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
Delta-Zero Income Strangle with Shares
The short strangle is a common strategy for collecting premium in neutral markets. What’s less common, but effective, is combining that same short strangle with shares.
Earnings Play on Stocks You Own with the Custom Scan - Shares and Long Straddle
You can combine a straddle with stock ownership. With our custom scan, you can screen the market for a trade setup holding a portion of the underlying (say, for instance, 75 shares) and add a straddle
Condor Spreads - Using Calls or Puts to Define Risk and Target Volatility
Learn how condor spreads work using calls or puts, with clear examples of long and short strategies to trade market volatility with defined risk and reward.
Strap Options - Two Different Ways to Trade Directional Volatility
Strap options are designed for traders who expect a big move but aren’t sure which direction it will go.
Ladder Options - Using Long and Short Ladders with Calls and Puts
Most option traders know vertical spreads, but fewer take advantage of the ladder option. What happens if you add a third leg to the trade?
Trade Idea - Risk-Free Collar on OUST
I recently opened a low-risk position in OUST using a collar strategy that mimics a Treasury-like return profile.
Collars With Less (or More) Than 100 Shares: Locking in Profit Your Way
You don’t need to stick to exactly 100 shares. With our custom scan feature, you can design a collar using fewer or more than 100 shares - giving you more control over risk, capital, and payoff.
Christmas Tree Options Strategy - A Defined-Risk Setup for Advanced Traders
The christmas tree options strategy is a defined-risk setup that uses multiple strikes for targeted outcomes.
Stock Repair Strategy - Fix Losing Trades with These Two Option Setups
If you’re holding a stock that’s down and wondering how to fix it without buying more shares, a stock repair strategy with options might help.
Reverse Iron Albatross Spread - Trading Big Breakouts with Defined Risk
The reverse iron albatross spread is a debit options strategy designed for big moves in either direction. It’s structured like a wider reverse iron condor, with strikes placed further apart.
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