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Interactive Options Course
Posted September 17, 2025 at 11:30 am
Using Trading Central’s Technical Insight screener, U.S. equities with listed options were identified based on confirmed bullish classic technical patterns, indicating a potential price appreciation of at least 15%.
Complementing this technical analysis, TC Fundamental Insight offers a streamlined evaluation of company fundamentals by distilling complex financial statements into key metrics spanning Value, Growth, Momentum, Income, and Quality. Employing quantitative analysis, this tool provides both a comprehensive fundamental assessment and a 12-month price target estimate, enabling efficient investment decision-making without requiring advanced accounting expertise. To enhance the selection process, a minimum TC Quantamental score of 50 out of 100 was applied, filtering for companies with strong overall fundamental profiles.
Finally, TC Options Insight was utilized to identify the most effective bullish options strategies, focusing on defined-risk approaches that limit downside exposure while maximizing the probability of achieving the targeted upside.
Shopify Inc. (SHOP: NASDAQ) confirmed a bullish Symmetrical Continuation Triangle with a target price in the range of $168 to $172. The price has broken upward out of a consolidation period, suggesting a continuation of the prior uptrend.
Image Source: Trading Central Technical Insight (Available to Interactive brokers clients)
A Symmetrical Continuation Triangle (Bullish) shows two converging trendlines as prices reach lower highs and higher lows. Volume diminishes as the price swings back and forth between an increasingly narrow range reflecting uncertainty in the market direction. Then well before the triangle reaches its apex, the price breaks out above the upper trendline with a noticeable increase in volume, confirming the pattern as a continuation of the prior uptrend.
Stock performance varies across different phases of the economic cycle. Tc Fundamental Insight Nowcasting addresses the lag in traditional economic reports by leveraging daily economic announcements to determine whether the economy is currently in Recovery, Expansion, Slowdown, or Recession. As the economy moves from recovery into expansion, Shopify is supported by strong fundamentals. Its Quantamental rating of 59 reflects solid overall positioning, driven by high scores in Momentum (86), Quality (76), and Growth (68). These strengths align well with phases of the cycle where innovation and execution drive performance. However, its weak Value score (20) underscores a premium valuation, which could pose a headwind if market conditions shift toward a preference for cheaper, defensive assets. Overall, SHOP’s growth and momentum profile make it well-suited for the early expansion phase, with valuation risk being the main factor to monitor.
Image Source: Trading Central Fundamental Insight (Available to Interactive brokers clients)
To efficiently capture upside potential in Shopify while limiting downside, Trading Central’s Options Insight highlights a bull call spread as the preferred strategy. By buying the $145 call and selling the $160 call expiring October 17, investors establish a $15-wide spread that falls neatly within SHOP’s expected price range by expiry. The strategy offers an attractive risk/reward: maximum loss is capped at $549, while potential profit reaches $951. Importantly, the structure improves probability of profit relative to a straight long call (45% vs. 39%) by offsetting part of the premium cost with the short $160 call.
What makes this setup especially compelling is that it aligns directly with Trading Central’s broader analysis. SHOP’s strong Quantamental ratings in Momentum (86), Quality (76), and Growth (68), paired with a bullish technical pattern projecting a move toward the $168–172 zone, reinforce the case for moderate upside into October. The bull call spread captures this outlook efficiently by targeting gains within the technically projected range, while simultaneously controlling downside risk, making it the strategy most consistent with Trading Central’s combined fundamental, technical, and options framework.
Image Source: Trading Central Options Insight
Options Insight was designed to educate retail stock traders that have never considered trading options, the benefits of options strategies that replicate being long stock with less downside risk and learn the importance of volatility and expected price movement in the strike price selection process.
Trading Central is a global leader in financial market research and investment analytics for retail online brokers and institutions. Trading Central’s product suite provides actionable trading ideas based on technical and fundamental research covering stocks, ETFs, indices, forex, options, and commodities.
Click here to sign up to our free daily ETF trade idea newsletter. Trade ideas are based on Technical Events identified by Trading Central.
The investment ideas presented here are for information only. They do not constitute advice or a recommendation by Trading Central in respect of the investment in financial instruments. Investors should conduct further research before investing.
Gary Christie is the General Manager and Director North American research at Trading Central in Ottawa.
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Originally Posted on September 16, 2025
Information posted on IBKR Campus that is provided by third-parties does NOT constitute a recommendation that you should contract for the services of that third party. Third-party participants who contribute to IBKR Campus are independent of Interactive Brokers and Interactive Brokers does not make any representations or warranties concerning the services offered, their past or future performance, or the accuracy of the information provided by the third party. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
This material is from Trading Central and is being posted with its permission. The views expressed in this material are solely those of the author and/or Trading Central and Interactive Brokers is not endorsing or recommending any investment or trading discussed in the material. This material is not and should not be construed as an offer to buy or sell any security. It should not be construed as research or investment advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security or commodity. This material does not and is not intended to take into account the particular financial conditions, investment objectives or requirements of individual customers. Before acting on this material, you should consider whether it is suitable for your particular circumstances and, as necessary, seek professional advice.
Options involve risk and are not suitable for all investors. For information on the uses and risks of options, you can obtain a copy of the Options Clearing Corporation risk disclosure document titled Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options by going to the following link ibkr.com/occ. Multiple leg strategies, including spreads, will incur multiple transaction costs.
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