Free · Education only

Learn earnings options — step by step

Plain-language guides on how options behave around earnings: what the market prices in, why IV rises then collapses, and how to read a stock’s history before the next report.

1

Beginner — start here

If earnings options are new to you, read these first. They explain what the options market is pricing in and why being right on direction often isn’t enough.

Recommended order
Start here

What is IV crush?

Why options can lose value after earnings even when the stock moves your way — with a numeric example.

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Essential

What is the implied move?

The market’s expected earnings move from options prices — your main yardstick for every report.

Read article
Tool

Expected move calculator

Type stock price + ATM straddle for a quick ±% estimate — then join for live moves on every ticker.

Open calculator
Tool

IV crush calculator

Estimate how hard a post-earnings IV drop can hit premium — educational inputs only; join for live research.

Open calculator
Essential

How to calculate the implied move

ATM straddle method with a numeric example — how to read the figure before any report.

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Foundation

What is earnings volatility?

Why IV spikes into earnings and collapses after — the full pre/post cycle in plain language.

Read article
Foundation

Options before earnings

What to check before buying or selling premium: implied move, IV rank, and move history.

Read article
Foundation

Implied vs historical volatility

Backward-looking realized moves vs forward-looking options pricing — and why the gap widens into earnings.

Read article
Calendar

When is earnings season?

Q1–Q4 start and end dates, peak weeks, and why volatility clusters in these stretches.

Read article
Updated weekly

Earnings this week

Notable reporters and the implied move options are pricing for each — refreshed every week.

See calendar
2

Intermediate — mechanics & structures

Once you understand implied move and IV crush, these guides cover the full earnings-volatility cycle and how common structures behave around the event.

Volatility cycle
Before earnings

IV rush before earnings

Why implied volatility builds into the report and how the pre-earnings IV curve behaves.

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After earnings

IV crush after earnings

How much IV drops, how long it lasts, and what it means for long vs short premium.

Read article
Comparison

IV rush vs IV crush

The two halves of the cycle — same driver, opposite direction, side by side.

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Comparison

IV crush vs theta decay

Gradual daily time decay vs the sudden one-session IV collapse — with a worked example.

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After the gap

Post-earnings drift (PEAD)

Why many stocks keep moving in the direction of the initial reaction for several sessions.

Read article
Seasonal & sector
Jul 2026 season

Bank earnings & options

JPM, BAC, GS, WFC, C on July 14 — average moves, live implied moves and what bank season means for IV.

Read guide
Jul 2026 season

Tech earnings & options

Mag 7 + semis hub — TSLA Jul 22, NFLX Jul 17, and move history for every mega-cap tech reporter.

Read guide
Calendar

When is earnings season?

Q2 2026 starts mid-July when the banks report — quarter-by-quarter 2026 dates.

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Weekly

Earnings this week

Every stock reporting this week and the move options are pricing in — refreshed weekly.

See calendar
Structures & metrics
Structure

Straddle vs strangle

Cost vs breakeven, IV crush exposure, and when each long-vol structure fits around earnings.

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Structure

Iron condor vs iron butterfly

Two defined-risk ways to sell IV crush — profit zones, max loss, and when each fits.

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Metric

IV rank vs IV percentile

Two ways to measure whether IV is high or low relative to its own history.

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Decision

Hold options through earnings?

How IV crush and the implied move work against long options — framed as education, not advice.

Read article
3

Advanced — case studies & data

Longer walkthroughs, transparent backtest recaps, and cross-stock studies.

Data studies
Study

Who beats the implied move?

Cross-stock ranking: how often actual moves exceed what options priced in — from ~25% (NVDA) to ~69% (NKE).

Read study
68 trades

Earnings volatility signals review

Forward-tracked Long Vol and Short Vol scorecard — win rate, expectancy, and capital simulation.

Read study
67 trades

IV Rush strategy recap

Pre-earnings trades that capture the IV run-up and exit before the report.

Read study
Case studies & walkthroughs
Featured · MCP

How a member built a trading OS with EW MCP

ChatGPT/Cursor + IV Rush research → NFLX paper trade → journal. Real member workflow you can copy.

Read case study
NVDA

NVDA May 2023: IV crush case study

How often NVIDIA beats its implied move (~25%), IV crush, and the May 2023 blow-out.

Read case study
NVDA

Long-vol lottos vs defined-risk short vol

Rare huge wins vs capped-loss income structures against 20–30% earnings gaps.

Read walkthrough
Walkthrough

Planning & exiting long vol

Compare implied to history, pick expirations, and plan entries and exits around the event.

Read walkthrough
Overview

Options around earnings — overview

IV rush, movers vs non-movers, and how to read implied vs historical for any name.

Read article
IV Rush

The power of IV Rush

How IV behaves into earnings and how to think about pre-earnings straddles and strangles.

Read article
Short vol

Options selling around earnings

IV rush/crush, past move distributions, and calibrating premium-selling structures.

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Common mistakes
Caution

Why 0DTE SPY calls lose

Multi-year backtest: ATM and OTM 0DTE calls bleed capital — theta and no edge.

Read article
Caution

Why selling calls is a trap

“Easy income” until one earnings gap wipes the account — and why defined risk matters.

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July 2026 ticker playbooks
Jul 30

Apple (AAPL)

July 30 AMC — live implied ~±5.3%, cooling regime, ~44% beat rate.

Read playbook
Jul 22

Tesla (TSLA)

July 22 AMC — live implied ~±7.7%.

Read playbook
Jul 23

Intel (INTC)

July 23 AMC — live implied ~±15.2%, heating semis.

Read playbook
Jul 29

Arm (ARM)

July 29 AMC — live implied ~±19.6%, extreme tail.

Read playbook
Jul 28

Visa (V)

July 28 AMC — live implied ~±4.9%.

Read playbook
Jul 29

P&G (PG)

July 29 BMO — staple earnings, ~±5.0% implied.

Read playbook
Jul 16

Netflix (NFLX)

July 16 AMC — day-of implied ~±8.9%.

Read playbook
Hub

Tech earnings hub

Mag 7 + semis calendar with playbook links.

Read hub
Quick glossary — earnings vocabulary
Implied moveMarket-implied % move from the ATM straddle. Compare to actual move history.
IV crushSharp IV drop after the report; compresses premiums on held options.
IV rushIV build-up into the report as uncertainty is priced in.
Actual moveRealized % change from close before release to first close after.
AMC / BMOAfter market close vs before open — determines which expiration carries event risk.
Beat rateHow often the actual move exceeds the options-implied move.
PEADPost-earnings announcement drift — continuation after the initial gap.
BreakevenPrice band where a structure’s P/L flips on the event day.

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