setup-recap
Whalor Setup Recap: September 21, 2026
1 resolved options setups, 1 profitable outcomes, 100% profitable, plus price action, alert rationale, and the complete contract-by-contract receipts.
Session price action
Today’s resolved set was small, but the tape was supportive for the one bullish read that fired. $QQQ opened at 727.89, traded between 727.81 and 743.22, and closed at 741.22, up 1.83% from the open and above session VWAP at 737.28. That is a constructive finish for a bullish setup because the session ended with price holding above VWAP and near the upper end of the day’s range.
By comparison, $SPY also finished strong, opening at 766.25, trading 766.03–774.89, and closing at 773.40, up 0.93% from the open and above VWAP 771.56. $IWM was the laggard, opening at 286.27, trading 284.90–286.45, and closing at 285.62, down 0.23% from the open and below VWAP 285.79.
Why the setups fired
The only resolved setup today came from $QQQ: a bullish zero_dte_ema13_bounce identified as ema13_support_reaction / 5m_ema13_bounce / 1m_ema_reaction_high_break near 736.13.
That trigger description points to a short-term support reaction around the 13 EMA on the 5-minute chart, with follow-through confirmed by a 1-minute EMA reaction and a break of the intraday high. In plain terms, the setup was looking for price to defend a nearby moving-average area and then continue higher, which matched the day’s upward drift in QQQ.
What the outcomes showed
The QQQ contract tied to this setup, $736 CALL · 2026-09-21, was marked PROFIT TAKEN at +100% with a tracked peak of +508%.
Across today’s resolved setups:
- Resolved setups: 1
- Profitable: 1
- Losses: 0
- Win rate: 100.0%
- One-contract modeled P&L: +$59
- Setups that reached +100%: 1
- Average tracked peak: +508.4%
Month to date through this session:
- Resolved setups: 45
- Profitable: 25
- Losses: 20
- Win rate: 55.6%
- One-contract modeled P&L: +$121
What traders can learn
Today’s result reinforces a simple pattern: when a bullish intraday EMA-reaction setup appears in a session where QQQ holds above VWAP and closes near the highs, the structure can support a profitable resolution. The recorded outcome also shows an important distinction: the setup was managed as a +100% profit-taken result, while the tracked peak moved much farther. That peak is informative for evaluating setup behavior, but it should not be treated as an achievable exit.
The broader month-to-date record still reflects mixed performance overall, so one winning day does not change the need to evaluate each setup on its own terms. The clearest takeaway is that today’s only resolved trade aligned with the session’s bullish QQQ price action and finished green.
Review every setup and its stock-candle outcome replay in the Whalor app.
Month-to-date record
Through September 21, 2026, Whalor has recorded 25 profitable outcomes and 20 losses across 45 resolved setups (55.6% profitable). The one-contract modeled result is +121 dollars under the published methodology below.
Every resolved setup
| Contract | Setup | Outcome | Return | Tracked peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $QQQ $736 CALL · 2026-09-21 | zero_dte_ema13_bounce: ema13_support_reaction / 5m_ema13_bounce / 1m_ema_reaction_high_break | PROFIT TAKEN | +100% | +508% |
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.