Chart scale is normal and candles are three day
XOM has been in a massive triangle formation pattern for years now and just this week it looked like it was about to break out to the upside, before it ultimately failed and the market rejected the breakout. XOM has been one of the weaker stocks in the energy sector and with higher interest rates, falling oil prices and rising steel costs, the energy sector has three major headwinds against it for the short term at least. My inclination is to buy some at the money puts expiring the week earnings are released. It is possible but I doubt XOM will go down all the way to the lower bound trendline of the triangle before earnings, so the day before earnings are released you can either close the trade, roll it down (and out) or turn it into a put spread by selling a downside put to take advantage of the heightened implied volatility, depending on your convictions on how XOM will react to the earnings release of course.
XOM has been in a massive triangle formation pattern for years now and just this week it looked like it was about to break out to the upside, before it ultimately failed and the market rejected the breakout. XOM has been one of the weaker stocks in the energy sector and with higher interest rates, falling oil prices and rising steel costs, the energy sector has three major headwinds against it for the short term at least. My inclination is to buy some at the money puts expiring the week earnings are released. It is possible but I doubt XOM will go down all the way to the lower bound trendline of the triangle before earnings, so the day before earnings are released you can either close the trade, roll it down (and out) or turn it into a put spread by selling a downside put to take advantage of the heightened implied volatility, depending on your convictions on how XOM will react to the earnings release of course.