I'll start with the numbers because that's what this site is about.

ABT 6/5/26 95C — cost basis $1,765.30, current loss -$995.14, down 17.44% on the day.

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XLF 6/5/26 52.5C — cost basis $1,464.93, current loss -$92.43, down 14.49% on the day.

Total unrealized damage across both positions: just over $1,087. In one afternoon.

This is options trading. Welcome.

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Why I'm in these two

Abbott Labs (ABT) was a thesis play. Healthcare name with a technical setup I liked — I thought it had a move before the June expiration. I sized in at $1,765 knowing that number might become zero. That's not catastrophizing. That's just how you have to think about options before you enter.

XLF is the financials sector ETF. I bought the call because I thought the broader financial sector had upside momentum in the near term. The 52.5 strike gave me room. The June expiration gave me time.

Both positions were deliberate. Both positions are currently wrong.

That happens.

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Here's what I'm not doing

I'm not panic-selling. I'm not revenge-trading. I'm not opening a third position to "make it back." I'm not staring at the screen refreshing every 30 seconds.

Options positions live or die on time and movement. Right now, neither ABT nor XLF has moved the way I needed. That doesn't mean they won't. It means they haven't yet.

Both expire June 5th. There are weeks between now and then. A lot can change.

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The account, for context

The full options-taxable account is sitting at $29,982.41 as I write this — down $517.97 on the day (-1.70%), with unrealized losses of -$1,075.74 (-3.49%) overall. The rest of the account — JEPQ and AMZU — is actually green today. JEPQ is up $81.13. AMZU is up $43.00.

That's the whole point of not putting everything into one swing. The long positions are doing their job while the speculative positions work through their process.

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The only question that matters

Can I lose the entire $3,230 tied up between these two trades and still be completely fine? Yes. That's why I took them.

Not "fine" with gritted teeth. Actually fine. Nothing changes. No meals. No trips. No bills. The engine keeps running.

If the answer to that question had been no — if this capital was coming from money I needed — I wouldn't be in these positions. That's the rule I don't break.

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What comes next

I'll hold both. I'll reassess as the weeks go by. If the technical picture deteriorates badly enough, I'll cut and accept the loss. If either position starts moving the right direction, I'll manage accordingly.

One of them will probably surprise me. The market usually does.

Either way — I'll post the outcome. That's what this site is for.

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Options trading involves significant risk, including total loss of investment. This is not financial advice. Only risk what you can afford to lose entirely.