The Trading Addict · Issue No. 88 · Thursday September 24, 2026

Lisa Su's AMD Moment

AMD crossed $1 trillion in market cap this week, and CEO Lisa Su joined First Lady Melania Trump at the NYSE — with a stop at the Trump-Xi state dinner next. Plus Michael Burry raises his bets against the AI boom while buying beaten-down names, and SpaceX's president files to sell $52 million in stock just before Starship Flight 14.

The Trading Addict Newsletter · by Maria Helmick

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The Trading Addict

Issue No. 88 • Thursday September 24, 2026

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In This Issue

Lisa Su's AMD Moment — AMD crossed $1 trillion in market cap. Su joined the First Lady at the NYSE and will attend the Trump-Xi state dinner. Data Center revenue +107%. Jump to this story →

42 Capital Fund — Accredited investors: learn more about our fund. Jump to this story →

Burry Raises His Bet Against the AI Boom — Adds shorts in Micron, Nebius, Palantir, SOXX. Buys QXO, Build-A-Bear, Sprouts, Birkenstock, MercadoLibre. Maria's BL inside. Jump to this story →

SpaceX: Buy Before Liftoff—or Wait for the Dust to Settle? — President Gwynne Shotwell files to sell ~$52M in stock. Starship Flight 14 targets Sept 28. Maria's BL inside. Jump to this story →

Math Makes Money · 40,000 Trades. 11 Months. — Go inside our SPX strategy. Nick Battista + Rob Helmick. Live access. One flat monthly fee. Cancel anytime. Jump to this story →

Today's Top Winners & Biggest Losers — PANW +5.00%, CRWD ~+5.00%, PLTR +3.68% lead. PAYX -8.77%, EXPE -7.72%, ABNB -7.56% lag. Jump to this story →

October Earnings Watch — The month ahead at a glance. Jump to this story →

Two Days Left. Plenty to Move Markets. — Sep 24-25: jobless claims, new home sales, Trump-Xi summit, Meta Connect, Costco earnings, durable goods, Michigan sentiment. Jump to this story →

Technology & Semiconductor Heatmap — Where the money moved Sep 23. Jump to this story →

Day 234 · Wed Sep 23 Trading Update — $1M −$14,500 (298 tr) cum $693,343 (+69.33%). $30K +$265 (31 tr) cum $24,530 (+81.77%). Jump to this story →

Today's Live Show — Watch Rob and Nick on YouTube — 9:15 AM & 3:15 PM ET. Jump to this story →

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Maria's Bottom Line

I'd like to know exactly how Burry is structuring these trades. His timing may be very different from mine. As a short put seller, I focus on shorter holding periods and taking profits when they're available. I may be in and out of several trades before his longer-term concerns play out, though a sudden market shift can always arrive sooner than expected.

Maria's Bottom Line

I use dips to sell out-of-the-money puts at a strike where I'd be comfortable owning the shares. If I'm assigned, the premium collected lowers my effective purchase price. Otherwise, I keep the premium and look for another opportunity. I was hoping to own some shares by now, but my puts keep turning into winning trades instead. I suppose getting paid to wait isn't such a bad problem to have! Next time, I may choose a strike closer to the market price to increase the chance of assignment—as long as it's still a price I'm willing to pay.

Meet Nick Battista

A former tastylive host and now a full partner in Math Makes Money, Nick built his teaching approach around the questions traders actually ask. On Options Trading Concepts LIVE, he worked through options concepts with viewers in real time.

Members get that same practical approach through live discussions, instruction, and direct access for questions. Bring a trade, a setup, or something you do not understand, and work through it with someone who knows the options market.

Meet Rob Helmick

Rob began trading stocks in 1985 and moved to full-time options trading in 2020. He was an attorney, the Founder and CEO of eCollege.com, which he took public and retired at age 42. He brings decades of market experience and a background in business and technology to his trading.

His SPX bot grew out of millions of backtests examining entry times, premium target, exit, stop loss settings, and many other variables. He turned those findings into programmed trading rules, trades the strategies himself, and continues to monitor and review their performance daily.