The Trading Post | 04.22.26

April 22, 2026

Good morning,

Futures are ticking higher as Trump extends the Iran ceasefire, the S&P 500 tries to shake off yesterday’s pullback, earnings landmines like TSLA, IBM, TXN, BA, CME, PM, and LRCX are on deck, April’s rebound is finally being asked to show its homework, and with a light macro calendar, technical levels are back in the driver’s seat. Nature is healing.

Let’s jump in.

Yesterday’s Post-Market Performance

As of 04.21.26 market close.

Market News

  • Futures tick higher as Trump extends Iran ceasefire, S&P 500 eyes rebound after prior session pullback: Risk-on headlines are giving index futures a lift, so traders can lean buy-the-dip if /ES and /NQ hold overnight support. The first 30–60 minutes should tell the story: gap-and-go if buyers defend VWAP, gap-fill if they don’t. CNBC

  • Earnings heavyweights on deck today: TSLA, IBM, TXN, BA, CME, PM, LRCX and more set to drive post-close volatility: This is one of those sessions where single-stock reactions can yank sentiment around by the collar. Defined-risk options structures make sense into the close, then tomorrow becomes a hunt for IV-crush plus clean trend continuation or a beautiful post-earnings faceplant. CNBC

  • April equity rebound faces first big test as Q1 earnings ramp, Street looks for double-digit S&P 500 profit growth to justify new highs: The market has enjoyed the rebound. Now it gets the bill. If the S&P holds its breakout and reacts well to beats and raised guidance, trend traders can stay long on pullbacks to short-term moving averages. If it loses that footing and slips back into the prior range, short setups and SPY put spreads move back onto the menu. MarketWatch

  • Recent risk-off days tied to Middle East tensions give way to cautious stabilization as traders reassess the “bottom is in” narrative for U.S. stocks: Translation: the tape is calmer until it isn’t. This still looks like a market that can reverse on a headline faster than pundits can declare the all-clear. Fade emotional intraday extremes into known support and resistance, especially in high-beta tech and sectors rotating with every risk-on/risk-off twitch. CNBC

  • Today’s macro calendar is light, putting technical levels and single-stock earnings in the driver’s seat for intraday price action: No major data means fewer excuses and cleaner charts. Focus on overnight highs and lows, yesterday’s close, the opening range, and recent volume shelves to frame breakout versus mean-reversion trades. Cleaner technically, yes. Easier emotionally? Not for everyone. MarketWatch

Earnings We’re Watching

  • AT&T Corp. (T) - Wednesday (BMO) 

  • Boeing Co. (BA) - Wednesday (BMO) 

  • CME Group Inc (CME) - Wednesday (BMO) 

  • Philip Morris International Inc (PM) - Wednesday (BMO) 

  • CSX Corp. (CSX) - Wednesday (AMC) 

  • International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) - Wednesday (AMC) 

  • Raymond James Financial, Inc. (RJF) - Wednesday (AMC) 

  • ServiceNow, Inc. (NOW) - Wednesday (AMC) 

  • Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) - Wednesday (AMC) 

  • Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) - Wednesday (AMC) 

  • Texas Instruments Incorporated (TXN) - Wednesday (AMC) 

  • United Rentals, Inc. (URI) - Wednesday (AMC) 

Trade Ideas

Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP), AMTEK, Inc. (AME), Alibaba Group Holding Limited (BABA), CBRE Group Inc (CBRE)

Colliers International Group (CIGI), CME Group Inc (CME), Dollar Tree Inc (DLTR), Entegris, Inc. (ENTG)

First Solar, Inc. (FSLR), General Electric Company (GE), IntercontinentalExchange Inc. (ICE),
Drxn Dly S&P Biotech BUll 3X (LABU)

Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 (QQQ), Roblox Corporation Class A (RBLX), Shopify Inc. - Class A (SHOP), Direxion Tech Bull 3X Shares (TECL)

Toll Brothers Inc (TOL), Texas Roadhouse (TXRH), Union Pacific Corporation (UNP),
Valero Energy Corporation (VLO)

Vulcan Materials Company (VMC), Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP), AMTEK Inc (AME),
Alibaba Group Holding Limited (BABA)

Want to learn how we trade these? Learn the setup we call the “High Volatility Switchback” trade.

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Daily Moment of Zen

❝

We have to practice being skeptical of the skeptics.

Howard Marks

Why It Matters:

This is a great reminder that markets are full of people who sound intelligent, confident, and deeply allergic to upside. Skepticism is healthy. Blindly outsourcing your skepticism to professional doomers is not. In trading, there’s always a fresh batch of experts explaining why the rally is fake, the breakout is doomed, or the economy is secretly six minutes from collapse.

Sometimes they’re right. Frequently they’re just early, dramatic, and very pleased with themselves.

For traders, the lesson is simple: don’t just question the hype — question the people profiting from permanent disbelief too. Trade what price is actually doing, not what the loudest cynic on financial media insists it should be doing. Because markets have a nasty habit of staying irrational longer than skeptics can stay smug.

If you want, I can also swap this directly into the current Closing Thoughts section in the canvas.