Case Study

How $170 became ~$5,000 on UNH* — Reading Options Flow with Trade Echo

A real member example showing how options flow + Algo Edge confluence helped anticipate an upside move—shared for education, not advice.

Summary stats

1. Ticker: UNH
2. Instrument: Call options (near-dated)
3. Cost basis: $170
4. Exit value: ~$5,000
5. Hold time: ~1 trading day
6. Edge used: Options Flow + Algo

The day before a notable upside move in UNH, the Trade Echo Dashboard flagged aggressive, time-clustered call buying. Algo Edge turned positive while the sector Heat Map showed accumulation—clear confluence to build a defined-risk plan.

Step-by-step timeline

T-1 (previous session): The Flow Scanner detected repeated bullish sweeps—above-ask prints in near-dated expirations with rising relative volume. Push alerts fired.

Confirmation: Algo Edge ticked up; the Heat Map highlighted momentum in healthcare—confluence, not a lone datapoint.

Position: A small call position (~$170 cost) with rules to scale out into strength and cut on signal decay/invalidation.

T-0 (next session): UNH pushed higher; headlines later referenced increased institutional interest. Options premium expanded; the position was scaled out, realizing ~$5,000.

What Trade Echo added

1. ⚡ Unusual Options Activity — surfaces aggressive, time-clustered buying
2. 🧠 Algo Edge — quant sentiment shift confirming the flow bias
3. 🗺️ Heat Map — sector/market context to avoid tunnel vision
4. 🔔 Real-time alerts — speed to act with a defined-risk plan

Replicate this workflow

1. Create a saved filter for large, near-dated call sweeps on liquid tickers.
2. Wait for confluence: Flow + Algo Edge + Heat Map > any single signal.
3. Size small with clear invalidation; let winners, not bets, be large.
4. Log entries/exits; review after hours to improve your playbook.

Try it yourself

👉 Open the Flow Dashboard

Important disclaimer

Single member example for educational purposes only. Results are not typical and are not a guarantee of future performance. Options involve substantial risk and are not suitable for every investor. Trade Echo provides analytics and alerts; it does not provide financial advice or recommendations.