I just wrapped up a deep dive into what I'm calling the "real report card" for 2025 so far…and the results might surprise you.
Some tech names are ripping, while others are getting absolutely crushed. I'm talking over 100% rebounds on stocks like Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) and nearly 50% haircuts on household names like Lululemon (NASDAQ:LULU).
So today, I want to break down exactly what's leading and what’s lagging as we enter the second half of the year, how I'm trading both sides of the tape using simple, strategic spreads and why I think the biggest opportunities right now lie in playing both ends of the market.
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Let’s start with what’s working.
I ran my latest scans across the top 425 most liquid optionable stocks (out of tens of thousands) to see who is sitting at their year-to-date highs and who is sitting at the lows.
The winners? They're almost all in tech and exchanges.
Micron (NASDAQ:MU), Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO), Robinhood (NASDAQ:HOOD), Paramount (NASDAQ:PARA) and Coinbase are all trading at or near their 25-week highs, and they're telling a clear story about where strength is showing up in this market.
We've got semiconductors, legacy tech, disruptive fintech, crypto infrastructure and streaming media all making the list.
That's not random.
MU and CSCO represent two ends of the tech spectrum—one a chipmaker riding the AI and memory boom, the other a networking heavyweight benefiting from increased infrastructure spend. Both are showing signs of quiet accumulation.
HOOD and COIN are riding the same tailwind: a resurgence in retail interest and the rebound in crypto. COIN, in particular, has been a standout. It's already doubled since bottoming out in early April, making it one of the biggest comeback stories in the market right now. That kind of V-shaped move tells me institutional money is quietly stepping back in.
And then there's Paramount. With ongoing rumors and a push toward streaming consolidation, PARA has become a speculative favorite in certain corners of the market.
Now, when you zoom out and look at this group as a whole, there's a clear theme: Capital is flowing back into high-leverage, high-beta names—but it's doing so selectively. This isn't a broad-based rally. It's precise. And it's rotating into names with clear catalysts, strong relative strength and just enough volatility to make the options worth trading.
That's exactly the type of setup I look for.
It's the kind of strength that doesn't happen by accident, the kind that has real momentum behind the crypto comeback. And COIN is acting as a high-beta proxy for Bitcoin itself.
So, let's talk strategy.
When I pulled this data, COIN was trading around $309. The August 310 calls were going for about $31, roughly 10% of the stock price. That’s a bit rich for a single-leg call.
So, how do we lower cost and risk?
By structuring a call spread. For example, buying the 310 and selling the 320 call could be done for around $5. That cuts your risk nearly in half and sets up a clean 1:1 reward-to-risk ratio if COIN climbs another 10 points. And if you prefer something more aggressive? Using the 330 and 340 calls in this spread instead could cost you as little as $3 and up to $7 in potential upside (although you’d need a bigger move to get there).
That's how we use the market's pricing inefficiencies to our advantage. But what about the losers?
Tilray (NASDAQ:TLRY), JD.com (NASDAQ:JD), Lululemon and Luminar (NASDAQ:LAZR) are sitting at the bottom of the pile, each trading at or near their 25-week lows. And while names like Tilray are already so beaten down that further downside may be limited, LULU caught my eye.
This is still an expensive stock, with real room to fall.
After a rough series of earnings, LULU has slipped from over $420 earlier this year to around $227. Even with better-than-expected numbers, the stock has struggled to recover, and that's not a good sign.
So, how do we position ourselves for further weakness?
The 225 puts are going for about $8. But opening a 225/220 put spread would only cost a little over $2. That caps risk, improves breakeven, and still leaves the door open for a potential double.
We'll soon take a deeper dive into the best trading strategies of the year. But first, I wanted to give you an example of the power in blocking out the noise of the 24/7 news cycle – and understanding what the market is really doing beneath the surface.
Whether it's a tech breakout like Coinbase or a weak rebound like Lululemon, the opportunities are there—you just need to know where to look and how to trade them smartly.
Editorial content from our expert contributors is intended to be information for the general public and not individualized investment advice. Editors/contributors are presenting their individual opinions and strategies, which are neither expressly nor impliedly approved or endorsed by Benzinga.
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