Trading options? Start with a shortlist.
Every weekday PutWatch screens 650+ optionable stocks and ETFs and ranks the few that clear its rules. You decide what, if anything, to trade.
$49 a month. 10 days free. Cancel anytime.
How it works
From a large universe to a research list
Each morning the scan works through the whole universe, drops anything that fails a gate, and scores what is left.
650+
Scan
Optionable stocks and ETFs. Starts 10:30 ET each weekday; results can take up to an hour.
11
Gate
Including open interest over 500, a credit of at least $0.30, and no earnings report before expiration.
6
Score
Six weighted factors on fixed scales, out of 100.
Top 10
Publish
One list for puts, one for strangles, and ten long calls and ten long puts. The same for every subscriber.
Daily
Watch
Positions you add are marked daily against your exits.
Then do your own research.
The list is where your research starts. Before you trade anything on it:
- Review the underlying company or fund.
- Review the options chain.
- Review current news and events.
- Consider your own objectives and risk tolerance.
The model
How a score is built
IV rank
Implied volatility against its own range over the past year.
Implied vs. realized
Implied volatility against how much the stock has actually moved.
Return on capital
The credit as an annualized return on the cash the put secures.
Liquidity
Open interest, volume and the bid-ask spread on the contract.
Trend safety
Price against its moving averages, its yearly low and recent drawdown.
Event risk
Discounts a report due just after expiration, an estimated one, or no published date. Confirmed earnings before expiration are gated out.
Scores sit on a fixed scale rather than being graded against the rest of the day, so they run lower when premium is thin across the market. A score summarizes how a candidate meets the criteria; it does not predict a return. Read the methodology.
Example
XYZ · $95 put · 45 days
Each factor’s points add up to the total.
64
of 100
IV rank
12 / 20
Implied vs. realized
11 / 20
Return on capital
14 / 20
Liquidity
12 / 15
Trend safety
9 / 15
Event risk
6 / 10
Monitoring
Know when a position hits your exit.
Add the positions you trade. PutWatch marks them every weekday and alerts you when one reaches your profit target, your stop, or your close-by date.
- Daily marks near the close
- Push alerts on your phone or desktop
- Exit levels you set in Settings
Example
XYZ $95 put · P&L as % of credit
Profit target hit
XYZ $95 put is up +50% of credit.
Settings
Set your own rules.
Pick the expiration, delta and exits you use. If you enter your holdings and an account size, your scan page can re-sort the list around them.
The published list aims at the monthly expiration nearest 45 days, anywhere from 32 to 70 days out. When this month’s is too close, the list moves to the next one.
Your rules
Defaults
Days to expiration
45
Target delta
0.20
Take profit
50% of credit
Stop loss
100% of credit
Close by
21 DTE
Strategies
Built for options research
Three lists, each screened for the strategy it serves. PutWatch does not determine whether either strategy is right for you.
Cash-secured puts
A screened starting point for researching stocks and the puts listed on them.
Short strangles
An initial filter before you evaluate an underlying, its options and the risks of the strategy.
Why trust the list?
Every rule is published, and every pick is tracked
342
Picks closed
+1.92%
Average return on capital
−70.09%
Worst single trade
75.4%
Win rate
The scoring is published
Every factor, weight and threshold is written down. You can check a score by hand.
Fixed scales
A 78 in March means what a 78 in October means.
Losses shown plainly
Every published pick is tracked as a paper position, including the ones that lose.
Rules you set
Set the expiry, delta and exits you use. The defaults are only a starting point.
What PutWatch doesn’t do
- Place trades or manage a brokerage account
- Decide your position size, or when to enter or exit
- Give individualized investment advice or guarantee results
No brokerage connection required.
PutWatch never asks for your broker login and never sees your balances, positions or orders. You place every order yourself, at your own broker.
See the next list for yourself
Start a free trial to get every list every weekday, with every score broken down.
Start free trial$49 a month. 10 days free. Cancel anytime.
Important information
PutWatch provides general information and screening tools for educational and informational purposes only. PutWatch is not an investment adviser, broker-dealer or financial planner, and nothing it provides is personalized investment advice or a recommendation, solicitation or offer to buy or sell any security or strategy. Options involve significant risk and are not suitable for all investors. Scores, screening results and past performance do not indicate future results. You are solely responsible for your own trading decisions. Read the disclaimer and the options disclosure document before trading options.