Opinions Richard Croft
SPDR S&P 500 ETFSPYCOMMENTOct 10, 2013
Richard CroftStock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jun 08, 2026. Market Open.
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Major concern about this one is that it's really a technology ETF, given that 8 or 9 of the top 10 names are tech names. 40% of the S&P 500 is tech or tech-oriented, and we've never before seen this concentration. That's quite a bit of risk with so much exposure to one sector. Index is not as safe as it was 10 years ago.
Technology in this new world is exciting, but it's not cheap. Though earnings growth is very strong, how far will we let PE's go before we say they're too expensive?
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Premium contentThe SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) is a well-established exchange-traded fund that seeks to provide investment results that, before expenses, generally correspond to the price and yield performance of the S&P 500 Index. The ETF holds a wide array of stocks, providing broad exposure to the U.S. large-cap equity market. Established by State Street Global Advisors, SPY is a popular investment vehicle among individual and institutional investors due to its diversification, liquidity, and historical performance. Social media mentions are up 4% in the past 24h.
He did a put spread on May 2, the 500-520 end of July put spread. He wasn't concerned about NVDA or tech, but to the market's reaction broadly to Nividia's earnings. Rally broadening in the S&P had not happened. You're limiting your downside with a spread. He bought back the 500 put, which leads him long only the 599 outs.
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Your opinion of the Iron Condor Option strategy? To reverse the Straddle (see Past Picks) instead of buying a Call and a Put, you sell a Call and Put. Rather than saying that the underlying security is going to breach either end of the trading range, it is probably going to stay within that trading range. To do that, you sell a Call above where the stock is trading now and you sell a Put below where the stock is trading now and that becomes your trading channel. The risk is if the stock pops or drops. If it pops through the top you have unlimited risk. An Iron Condor is where you buy another Call further up and another Put further down, which is hedging your position. If you can get the 4 trades on at a reasonable commission, fine but this can eat you alive with costs.