


QuantifiedStrategies.com
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@QuantifiedStrat
Daily backtested quant edges on Stocks/ETFs/Futures. 1000+ algo trading strategies tested since 2012. Full library: https://t.co/Op6cQYH2VZ





This is how you make money in stocks on the third Friday of the month: Trading rules based on market imbalances: Adjust each stock’s closing price based on the movement of the S&P 500 futures. This gives you the fair value for the stock. For example, if futures points to a 0.5% higher open, mark the stock’s fair value as 0.5% above the prior close. Next, place both buy and sell orders around this fair value. A buy order at x% below, and a short order at x% above. For instance, you might buy 0.5% below fair value and short 0.5% above it. Simple and mechanical. You need to send many orders. At the open, some will get filled while many don’t. On busy days, you could end up with positions in as many as 200 tickers. Exits are handled with a mix of profit targets and time-based exits. These are the basic rules, but you most likely need a few twists. We have been trading these imbalances and it has always been the most profitable day of the month (on average). However, for retail traders, it’s not easy to trade it because you need to send a large number of limit orders (open only orders). This takes buying power and automation. Moreover, you never know how many fills or stocks you will end up with. We used to send over a thousand orders. The logic behind the strategy: A large portion of global index derivative trading activity centers on products tied to the S&P 500 index (SPX). Many of these derivatives, like certain futures and options, are “a.m.-settled,” meaning their final payoff price is determined by the index’s opening price on the third Friday of the month, known as the Special Opening Quotation (SOQ). These settlement prices have been consistently biased upwards for the last 25 years. Here is the specific price pattern: 1. Drift Up: S&P 500 equity prices drift steadily upward from the close of regular trading on Thursday to the open on the 3rd Friday morning (9:30 AM E.T.). On these specific days, the SOQ exceeds the previous closing price by an average of 18 basis points (0.18%). 2. Sharp Reversal: Immediately after the derivative payoffs are calculated at the open, the price rise reverses sharply, falling back down by about noon the same day. This creates a distinctive “tent-shaped reversal pattern”. It is confined specifically to the a.m. settlement window. It is also documented in other major indices that use a.m. settlements, such as the Nasdaq 100 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average. #DayTrading




