Whalor Setup Recap: August 24, 2026

Session price action

During the August 24, 2026 session, all three major indices experienced intraday downward movement, closing below both their opening prices and their session Volume Weighted Average Prices (VWAP).

• $SPY opened at 764.78, fluctuated within a range of 762.08 to 765.22, and closed at 763.44. This represented a decline of 0.18% from the open, with the close landing below the session VWAP of 763.72.
• $QQQ opened at 709.66, traded between 702.70 and 709.79, and closed at 706.28. This was a 0.48% drop from the open, closing below the session VWAP of 706.69.
• $IWM opened at 299.55, established a daily range of 297.40 to 299.74, and closed at 297.93. It declined 0.54% from the open and closed below its session VWAP of 298.32.

Why the setups fired

The prevailing intraday weakness across the major indices triggered three bearish setups:

• $SPY triggered a bearish failed_breakout_breakdown_trap setup near 762.90, specifically identified via a resistance trap rejection, a 5-minute failed breakout, and a 1-minute failed breakout loss.
• $QQQ fired a bearish ema_pullback_continuation setup near 704.76. This setup relied on a supportive 15-minute trend, a 5-minute 21EMA pullback rejection, and a 1-minute pullback rejection.
• $IWM fired an identical bearish ema_pullback_continuation setup near 298.12, utilizing the same supportive 15-minute trend, 5-minute 21EMA pullback rejection, and 1-minute pullback rejection mechanics.

What the outcomes showed

Today’s session yielded 3 resolved setups with a 66.7% win rate (2 profitable, 1 loss), generating a one-contract modeled P&L of +101 dollars. The average tracked peak across today's setups was +47.7%, and 0 setups reached +100%. This session brings the month-to-date record through August 24 to 56 resolved setups, 43 profitable, 13 losses (a 76.8% win rate), and a one-contract modeled P&L of +1712 dollars.

Individual receipt outcomes were as follows:

• The $SPY $762 PUT contract captured a +30% return, reaching a tracked peak of +42%.
• The $QQQ $703 PUT contract captured a +50% return, reaching a tracked peak of +70%.
• The $IWM $298 PUT contract resulted in a -65% loss (stopped out), despite reaching a tracked peak of +31% during the session.

What traders can learn

This session highlights the importance of risk management, particularly when trading identical setups across different indices. While both $QQQ and $IWM shared the exact same bearish EMA pullback continuation criteria, they yielded vastly different results. The $QQQ PUT achieved a +50% return, whereas the $IWM PUT resulted in a -65% stop-out.

The $IWM trade also serves as a reminder that a "tracked peak" (which reached +31% in this case) is a theoretical high-water mark and not an achievable exit for systematic trading. When momentum shifts against a position, disciplined execution of stop-outs is necessary to protect capital.

We invite you to review every setup and its stock-candle outcome replay in the Whalor app.

Month-to-date record

Through August 24, 2026, Whalor has recorded 43 profitable outcomes and 13 losses across 56 resolved setups (76.8% profitable). The one-contract modeled result is +1712 dollars under the published methodology below.

Every resolved setup

Contract	Setup	Outcome	Return	Tracked peak
$SPY $762 PUT · 2026-08-24	failed_breakout_breakdown_trap: resistance_trap_rejection / 5m_failed_breakout / 1m_failed_breakout_loss	PROFIT TAKEN	+30%	+42%
$QQQ $703 PUT · 2026-08-24	ema_pullback_continuation: 15m_trend_supportive / 5m_21ema_pullback_reject / 1m_pullback_rejection	PROFIT TAKEN	+50%	+70%
$IWM $298 PUT · 2026-08-24	ema_pullback_continuation: 15m_trend_supportive / 5m_21ema_pullback_reject / 1m_pullback_rejection	STOPPED OUT	-65%	+31%

Methodology: Modeled P&L assumes one contract per setup. A setup that reached +50% is counted at +50%; otherwise a setup that reached +30% is counted at +30%; all other resolved outcomes use the recorded exit return. Tracked peak is hindsight context, not an assumed exit. Educational only, not financial advice.