OptionsPlay DailyPlay Ideas Menu – August 13th, 2026

📊 What’s Driving The Market

• A cool CPI gave the Fed cover: July headline CPI rose 0.1% monthly to 3.4% year over year, in line, while core rose 0.2% to 2.5%, the softest core annual print since early 2021. Rates barely moved with the 10-year at 4.68%, but the read gave doves cover on contained tariff pass-through, nudging October and December cut odds higher and collapsing the VIX 4.78% to 14.55.
• AI infrastructure exploded on blockbuster prints: CoreWeave jumped 19.3% and Super Micro 19.0% on beats that reset the AI-buildout demand floor, pulling Dell up 9.9%, Micron 4.9%, and Oracle 5.4% higher, with the SMH up 2.1% and Nvidia up 3.0%. The signal is that the hyperscaler capex cycle is re-accelerating into the second half, with the pick-and-shovel names capturing the operating leverage first.
• Mega-cap dispersion kept the Dow flat: Even as semis and infrastructure ripped, Microsoft fell 2.26% and Meta 3.38% on profit-taking, leaving the Dow essentially unchanged and holding the S&P advance to 0.26%. Breadth was better underneath, with the Russell 2000 up 0.61% and equal-weight measures outpacing cap-weight on the cooler-inflation setup.
• Gold hit another record as oil eased: Gold closed at a fresh record $4,460.70, up 1.77%, on easing real yields, a softer dollar, and steady central-bank buying, while oil gave back a small piece of its rally with WTI down 0.63% to $82.68 as two-way Hormuz headlines let some premium out.

OptionsPlay Trade Ideas: The Daily Brief

💰 The Income Generators (High Probability, Cash Flow)

• ORCL: Selling a put spread as Oracle confirms its breakout above $150 toward $185.
• HPE: Adding to our winning position as HPE breaks out toward its 52-week highs.

🚀 The Growth Seekers (Higher Risk, Max Reward)

• No trades today for this category.

🛡️ The Portfolio Protectors (Hedges & Bearish Bets)

• No trades today for this category.

1. ORCL ($153.28): Selling Puts Into the Confirmed Breakout

• We’re betting on: Oracle has confirmed its breakout above $150 on explosive OCI and AI-backlog growth, and for ORCL to stay above $150 by expiration to capture the full credit.
• The Trade: Sell to Open the ORCL Sep 18, 2026 150/135 Put Vertical @ $6.15 Credit.
  • 🔴 SELL TO OPEN Sep 18, 2026 150 Put @ $11.75
  • 🟢 BUY TO OPEN Sep 18, 2026 135 Put @ $5.60
• Trade Metrics: POP: 56.19% | Collect $615 per contract vs. a Max Risk of $885 (1.44:1).
• The Setup: ORCL triggered our early-breakout signal earlier this week and has now broken out above its $150 resistance to $153.28 on a 5.36% move with improving relative strength, opening a path to its $185 target, though the 6-month trend is still recovering from the recent bearish leg. This week’s AI-infrastructure surge, led by CoreWeave and Super Micro, is a direct tailwind for the cloud names, and Oracle sits at the center of the theme. The fundamentals are powerful: fiscal 2026 revenue grew 17% to $67.4B with cloud infrastructure up 93% to $5.8B and remaining performance obligations up 363% to $638 billion, driven by some of the largest AI-cloud contracts in the industry from OpenAI, Meta, and Nvidia. The 150/135 put vertical collects $615 against $885 of risk with a 56.19% probability of profit and a breakeven of $143.85, back below the breakout.
• Management:
  • ⚠️ Warning: Earnings are scheduled for September 10, 2026, potentially requiring active monitoring around the event.
  • Stop Loss: Buy back the spread at $12.30 (100% loss of credit received).
  • Take Profit: Buy back the spread at $3.08 (50% of max gain).

2. HPE ($58.79): Adding to the Winner on the Breakout

• We’re betting on: Hewlett Packard Enterprise is a maximum-relative-strength leader breaking out toward new highs on AI-server and Juniper networking growth, and for HPE to stay above $56 by expiration to capture the full credit.
• The Trade: Sell to Open the HPE Sep 25, 2026 56/51 Put Vertical @ $2.26 Credit.
  • 🔴 SELL TO OPEN Sep 25, 2026 56 Put @ $5.05
  • 🟢 BUY TO OPEN Sep 25, 2026 51 Put @ $2.79
• Trade Metrics: POP: 57.03% | Collect $226 per contract vs. a Max Risk of $274 (1.21:1).
• The Setup: HPE broke out on an 8.11% move to $58.79 in a bullish 1-month and 6-month trend with relative strength at a maximum 10/10, now targeting its 52-week highs. This adds to a winner we already own: our short Sep 18 50/43 put vertical from August 4 is up about 49% (+$708), and this higher-strike Sep 25 56/51 credit spread presses the same bullish thesis. The fundamentals are exceptional: HPE raised its 2026 revenue growth outlook to 29% to 33%, its most recent quarter grew sales 40% to $10.7B, networking revenue surged 148% on the Juniper acquisition, and server revenue rose 33% on AI infrastructure demand. Note the short strike sits about 5% below the current price, so the risk-reward is a modest 1.21:1. The 56/51 put vertical collects $226 against $274 of risk with a 57.03% probability of profit and a breakeven of $53.74, below the current price.
• Management:
  • ⚠️ Warning: Earnings are scheduled for September 2, 2026, potentially requiring active monitoring around the event.
  • Stop Loss: Buy back the spread at $4.52 (100% loss of credit received).
  • Take Profit: Buy back the spread at $1.13 (50% of max gain).