May 2026 Report (Part 2) — GOOG Stock 500 Shares & the AAPL Debut
💡 Reading time: ~8 minutes ｜ Series: Monthly Performance Review #5
The previous post covered May’s darkest hour (-$16,530). This post is about May’s bright spots — proof that even in a storm, disciplined execution can still produce positive returns.
GOOG stock 500 shares: a strategic trim
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Buy date | 2026/05/15 |
| Sell date | 2026/05/18 (3 days) |
| Shares | 500 |
| Buy cost | $200,000 |
| Sell proceeds | ~$203,925 |
| Net P&L | +$3,925 |
| Return (3 days) | +2.0% |
Why did I do this trade?
This wasn’t speculation — it was risk management.
In mid-May, I realized my GOOG concentration was too high — options + stock were all on GOOG. I decided to trim 500 shares at once to reduce concentration risk and free up cash.
It happened to be at a decent price, and 3 days later the position was +$3,925 in profit.
Lesson
Concentration risk is the silent killer. Even if you’re bullish on a name, don’t let any single underlying take up more than 30% of your total assets.
AAPL debut: two Sell Put trades combined +$1,989
In May I traded AAPL options for the first time, and the results were satisfying:
| # | Strike | Contracts | Days held | Net P&L | Margin ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $270 | 3 | 2 | +$909 | 1.1% |
| 11 | $285 | 3 | 8 | +$1,080 | 1.3% |
| Total | +$1,989 |
Why AAPL?
| Underlying | Volatility | Premium | Risk | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NVDA | High ⚡ | Fattest | Highest | Experienced, high risk tolerance |
| GOOG | Medium | Mid | Mid | Workhorse trades |
| AAPL | Low | Thinner | Lowest | Steady rent, beginner-friendly |
AAPL is one of the largest market caps in the world, and its price is relatively calm. The premium isn’t as fat as NVDA’s, but it’s stable.
When my other positions were blowing up in May, these two AAPL trades provided reliable positive returns.
The AAPL playbook
Both trades were short-dated (2 and 8 days), “in and out” flash style.
Reason: market volatility was elevated in May, so I didn’t want to be exposed anywhere for long. Quick harvest of short-term Theta, lock in the gain, leave.
Full May P&L summary
| Trade | Net P&L | Nature |
|---|---|---|
| GOOG SP $370 flash | +$690 | 🟢 |
| AAPL SP $270 flash | +$909 | 🟢 |
| AAPL SP $285 | +$1,080 | 🟢 |
| GOOG stock 500 shares | +$3,925 | 🟢 |
| NVDA SP $223 (roll-out) | -$6,060 | 🔴 |
| GOOG SP $370 (roll-out) | -$10,470 | 🔴 |
| Monthly total | -$9,926 | 🔴 |
Four winners totaling +$6,604 couldn’t cover the two losses of -$16,530.
This is the structural risk of Sell Put: many small wins can be wiped out by a single big loss.
May’s core lessons list
- Diversifying tickers is right: AAPL cushioned the blow when NVDA and GOOG were blowing up
- Flash trades are useful in high-vol periods: 2-day in-and-out cuts time risk
- Trimming stock is necessary risk management: don’t let any single name dominate
- But none of the above can save you from the foundational error of “strike too close + size too big”
📌 Little Otter: May taught me one thing — good strategy and bad strategy can coexist in the same month. Your AAPL can be great, but if your NVDA is large enough and wrong enough, none of it matters. Risk management isn’t about one trade — it’s about the whole.
Disclaimer: This article is a personal trading experience share, not investment advice.
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