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
- Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from University of Brescia (Italy)
- Two Master’s Degrees in Economics and Empirical Finance from Sorbonne University (France)
References
- Founder at Cycle Quest
- Contributor at Traders Union
- Author at Tokize.com
- Author at Crypto Adventure
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
The Call Ratio Spread Explained: Basic Principles for Traders (Learn the Essentials)
If you want to get rid of downside risk and have found a stock that may move only a little over the next weeks, the call ratio spread might be a strategy to consider. This options setup, ideal for...
Options Trading Strategy Guide: Using ADX to Backtest Iron Condors
As an options trader, don’t you think it would be nice to have a way to know when a stock price is most likely to move sideways for a while? This guide shows how the ADX indicator can help you set...
Open Interest in Options Explained: Key Metrics and Trends (Essential Guide)
Open interest is a concept that, at some point, every options trader needs to understand. It reveals the total number of outstanding contracts in the market. Knowing what open interest means in...
Use the ATR Indicator to Refine Your Options Trading Strategy [Backtest Results]
When you trade options and want to understand how likely you are to profit, running ATR backtests is essential. This article will show you how ATR helps measure market volatility and how Option...
Trade Idea - Iron Condor on AA
Disclaimer: The trades discussed in this blog reflect the author's personal strategies and decisions. These are not financial advice and should not be considered recommendations to buy, sell, or...
A Focus on the Option Buying Power: What It Is and How It Works [Explained]
If you are a trader, you must have certainly found the concept of option buying power on your broker's platform. This simple concept is the cash available in your account for options trading....
The Basics of Index Options: An Overview for Beginners (Trading Indexes and Index-Based ETFs)
Index options represent, by far, one of the most accessible ways for beginners to get broader market exposure. This article clarifies what index options are (meaning stock index options). Discover...
An Essential Guide to the Put Ratio Spread (Example and Things to Know)
We often tell you that one of the main advantages of options trading is that you can benefit from little or no movement in the underlying price. A put ratio spread offers this potential by buying...
Trading Earnings Events with Options - A Backtested Strategy
After an earning event, stocks can experience a sudden price change depending on the way the market interprets the company's performance. This can be an opportunity for traders to capitalize on...
Selecting Day Trading Options Strategies [Create a Trading Plan and Stick to It]
Day trading options strategies represent, perhaps, the riskiest (and yet, most tempting) operations for traders eyeing quick profits. By exploring option day trading strategies and understanding...
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