Whalor Setup Recap: September 8, 2026

Session price action

On September 8, 2026, the major indices experienced downward pressure relative to their starting prices, with all three tracking ETFs closing below their opening levels and their respective session volume-weighted average prices (VWAP).

• $SPY opened at 769.07, fluctuated within an intraday range of 765.14–769.70, and closed at 766.02. This represented a -0.40% decline from the open, with the price finishing below its session VWAP of 767.05.
• $QQQ opened at 720.91, traded between 715.57 and 721.89, and finished the session at 718.27. This marked a -0.37% drop from the open, closing below its session VWAP of 718.98.
• $IWM opened at 295.34, moved through an intraday range of 294.26–296.10, and closed at 294.71. This was a decline of -0.21% from the open, closing below its session VWAP of 295.16.

Why the setups fired

Intraday price movements triggered four distinct options setups across the three ETFs:

• On $QQQ, a bearish ema_pullback_continuation setup fired near 718.15. The system identified a supportive 5-minute trend, a 5-minute 21EMA pullback rejection, and a subsequent 1-minute pullback rejection.
• On $IWM, two separate setups were triggered. First, a bullish opening_drive_reversal fired near 294.84, triggered by an opening drive washout reversing, an opening drive down reclaim, and a 1-minute opening drive reversal reclaim. Later, a bearish failed_breakout_breakdown_trap fired near 294.63, triggered by a resistance trap rejection, a 5-minute failed breakout, and a 1-minute failed breakout loss.
• On $SPY, a bullish failed_breakout_breakdown_trap triggered near 768.20. This setup fired on a support trap reclaim, a 5-minute failed breakdown, and a 1-minute failed breakdown reclaim.

What the outcomes showed

Today's four resolved setups resulted in an even split, with 2 profitable setups and 2 losses, yielding a 50.0% win rate. The modeled one-contract P&L for the day was -$27. This brings the month-to-date (MTD) record to 16 resolved setups, with 10 profitable and 6 losses, maintaining a 62.5% win rate and a modeled P&L of +$66.

• The bullish $IWM $295 CALL was the session's top performer, reaching a tracked peak of +166% before profit was taken at +100%.
• The bearish $QQQ $716 PUT secured a +30% return, with a tracked peak of +36%.
• The bearish $IWM $295 PUT was stopped out at -40% after reaching a tracked peak of +4%.
• The bullish $SPY $768 CALL was stopped out at -65% after reaching a tracked peak of +6%.

Across all setups, the average tracked peak was +52.8%, with one setup reaching the +100% threshold.

What traders can learn

This session highlights the importance of strict risk management when setups do not develop as anticipated. Both stopped-out setups—the $IWM Put and the $SPY Call—failed to gain traction, reaching maximum tracked peaks of just +4% and +6% respectively before reversing. Because tracked peaks are analytical reference points rather than guaranteed or achievable exits, traders must rely on predefined stop-loss parameters to contain losses when momentum shifts. Despite today’s net modeled loss of -$27, adhering to disciplined risk controls keeps the broader MTD performance positive at +$66.

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

Month-to-date record

Through September 8, 2026, Whalor has recorded 10 profitable outcomes and 6 losses across 16 resolved setups (62.5% profitable). The one-contract modeled result is +66 dollars under the published methodology below.

Every resolved setup

Contract	Setup	Outcome	Return	Tracked peak
$QQQ $716 PUT · 2026-09-08	ema_pullback_continuation: 5m_trend_supportive / 5m_21ema_pullback_reject / 1m_pullback_rejection	PROFIT TAKEN	+30%	+36%
$IWM $295 CALL · 2026-09-08	opening_drive_reversal: opening_drive_washout_reversing / opening_drive_down_reclaim / 1m_opening_drive_reversal_reclaim	PROFIT TAKEN	+100%	+166%
$IWM $295 PUT · 2026-09-08	failed_breakout_breakdown_trap: resistance_trap_rejection / 5m_failed_breakout / 1m_failed_breakout_loss	STOPPED OUT	-40%	+4%
$SPY $768 CALL · 2026-09-08	failed_breakout_breakdown_trap: support_trap_reclaim / 5m_failed_breakdown / 1m_failed_breakdown_reclaim	STOPPED OUT	-65%	+6%

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.