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Let me tell you what’s been absolutely wild this week — retail has been crushing it while the rest of the market is barely hanging on.
Well, hanging on before today’s big sell-off…
And I’m not talking about modest gains here. I’m talking about explosive moves that felt like they came out of nowhere.
Target (TGT) has been one of the gifts this week, and I’m not exaggerating. The stock was up almost 2% in one session, and it just kept hitting new highs throughout the week.
But here’s where it gets really interesting — those December monthly expiration, $101 strike calls on TGT were up over 500% earlier this week.
Yeah, you read that right… Five. Hundred. Percent.
And the kicker? I sold mine early and missed out on another 200% move. That’s the game sometimes. But even with that kind of explosive move, the December 101 calls still had decent liquidity, which is rare when the broader market is illiquid.
The Home Depot Mystery That Paid Off
TGT wasn’t the only retail name making noise.
Home Depot (HD) caught my attention with unusual call buying activity, and at first I didn’t jump on it. Big mistake.
Those HD calls I was watching moved from 18 cents to 59, and then the stock started ripping higher. Someone clearly knew something with those cheap HD calls, and I should’ve listened to that signal.
When I saw it take off on the Penny Options Dashboard later, all I could think was…
I should’ve grabbed those.
The problem traders are dealing with right now is the total lack of liquidity across the market. It makes entries tougher, exits even tougher and fills unpredictable. But that also means when something finally catches momentum, it explodes because there’s no resistance on the way up.
Retail stocks have been the perfect example of that dynamic — fast moves in thin conditions.
The Retail Sector Theme You Can’t Ignore
Here’s the bigger picture — once TGT started showing strength, other retail names began lighting up too. Nike (NKE) has been ripping right alongside it, and Walmart (WMT) has been putting in solid performance as well.
When multiple names in the same sector start moving together, that’s not noise. That’s coordinated sector strength you can’t afford to ignore.
And this is happening in a market where tech has been stumbling — the Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) is getting pummeled today — and small caps are showing minor signs of life. The Russell 2000 (IWM) was up big yesterday, though it is giving back some gains today.
Retail decided to flex while other sectors lagged, and if you weren’t tuned into those rotations, you missed one hell of a move.
The lesson here is simple: Don’t fight sector momentum when it starts building. Retail was supposed to be dead money, but instead it became the trade of the week. Sometimes the market doesn’t follow the script everyone expects — and that’s exactly when the biggest opportunities show up.
Order Flow:
This is for informational and educational purposes only. These are not official alerts issued by Lance, but rather some interesting orders picked by the team at Lance Ippolito Trading.
When you look at these plays, always take the market maker move into consideration.
You can be right on the direction but still lose money if the stock doesn’t move enough. That’s where the market maker move comes in clutch.
With puts, they’re often downside hedges in case a stock tanks, especially around earnings. The further out of the money they are, the more likely they are to be hedges.
Also be sure and check when the company’s earnings date is because many of the plays we post here are centered around earnings!
If a stock is really expensive, consider a spread to lower the cost.
And finally, always remember the golden rule when it comes to buying calls: Buy dips, sell rips — and don’t chase!
If a stock’s moved a ton already today, maybe wait for a pullback.
There is inherent risk in trading. Trade at your own risk.
Note: If no date is listed after the month, it’s the monthly expiration (third Friday).
The team at Lance Ippolito Trading
Lance doesn’t want the CCP spying on him, so you’ll never find him on TikTok. Same goes for other social media sites, which are filled with impersonators, scammers and crypto bros.
You can only find him on his personal YouTube Channel — smash that Subscribe button! https://www.youtube.com/@LanceIppolito
And in his private Telegram channel: https://t.me/+-gVwEIwGJhplMTgx
Important Note: No one from the team at Lance Ippolito Trading, New Money Crew or any of its associated brands will ever contact you directly on Telegram.
*This is for informational and educational purposes only. There is inherent risk in trading, so trade at your own risk.
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We develop tools and strategies to the best of our ability, but no one can guarantee the future. There is always a risk of loss when trading past performance is not indicative of future results. Stated results are from live published alerts between 2/20/25 and 12/8/2025. The win rate has been 89.2% on the options with an average return of 13.66% over a six-hour hold time.
