Beginner track
Read the Map
Candles, zones, options, dealer hedging, the Ceiling, Floor, Flip Line and Magnet, calm vs volatile regimes, and risk first.
- 9 lessons
- 58 minutes
- 2 modules
- Free
What you’ll learn
- Read candles, timeframes and volume
- Explain why support and resistance are zones
- Describe what the Ceiling, Floor, Flip Line and Magnet are — and are not
- Tell a calm regime from a volatile one
- Size a practice trade so a losing streak is survivable
Module 1 Charts and Options Basics
How to read a price chart, why levels are zones, what an option is, and why options lose value over time.
- Lesson 1: Candles, Timeframes and VolumeRead the open, high, low and close inside a single candle, see how short candles merge into longer ones, and use volume to judge how much participation sits behind a move.6 min Completed
- Lesson 2: Support and Resistance Are Zones, Not LinesWhy traders mark price areas instead of exact prices, how repeated reactions add evidence, and how StratosHedge’s Strength Zones apply the same idea to options positioning.6 min Completed
- Lesson 3: What an Option IsCalls and puts in plain English: strike, expiration, premium, the ×100 multiplier and break-even, plus how exercise and assignment work and why options can expire worthless.6 min Completed
- Lesson 4: Why Options Lose Value: Time and Implied VolatilityAn option’s price is part intrinsic value and part time value. See why time value melts as expiration nears, how implied volatility prices in a move, and why being right on direction can still lose money.6 min Completed
Module 2 Reading the Positioning Map
Who sits on the other side of options trades, how StratosHedge levels are drawn, regimes and risk.
- Lesson 5: Who’s on the Other Side: Dealer HedgingWhen you trade an option, a dealer usually takes the other side and hedges with shares. Follow one hedge step by step and see why that hedging can calm a move or push it further.6 min Completed
- Lesson 6: Reading StratosHedge LevelsWhat the four key levels and Strength Zones on a StratosHedge chart show, how to read a zone’s thickness, and what these levels are not.7 min Completed
- Lesson 7: Calm Days vs Volatile DaysHow to read the gamma regime, why positive gamma tends to dampen moves while negative gamma tends to amplify them, and why support is less dependable on volatile days.7 min Completed
- Lesson 8: Risk FirstSize a position from a fixed risk per trade, see why losing streaks are normal and recovery is lopsided, learn what defined risk means with options, and practice before using real money.6 min Completed
- Lesson 9: Read Today’s MapPut the beginner track together: read a synthetic map in a fixed order, write an if/then plan with a trigger, an invalidation and a size, then practice with the future hidden.8 min Completed
Educational content, not investment advice. Lessons describe how markets and models tend to behave. They don’t tell anyone what to buy, sell or hold. Interactive examples use illustrative sample data, and simulator results are simulated — not actual trading. Options involve risk and are not suitable for all investors.
Risk disclosureCharacteristics and Risks of Standardized Options (OCC) (opens in a new tab)
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Visualization with context.
StratosHedge is a data intelligence company focused on organizing and visualizing market information. Our charts, analytics, estimates, alerts, and educational content are provided for informational and educational purposes only. They are not financial, investment, tax, or legal advice, or recommendations to buy, sell, or hold any security.
Investing involves risk. Investing in stocks can result in the loss of some or all money invested. Options involve substantial risk: buyers can lose the entire premium paid, and certain strategies can produce losses greater than the initial investment. Uncovered call writing can expose investors to potentially unlimited losses.
Market data and model estimates may be delayed, incomplete, or inaccurate. You are responsible for your investment decisions.
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