Aug 7, 2026: a small red day, -$37, on ProShares Ultra SK Hynix

A quiet one. I ran the pre-market list, took a few small bites, and finished close to flat.

SKHU bit me

I worked SKHU (ProShares Ultra SK Hynix) — the 2x leveraged fund that tracks SK Hynix. I was in around $13.31 and out around $13.35 across 8 prints on 1,200 shares, for a -$406 hit. Leverage is a double-edged sword and today it swung at me — these daily-reset funds double the pain just as fast as the gain. Read: why a 2x fund can lose money even when your direction is right →

I don't mind losing on a clean read. What stings is letting a single name run bigger than any of my winners. That's a discipline problem, not a market problem.

Catching STLN

I worked STLN (Starling Oncology), in around $6.43 and out around $6.55 across 22 prints on 2,900 shares, for a +$326 win.

VATE: the day's bright spot

I worked VATE (Innovate Corp), in around $11.44 and out around $11.50 across 6 prints on 700 shares, for a +$43 win.

Add it up and it was a -$37 day. That puts my running total for this stretch at -$2,059. I'll reset, size down, and try to give it back slower than I lost it. Read: my actual strategy, and the three places it breaks →