setup-recap
Whalor Setup Recap: September 24, 2026
2 resolved options setups, 2 profitable outcomes, 100% profitable, plus price action, alert rationale, and the complete contract-by-contract receipts.
Session price action
Today’s regular session was positive across all three names, with each index ETF finishing above its session VWAP. SPY opened at 764.07, traded 763.25–768.95, and closed at 767.09 for a +0.40% gain from the open, ending above VWAP 766.51. QQQ was stronger, opening at 735.29, trading 734.62–742.66, and closing at 740.93 for +0.77% from the open, also above VWAP 738.92. IWM was flatter by comparison, opening at 281.33, trading 279.05–282.24, and closing at 281.67 for +0.12% from the open, above VWAP 280.87.
For Whalor’s resolved setups, the day was clean: 2 resolved, 2 profitable, 0 losses, with a 100.0% win rate and one-contract modeled P&L of +$77. The average tracked peak across the two setups was +188.2%, and both setups reached +100%.
Why the setups fired
The IWM setup fired as a bearish Opening Range Retest Confirmation near 280.46. That trigger aligned with an early-session move that included a trade down to 279.05 before IWM later recovered to close slightly higher on the day.
The SPY setup fired as a bullish zero_dte_ema48_reclaim: ema48_reclaimed / 5m_ema48_reclaim / 1m_ema_reaction_high_break near 765.88. SPY’s session ultimately stayed constructive, closing above both the open and VWAP after trading up to 768.95.
What the outcomes showed
Both receipts ended as PROFIT TAKEN:
- IWM $280 PUT · 2026-09-24 — +100% return, +199% tracked peak
- SPY $766 CALL · 2026-09-24 — +100% return, +178% tracked peak
The outcomes show that both setups reached a full double before being closed, but the tracked peaks were substantially higher than the realized exits. That gap is important: the recorded peak is a measure of what the position saw intraday, not a claimed exit that was actually achieved. Across the month so far, the journal now shows 53 resolved setups, 31 profitable, 22 losses, for a 58.5% win rate and + $248 one-contract modeled P&L.
What traders can learn
Today’s tape shows that a setup can still resolve profitably even when the underlying session is not perfectly directional. SPY and QQQ finished firm, while IWM spent part of the day below its open before recovering. In that context, the two setups reflected different intraday structures: a bearish retest in IWM and a bullish reclaim in SPY. The clean takeaway is not that one side “caused” the move, but that the recorded triggers aligned with the session’s price behavior well enough to produce profitable outcomes.
For traders reviewing Whalor data, the key lesson is to separate signal quality, intraday excursion, and actual exit. A setup can reach a large tracked peak and still be managed at a much smaller realized gain.
Review every setup and its stock-candle outcome replay in the Whalor app.
Month-to-date record
Through September 24, 2026, Whalor has recorded 31 profitable outcomes and 22 losses across 53 resolved setups (58.5% profitable). The one-contract modeled result is +248 dollars under the published methodology below.
Every resolved setup
| Contract | Setup | Outcome | Return | Tracked peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $IWM $280 PUT · 2026-09-24 | Opening Range Retest Confirmation | PROFIT TAKEN | +100% | +199% |
| $SPY $766 CALL · 2026-09-24 | zero_dte_ema48_reclaim: ema48_reclaimed / 5m_ema48_reclaim / 1m_ema_reaction_high_break | PROFIT TAKEN | +100% | +178% |
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.