READ THIS FIRST
- This is a study tool for general education. It is not financial advice, and it is not a recommendation to buy or sell any stock or option.
- All data on this page is demo data. Stocks A–H do not exist. The numbers are made up to show how the scoring works.
- A score or a grade is not a buy or sell signal. It only shows how well something matches the rules of this study tool. A grade A can still lose money.
- This page does not connect to any account and cannot place orders. Numbers you type stay in your own browser and are not sent anywhere.
- Options involve significant risk. You may lose the entire amount invested, and some strategies can lose more than the amount paid.
HOW TO USE THIS PAGE · ABOUT 10 MINUTES
- Read the five steps below, one card at a time. Each card says what the step checks and where to find the number in the moomoo app.
- Look at the scorecard. Each demo stock gets 0, 1 or 2 for each step. Read the small numbers under each chip to see why.
- Notice the grade rule. If the trend step or the liquidity step scores 0, the grade is capped at D, whatever the total. Stock F and Stock E show this.
- Try your own numbers. Pick one US stock you already follow. Read its numbers in the moomoo app and type them into the form. Your row appears in the scorecard.
- Change the settings to see how the scores move. For example, raise the open interest rule from 500 to 1,000.
- Optional: copy the Skills prompt at the bottom into moomoo Skills to build a similar dashboard with real data. Check every number in the app.
WHO THE EXAMPLES ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR
If any line describes you, the option examples on this page are not suitable for you.
- You have never traded options. Learn with paper trading first.
- You cannot afford the largest possible loss. For a bought option or spread, that is the full amount paid.
- You may need the money before the option expires.
- You do not understand early assignment. US stock options can be assigned before expiry, often just before a dividend.
- You do not check the earnings date. A stock can gap past your strike, and IV often drops after the report.
- You expect every trade to win. Several losses in a row are normal.
1MARKET TREND
Is the stock in an uptrend?
We look for "Stage 2": price above the 20-day and 30-day moving averages, the 20-day above the 30-day, and the 50-day above the 200-day. On the breakout day, volume is higher than usual.
2CATALYST
Is there a reason for it to move?
News, guidance, unusual volume or a strong sector. Always check the next earnings date: if it falls before your expiry, the price can gap either way.
3IMPLIED VOLATILITY
Are the options cheap or expensive?
IV is the move the option price assumes. HV is how much the stock really moved. IV rank shows where IV sits in its one-year range (0 = lowest, 100 = highest).
4OPTIONS LIQUIDITY
Can you get in and out at a fair price?
Open interest = contracts still open. Volume = contracts traded today. Spread = the gap between bid and ask. A wide spread costs you money on both entry and exit.
5DELTA
Which contract?
Delta is roughly how much the option moves when the stock moves $1. It is also a rough guide to the chance of finishing in the money. It changes every day.
NAMES SCREENED
GRADE A OR B
FAIL THE TREND STEP
THIN OPTIONS
SCORECARD · ONE ROW PER UNDERLYING
| UNDERLYING | 1 · TREND | 2 · CATALYST | 3 · IV | 4 · LIQUIDITY | 5 · DELTA | SCORE | GRADE | WHAT THE SCORE POINTS TO STUDYING |
|---|
"What the score points to studying" is a topic to learn about, not an instruction to trade. "Stock only" and "wait" are valid answers. How much to trade, if anything, is your own decision.
TRY YOUR OWN NUMBERS · STAYS IN YOUR BROWSER
Read the numbers for one stock in the moomoo app and type them here. Your row is marked YOURS in the scorecard. Nothing is saved or sent: refresh the page and it is gone.
Spread % example: bid 2.35, ask 2.45 → mid 2.40 → (2.45 − 2.35) ÷ 2.40 × 100 ≈ 4.2%. Use the same expiry (about 21–56 days out) for IV, liquidity and delta.
SETTINGS · EDIT AND THE TABLE RE-SCORES
These are the presenter's study settings from the class, not recommended values.
- Trend 2 = price above the 20- and 30-day MA, 20 above 30, 50 above 200, and volume at the setting. 1 = averages pass, volume light. 0 = averages fail.
- Catalyst 2 = a catalyst and no earnings before expiry. 1 = earnings inside the expiry window (event risk). 0 = none found.
- IV 2 = a clear reading (cheap: IV rank low and IV ≤ HV; rich: IV rank high and IV > HV). 1 = in between.
- Liquidity 2 = open interest, volume and spread all pass. 1 = two of three. 0 = one or none.
- Delta 2 = a liquid strike within 0.05 of the target. 1 = within 0.10. 0 = none.
- Grade A = 9–10, B = 7–8, C = 5–6, D = below 5. A 0 on trend or liquidity caps the grade at D.
