NewsletterDailyMonday, May 18, 2026
Daily Market Briefing — Monday, May 18, 2026 | CoveredCalls.live
Daily Market Briefing
Monday, May 18, 2026
S&P 500 (SPY)
▼ 738.65
-0.07%
Nasdaq (QQQ)
▼ 705.88
-0.43%
VIX
0.00%
Market Close
SymbolName CloseChangeRange
SPY SPDR S&P 500 ETF $738.65 -0.07% $741.41 / $733.39
QQQ Invesco Nasdaq QQQ $705.88 -0.43% $712.07 / $698.85
DIA Dow Jones ETF $497.01 +0.33% $497.64 / $493.60
IWM Russell 2000 ETF $275.97 -0.59% $279.08 / $273.94
Top News Today
1

Bank of England does not need to hike interest rates, says IMF — it may even need to cut

The Bank of England is expected to hold and even potentially hike interest rates this year in response to resurgent inflation sparked by the Iran war.

CNBC
2

Ominous bond trades point to much higher rates

The put bets would be a bet on a yield spike since bond prices (value of the TLT fund) move inversely to rates.

CNBC
3

Trump may have to wait for rate cuts until the Iran war is over, he tells Fortune - Reuters

Trump may have to wait for rate cuts until the Iran war is over, he tells Fortune  Reuters

Reuters
4

Dollar retreats as traders focus on Iran, Fed policy - Reuters

Dollar retreats as traders focus on Iran, Fed policy  Reuters

Reuters
5

No deal, no exit: How US-Iran standoff risks fresh conflict - Reuters

No deal, no exit: How US-Iran standoff risks fresh conflict  Reuters

Reuters
6

US extends sanctions waiver on Russian oil to aid vulnerable countries - Reuters

US extends sanctions waiver on Russian oil to aid vulnerable countries  Reuters

Reuters
7

Trump says he paused attack on Iran as negotiations continue - Reuters

Trump says he paused attack on Iran as negotiations continue  Reuters

Reuters
8

Trump administration ends civil, criminal cases against Adani after $10 billion investment promise - Reuters

Trump administration ends civil, criminal cases against Adani after $10 billion investment promise  Reuters

Reuters
Economic Releases — Today
EventImpact ActualEstimate
Fed Venable Speech ★★
NAHB Housing Market Index ★★ 37 35
Net Long-term TIC Flows ★★ 81.3$
NY Fed Services Activity Index -5.8
3-Month Bill Auction 3.6%
6-Month Bill Auction 3.615%
Foreign Bond Investment 13.5$
Overall Net Capital Flows 150.7$
Tomorrow's High-Impact Events ★★★
EventPriorityEstimate
No high-impact releases tomorrow.

Only 3-star (high impact) events shown. Check Investing.com for full calendar.

Earnings This Week
SymbolCompany EPS Est.Date
KLAR KLARNA GROUP PLC $-0.37 2026-05-18
KOD KODIAK SCIENCES INC $-0.70 2026-05-18
NBIS NEBIUS GROUP N.V. - CLASS A $-0.81 2026-05-18
QFIN 360 DIGITECH INC $1.06 2026-05-18
AS AMER SPORTS INC $0.30 2026-05-19
BILI BILIBILI INCORPORATED $0.09 2026-05-19
HD HOME DEPOT INC $3.42 2026-05-19
PANW PALO ALTO NETWORKS INC $0.43 2026-05-19
PONY PONY AI INC 2026-05-19
VIK VIKING HOLDINGS LIMITED $-0.12 2026-05-19

⚡ Picks with earnings before expiry are flagged. Manage risk accordingly.

Covered Call Picks — 30 to 360 Days

Top-scoring covered call setups from today's scan. Selected for balance of premium, downside protection and liquidity. Horizons: 30–360 days.

SymbolName StrikeExpiryDTE PremiumDeltaIV Ann.RetCushion
AAOI Applied Optoelectronics Inc $170 2026-06-18 31d $28.60 0.60Δ 134.0% 170.1% 18.2%
ASTS AST SpaceMobile Inc $85 2026-06-18 31d $13.15 0.60Δ 121.5% 150.8% 17.0%
PANW ⚡E15d Palo Alto Networks Inc $280 2026-07-17 60d $311.25 0.00Δ 0.0% 839.1% 124.8%
RDW Redwire Corp $14 2026-06-18 31d $2.10 0.58Δ 131.8% 172.0% 14.3%
PL ⚡E17d Planet Labs PBC $40 2026-06-18 31d $7.35 0.61Δ 141.5% 155.3% 20.9%
NVTS Navitas Semiconductor Corp $20 2026-06-18 31d $2.78 0.55Δ 130.2% 179.0% 13.5%

Ann.Ret = annualized return on capital. Cushion = % stock can drop before loss. Not financial advice.

LEAP Covered Calls — 360+ Days

Long-dated covered calls for investors seeking income while holding long-term positions. Lower annualized yield, higher total premium collected.

SymbolName StrikeExpiryDTE PremiumDeltaIV Ann.RetCushion
PANW Palo Alto Networks Inc $250 2028-01-21 613d $361.50 0.00Δ 0.0% 86.9% 145.0%
AAOI Applied Optoelectronics Inc $220 2027-06-17 395d $78.75 0.70Δ 130.1% 66.0% 44.4%
VISN Vistance Networks Inc $10 2027-07-16 424d $11.25 0.00Δ 0.0% 60.5% 91.0%

This newsletter is generated automatically after the daily scanner run. Data sourced from Finnhub and live options data. All covered call picks are selected algorithmically using the CCL Score — they are not personalized financial advice. Always verify data with your broker before trading. Past performance of the scanner does not guarantee future results.

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