Ctrl-C
Ctrl-V
Ctrl-Trade

I wish I could say I'm an experienced options trader, and Ctrl-Trade is the outcome of many years of trading success, but that would not be the truth. Still, I do have 15+ years of experience with software development and process automation, and this tool is simply my programming mindset applied to options trading.

As probably many of you, I started investing by trying to pick winning stocks — tech companies I believed in, names I thought were undervalued. I got lucky, then I got humbled. Eventually I transitioned to the classic diversification approach: a well-diversified index fund, stay consistent and so on. The results came, but not the love. When I came across options, the game changed for me.

I was mind-blown by a simple concept: why should I get 50% chances of being right if I can get 81%*? This sounds like an oversimplification, but if you trade options and are on the short side (selling), you know you have a statistical edge — and that makes it far more interesting. If you don't, keep an eye on our blog for fresh content about the topic.

Spreadsheets were good enough in the beginning, but as my trading activity became more sophisticated and regular, I needed a tool that gave me a better overview of my portfolio, my risk, the actionables I needed in terms of management and entry setups — all in one place.

Too many times, investing is like copy/pasting (ctrl-c + ctrl-v) someone else's strategy, or dumping gut feelings about the markets into a trade. I thought it didn't have to be that way. And that's why ctrl-trade — I know, the name is a bit too geeky, but what do you expect from a software developer? Plus, look down at your keyboard, the ctrl key is right next to the option key... how can it be just a coincidence? :)

It was supposed to be a personal trading tool, but I decided to share it. After all, we're all playing the market — why not be a part of it?

Ace-ace-nine... I am unlucky in cards. Despite that, it looks like I'm succeeding in investing — maybe you can too!