EXPIRY HELPER · ×2 THE SETUP WINDOW
–
- Rule of thumb from the class, not a tested study: give the trade about twice the time the setup usually takes.
- "Setup window" = how many bars the base or flag usually takes to break out on that chart.
- Background: flags and pennants usually last three weeks or less (Bulkowski, Visual Guide to Chart Patterns, 2012).
- Background: time decay speeds up in the last 30–45 days before expiry (Options Industry Council).
- Longer expiries often have thinner options. Step 4 usually sets the limit.
THE SKILLS PROMPT THAT BUILDS THIS DASHBOARD
Optional. moomoo Skills availability and features can differ by region, membership level and app version. AI output can be incomplete or wrong — verify every number in the app.
Using moomoo Skills, run my five-step options screener on this watchlist: [TICKER 1, TICKER 2, ...]. Do not place, modify or suggest any orders. This is a study tool. For each ticker, pull the data and score each step 0, 1 or 2: 1) MARKET TREND (Stage 2) - daily chart Price above the 20-day and 30-day moving averages, 20-day above 30-day, 50-day above 200-day, and today's volume vs the 50-day average volume. 2 = all MA rules pass and volume >= 1.5x average | 1 = MA rules pass, volume lighter | 0 = MA rules fail. 2) CATALYST Next earnings date, major news in the last 5 trading days, unusual volume or institutional activity. 2 = catalyst present and no earnings before the chosen expiry | 1 = earnings inside the expiry window | 0 = none. 3) IMPLIED VOLATILITY 30-45 DTE at-the-money IV, 20-day historical volatility (HV), 1-year IV rank and IV percentile. Label the regime: CHEAP (IV rank < 30 and IV <= HV), RICH (IV rank > 50 and IV > HV), else MIDDLE. 2 = CHEAP or RICH | 1 = MIDDLE. 4) OPTIONS LIQUIDITY - expiry between 21 and 56 DTE At the target strikes: open interest, today's option volume, bid-ask spread as % of mid. 2 = OI >= 500, volume >= 500 and spread <= 10% | 1 = two of three | 0 = one or none. 5) DELTA Nearest liquid call to 0.60 delta, and the put between 0.15 and 0.25 delta. 2 = within 0.05 of target | 1 = within 0.10 | 0 = none. Total the score out of 10. Grade A = 9-10, B = 7-8, C = 5-6, D = below 5. A trend score of 0 or a liquidity score of 0 caps the grade at D, whatever the total. Then show what the score points to STUDYING (not trading): - Trend score 0 -> "No Stage 2 setup". - Liquidity score 0 -> "Stock only - options too thin". - Score 7+ and CHEAP -> "Long call near 0.60 delta". - Score 7+ and MIDDLE -> "Call debit spread". - Score 7+ and RICH -> "Call spread, or cash-secured put at 0.15-0.25 delta only if you would own the shares". - Score 5-6 -> "Stock only, or wait". Below 5 -> "Watchlist only". Output one HTML dashboard: a row per ticker, colour-coded 0/1/2 chips with the underlying number under each chip, total, grade and the study note. Add the date and time the data was pulled, and this line: "Educational study tool. Not a recommendation. Verify every number in the moomoo app."
COMMON QUESTIONS
Does a grade A mean I can buy it?
No. A grade only shows how well the numbers match the rules of this study tool. It does not predict the price, and it does not know your goals, your money or your risk tolerance. A grade A can still lose.
Why does the scorecard say "stock only"?
When the options are thin (low open interest, low volume or a wide spread), getting in and out can cost a large part of the option price. The stock itself may still fit your view. Waiting is also a valid choice.
Why is the grade D when the total is 7?
If the trend step scores 0, there is no Stage 2 setup to study. If the liquidity step scores 0, the options are too thin. Either one caps the grade at D, whatever the total.
Is the "×2" expiry rule proven?
No. It is a rule of thumb used in the class, not a tested study. It aims to give the trade time to work while avoiding the fastest time decay near expiry. Always check that the chosen expiry still passes the liquidity step.
What is a cash-secured put, and why "only if you would own the shares"?
You sell a put and keep enough cash to buy 100 shares at the strike. If the price falls below the strike, you may have to buy the shares. So it only makes sense to study on a stock you would be comfortable owning. Session 5 covers this in detail.
Can this page see my moomoo account?
No. It is a plain web page with no login and no connection to any account. It cannot place orders. Anything you type stays in your browser and disappears when you refresh.
Where can I learn more?
Watch the Options Masterclass replays on moomoo and follow the Options Playbook channel in the moomoo Community. For questions about your own situation, speak to a licensed financial adviser.