hedge. In environments like this, insurance stocks often act as a counterbalance to tech and growth. They don’t rely on rate cuts, AI cycles, or trade policy. People keep paying their premiums — rain or shine.
Like Nate has been saying, we don’t have enough liquidity entering this market to have real confidence a bottom is in or stabilization is here…
So, until then, I think it’s wise to treat this as a short-term, trader’s market, not a long-term investor’s paradise.
One thing that’s really helped me navigate this chop is a new tool called AutoStrike that I helped develop with one of my mentors.
Instead of manually digging through dozens of option chains, it scans the entire market for high-probability setups — the kind that can pay 20% to 30% even if the stock moves just a little, or even falls quite a bit (seriously, some of the examples are incredible).
What I love most is that it doesn’t require me to guess direction. It gives me the ticker, the strikes, the entry price, the expected ROI — and even shows how far the stock could fall and still end up profitable. It’s built for this kind of market.
So while the headlines keep rolling and the big moves come and go, I’m staying grounded. I’m sticking to strategies that don’t require perfection, leaning on sectors that hold up in chaos, and using tools that take some of the guesswork out of the game.
That’s what’s working for me right now — and I’m happy to keep it that way until the market gives us a real reason to believe otherwise.
— Graham
PS Quick Reminder About The Opening Playbook
I’ve canceled my usual Monday/Friday “Mapping the Market” sessions and instead I’m now going LIVE with Graham every weekday at 10 AM ET for something new: The Opening Playbook.
We’ll be breaking down what we’re seeing in the market, walking through real-money trades, and sharing live setups with room for Q&A.
So set your calendar — and come kick off the day with us as we navigate this wild market together.
— Nate
