Issue No. 22  •  Monday June 22, 2026

THE TRADING ADDICT

NEWSLETTER

by Maria Helmick

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» Story No. 1 of 2 · Market Update

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Iran/Hormuz Update: Futures Cautious, Oil Higher

The market may be used to war headlines, but oil is the part it cannot ignore.

Iran has again put the Strait of Hormuz back in focus, and the immediate market reaction is clear: oil moved higher and futures turned cautious.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important oil chokepoints. When traffic slows there, the market does not treat it like a normal headline. It becomes an oil story, an inflation story, and potentially a Fed story.

Reuters reported that shipping through the strait slowed sharply, with 5 vessels passing Sunday versus 26 the day before. Reuters also reported Brent near $81 and WTI near $78.62 as oil rose on renewed Hormuz risk.

Market read: This is not panic yet. It is caution. Futures were weaker, but the move was not a full risk-off break. The market is watching oil first.

Why This Matters

The market has become used to Middle East headlines. Traders have seen threats, ceasefires, peace talks, and breakdowns before. Most of the time, stocks flinch and then buyers come back.

This one matters because oil is involved. If oil keeps rising, inflation pressure can come back into the conversation. If inflation looks sticky, the Fed has less room to cut rates. If rate-cut expectations weaken, high-growth stocks and expensive tech names have less room for error.

Hormuz risk → oil higher → inflation pressure → higher-rate risk → pressure on stocks

What Futures Are Saying

Sunday-night futures were lower, but not collapsing. That means investors are not treating this as a sell-everything event yet.

The next tell is Monday morning. If futures open lower and buyers step in, the market is likely treating this as another geopolitical scare that can be faded. If futures keep leaking lower while oil keeps climbing, the market is saying this is becoming an inflation and Fed problem.

The Key Market Test

The main risk is not the war headline by itself. The main risk is oil staying elevated long enough to affect inflation expectations.

That is why this is different from a normal headline scare. A war headline can fade. An oil shock is harder to ignore.

The AI trade is still the key market leader. If NVIDIA, Micron, and the semiconductor group hold up, the market may look past the geopolitical risk. If those leaders weaken while oil rises, that would be a more serious warning.

Maria’s Bottom Line I’m not panicking over this, but I’m also not ignoring it. The market has seen plenty of war headlines before, and a lot of them get faded fast. But oil is different. If oil keeps pushing higher, this can turn from a headline problem into an inflation problem — and that is where the market starts to care. For me, Monday is about the reaction, not the headline. If futures dip and buyers step in, then the market is saying, “We’ve seen this before.” But if futures keep sliding while oil keeps rising, that tells me traders are starting to get more defensive. I still think the AI trade is the key. If NVIDIA, Micron, and the chip names hold up, the market can probably look past this. If those leaders start to break, then I get more cautious. So no, I’m not chasing fear. But I’m not getting sloppy either. This is a buying-power-under-control market.

Educational only. Not financial advice.

» Story No. 2 of 2 · Stock Split Watch

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CrowdStrike Splits 4-for-1

Easier to Trade, Not Cheaper

CrowdStrike is doing a 4-for-1 stock split, and CRWD is about to look much cheaper on the screen.

But that lower price tag does not mean the company is cheaper.

A split simply cuts the same pie into more pieces. If CRWD were around $680 before the split, it would be around $170 after. Same company. Same value. More shares.

Key date for traders: July 2, 2026. That is when CRWD is expected to begin trading at the lower split-adjusted price. The record date is June 25. Extra shares are paid after the close on July 1. For traders, July 2 is the date that matters.

The reason this matters is options access. A lower stock price can make strikes easier to work with and may bring more retail attention, more volume, and more activity in the options chain.

That does not make the trade automatic. Split excitement can move a stock in the short term, but after the hype fades, the market goes right back to fundamentals: growth, margins, valuation, competition, and cash flow.

Revenue: grew 26% to $1.39 billion Annual recurring revenue: climbed to $5.51 billion Free cash flow: hit $468 million

CrowdStrike is not a weak company trying to manufacture a headline. It is one of the strongest names in cybersecurity, and that is why the split is getting attention.

But CRWD is still priced like a premium growth leader. The bar is high, and the company still has to earn that valuation every quarter.

What This Means for Options Traders

This is where the split becomes interesting. Lower strikes may make covered calls, short puts, cash-secured puts, and poor man’s covered calls easier to structure.

The key is not the split itself. The key is whether the post-split options chain has enough premium, enough liquidity, and a clean enough setup to justify the risk.

Maria’s Bottom Line I like the split because it should make CRWD easier to trade, especially for options. The date I care about is July 2, when the stock should begin trading at the split-adjusted price and the options chain resets. But I am not buying CRWD just because it is splitting. I want the setup, the premium, and the risk/reward to make sense first. If the options chain stays attractive and the stock pulls back into a cleaner setup, I may consider selling puts. If CRWD runs only because of split hype, I’m not chasing it. Great company. Better trading vehicle after the split. Still not a chase.

Educational only. Not financial advice.

Apply to The AI Trading Institute Learn How We Actually Build, Run, and Update Our AI Trading Robot Phil The next class starts Monday, July 6. The waitlist closes Tuesday, July 1 at 5:00 PM ET. Seats are limited and the group is curated. Rob reviews every application personally and does a personal interview with each applicant via Zoom. APPLY AT MATHMAKESMONEY.COM →

Math Makes Money TRADES OF THE WEEK 0DTE SPX  •  $30K SCHWAB ACCOUNT Week of June 22, 2026

Entry (ET) Premium Type Wings Stop 11:53 AM $3.00 MEIC 50W 95% 12:00 PM $2.25 MEIC 50W 95% 3:09 PM $3.50 MEIC 50W 95% 3:09 PM $2.25 MEIC 50W 95% 3:30 PM $3.00 MEIC 50W 95% 3:44 PM $1.45 MEIC 50W 95% All trades 0dte SPX iron condors on the $30K Schwab account. MEIC = Multiple Entry Iron Condor. 50W = 50-wide wings. 95% = stop loss on short leg. No profit target — let trades expire.

Risk Warning At the time of this writing, we plan on entering most of these trades, but they are part of a much greater and larger trading program and should be considered for educational and entertainment purposes only. Not financial advice of any kind. Trading involves substantial risk and is not suitable for every investor. You can lose some or all of your money. Nothing here is financial advice or a recommendation to buy, sell, or copy any trade. Do not copy trades blindly. Do your own due diligence, understand the risk, and make decisions based on your own account, risk tolerance, and financial situation.

Join the Live Daily Show Mon–Fri 3:25 PM ET  •  Sun 5:55 PM ET Live trading with the AI robot. Ask Maria and Rob questions in the YouTube chat. A community of trading addicts. ►  WATCH ON YOUTUBE JOIN THE TRADING ADDICT DISCORD →

» Daily Trading Update · Day 169 · Tap for live dashboard

Strong close to Week 36 (Thu Jun 18 — Juneteenth holiday closed Friday). Combined 0dte +$18,429 on 252 trades. Grand Total $1,299,757 — back toward $1.3M.

» Quick Short · Watch on YouTube CRWD Split + Hormuz Tensions Maria breaks down the week ahead ►  WATCH ON YOUTUBE