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Gianluca Longinotti

Gianluca Longinotti

Finance Writer - Traders Education

Gianluca Longinotti is an experienced trader, advisor, and financial analyst with over a decade of professional experience in the banking sector, trading, and investment services. Known for his rigorous approach and deep understanding of market dynamics, Gianluca specializes in derivatives and cyclical analysis, with a strong emphasis on options trading strategies and macroeconomic frameworks.

Gianluca is the founder of Cycle Quest, a project focused on applying cyclical models to financial markets, economic indicators, and more. With an international academic background and a passion for data-driven decision-making, Gianluca empowers traders and investors with expert insights, clear strategy frameworks, and cutting-edge tools.

Education

References

Experience

  • Over a decade of experience trading options, with a focus on defined-risk strategies such as vertical spreads, iron condors, and diagonals
  • Deep understanding of options pricing models like Black-Scholes and binomial trees, applied daily to position evaluation
  • Active user of the CBOE indices as a benchmark to build and test different trading strategies with options
  • Expert in managing trades using the Greeks (Delta, Theta, etc.) to dynamically adjust risk
  • I regularly post live trade setups and market reads on Gianluca’s Trades via the Option Samurai blog and my personal Stocktwits profile
  • Skilled in building algorithmic strategies in Python and Pine Script, with a focus on short-term price action and event-driven plays
  • Creator of backtesting environments tailored to options logic using Python’s Pandas and NumPy stack
  • Daily use of TradingView, Interactive Brokers, and Databento for execution, charting, and data analysis
  • Developed custom automated dashboards in Plotly and Streamlit for real-time tracking of trade performance and volatility curves
  • Frequently design strategies aligned with FOMC and macroeconomic indicators for directional and volatility bias
  • Strong foundation in fundamental analysis, with deep dives into financial statements and earnings behavior
  • Implemented statistical arbitrage and volatility modeling techniques to detect mean-reverting edges
  • Experienced in handling expiration risk, assignment logic, and optimizing trade timing around options cycles
  • Advocate for integrating behavioral finance principles to mitigate biases and improve trader discipline
  • Regularly consult with traders on strategy design, risk control, and automation to elevate their performance across market regimes
day trading vs option trading

Options Trading vs Day Trading - What’s the Real Difference and Which Suits You Best?

General

Comparing options trading vs day trading is like asking the difference between sugar and a cake: one can be part of the other, but not always. Is options trading day trading? Not always.

expiration date filters

Option Trading Mistakes to Avoid - Tips on How to Improve Your Trading Approach

General

In this article, we’ll go over the most common option trading mistakes that traders make and how you can avoid losses using smart planning and tools like those from Option Samurai.

price chart KMI

Trade Idea - Long Call ZEBRA on KMI

Gianluca's Trades

Today, I opened a bullish position on Kinder Morgan (KMI) using a long call ZEBRA strategy

option chain

How to Read an Option Chain? All You Should Know about Option Chains [Option Chain Explained]

General

Options charts may look complex at first, but learning how to read them can give you a real edge.

weekly options trading

Weekly Options Trading - What You Need to Know Before You Start

General

Want to trade weekly options for weekly income but not sure where to start? This article breaks down what are weekly options, how to trade them, and what a good weekly options strategy looks like.

early exercise in options

Early Exercise in Options - A Basic Operation Every Trader Should Know

General

Learn what early exercise means in options trading, when it makes sense, and why most traders avoid it unless there's a clear benefit.

options stocks featured

Options vs Stocks - What Traders Must Understand Before Choosing

General

Options vs Stocks is a choice every trader faces. Should you own part of a company, or place a short-term bet on its price?

vertical spreads

Vertical Spreads - A Closer Look at Defined-Risk Option Strategies

Tutorials

Vertical spreads are a common way to trade options while keeping both risk and reward in check. But how do they actually work?

BAC price chart

Trade Idea – Long Call ZEBRA on BAC

Gianluca's TradesCustom Option Screener

I have just opened a bullish position on Bank of America (BAC) using a long call ZEBRA, a “Zero Extrinsic Back Ratio” strategy.

iron condor shares how to

Iron Condor with Stock Position on Dividend-Paying Stocks (Premium + Upside + Dividend)

TutorialsCustom Option Screener

An iron condor is typically used as a neutral income strategy, ideal when you expect a stock to stay within a range. But what if you could take this income strategy and enhance it, not just with upside exposure, but also with dividend income?

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