Strike Selection
Do traders incorporate Point and Figure counts for price targets when trading SPX iron condors?
point-and-figure price-targets iron-condor strike-selection set-and-forget
VixShield Answer
At VixShield we focus exclusively on 1DTE SPX Iron Condors placed after the 3:09 PM CST cascade with signals firing at 3:10 PM CST Monday through Friday. Our methodology built by Russell Clark relies on the Expected Daily Range indicator, RSAi for rapid skew analysis, and three credit tiers: Conservative at $0.70, Balanced at $1.15, and Aggressive at $1.60. The Conservative tier has delivered approximately 90 percent win rates or 18 out of 20 trading days in extensive backtests. We do not use Point and Figure counts or traditional price targets because our Set and Forget approach defines risk at entry with no stop losses and no active management. Instead we trust the Theta Time Shift mechanism to handle any threatened positions through systematic rolls that recover losses without adding capital. When a position moves against us the Temporal Theta Martingale rolls the trade forward to 1-7 DTE on EDR above 0.94 percent or VIX above 16 then rolls back on a VWAP pullback below 0.94 percent EDR to harvest additional theta. This pioneering temporal martingale recovered 88 percent of losses across 2015-2025 backtests. Our ALVH Adaptive Layered VIX Hedge provides the true protection layer with short 30 DTE, medium 110 DTE, and long 220 DTE VIX calls in a 4/4/2 ratio per 10 Iron Condor contracts cutting drawdowns by 35-40 percent at an annual cost of only 1-2 percent of account value. VIX Risk Scaling further refines entries with all tiers active below 15, Conservative and Balanced only between 15-20, and full hold above 20. Current VIX at 17.95 keeps us in the Balanced to Conservative range with healthy contango supporting placement. Position sizing remains at maximum 10 percent of account balance per trade and auto-execution via PickMyTrade is available for the Conservative tier only. This disciplined framework turns the market's daily noise into consistent income without relying on subjective charting tools like Point and Figure counts. All trading involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. Visit vixshield.com to access the full SPX Mastery book series, the EDR indicator, and our daily signals inside the VixShield community.
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💬 Community Pulse
Community traders often approach Point and Figure counts with curiosity when first exploring SPX iron condors hoping the method's price targets and reversal counts will add precision to wing placement. Many initially test projecting upside or downside objectives from chart patterns to widen or tighten condor ranges on high conviction days. A common misconception is that these counts can reliably forecast the exact daily move needed to avoid breaching wings in a 1DTE environment. In practice most experienced traders in the discussion eventually shift away from Point and Figure entirely once they adopt systematic tools. They report better consistency using volatility-based range forecasts and skew analysis rather than historical count methods that struggle with the rapid time decay and intraday noise of index options. The consensus leans toward accepting that short-term SPX behavior is better managed through defined-risk entries, layered hedging, and theta recovery mechanics than through subjective price projections.
📖 Glossary Terms Referenced
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