You may have never heard the name David Chau, but on Wall Street’s options trading scene, the name “Captain Condor” is legendary.
From a mysterious whale to Captain Condor, his trades shake the entire market!
“Captain Condor” first entered the public eye last year. At the time, some traders noticed massive options trades—worth millions—tied to the S&P 500 index. Soon, these market-moving trades earned a nickname: the Condor Army. Not long after, David Chau stepped forward and confirmed: he is Captain Condor.
He runs an online trading community with over 1,000 members. When he shares his index options trades in the group, many followers mirror his moves—amplifying the impact. At times, their positions on S&P 500 volatility are so large, they shake the entire stock market. Some trades have involved more than 30,000 contracts.
How to understand Captain Condor’s strategy?
The Iron Condor is a non-directional options strategy, typically used in sideways markets with low volatility to earn from time decay.
The goal is to generate maximum profit if the underlying asset stays within a defined price range—with limited loss if it breaks out of that range.
For example, now NVIDIA is trading at $100, an Iron Condor includes four options contracts—selling two that are closer to the current price (a put and a call), and buying two that are further out (a put and a call):
Long put at $90
Short put at $95
Short call at $105
Long call at $110
When plotted on a chart, the payoff shape spreads out like bird wings, hence the nickname “Iron Condor.”
In this example, if $NVIDIA(NVDA)$ stays between $95 and $105, none of the options are exercised, and the trader earns maximum profit. Outside that range, the strategy yields either a smaller profit or limited loss.
Will Captain Condor be the next Roaring Kitty?
Retail traders have always gravitated toward star investors—from Jesse Livermore of the early 20th century, to Keith Gill (Roaring Kitty), the recent meme stock legend.
Captain Condor’s rise comes amid the explosive growth of the U.S. options market.
Chau’s trading style is highly aggressive. If he loses on one trade, he often places another the next day, with double the contract size. This technique is known as the Martingale strategy in gambling: a high-risk approach aiming to recover losses and turn a profit once a bet finally lands.
“My goal isn’t to avoid losses,” Chau explains. “It’s to make sure a loss doesn’t wipe out the investor’s entire account.”
Now that markets are choppy,
Would you try the Iron Condor strategy?
Could Captain Condor be the next Roaring Kitty?
Would you follow a KOL’s trading strategy?
Alert: Options trading carries significant risk. Consider practicing with a demo account until you have sufficient knowledge and risk tolerance
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Comments
How to understand Captain Condor’s strategy?
The Iron Condor is a non-directional options strategy, typically used in sideways markets with low volatility to earn from time decay.
The goal is to generate maximum profit if the underlying asset stays within a defined price range—with limited loss if it breaks out of that range.
Would you try the Iron Condor strategy?
Could Captain Condor be the next Roaring Kitty?
Would you follow a KOL’s trading strategy?
Alert: Options trading carries significant risk. Consider practicing with a demo account until you have sufficient knowledge and risk tolerance
leave your comments to win tiger coins~
Under his leadership, his online community aka the Condor Legion - places options orders in unison with his trades.
When the total volume exceeds over 10,000 contracts, they are large enough to draw significant attention and potentially influence price movements.
In many ways Captain Condor can be likened to Roaring Kitty aka Keith Gill. It underscores the power of social media.
When large volumes of certain options are traded, it can influence the implied volatility of those options and force the big institutions to adjust their hedging strategies.
For some advanced traders, the Iron Condor options strategy can be an effective tool for recurring income, especially when market conditions are expected to remain calm.
@OptionsTutor @Tiger_comments @TigerStars @CaptainTiger
I would use the Iron Condor options strategy if there is a high probability of a modest gain. I am betting that the asset will not move dramatically in either direction.
However unexpected sharp moves in the underlying asset (whether up or down) can lead to losses. The good thing is that these losses are capped by the option structure.
@OptionsTutor @Tiger_comments @TigerStars @CaptainTiger