Tim Sykes aimed for 10-20%. The trade paid 121%.

Last month’s target was 10 to 20 percent.
The trade paid 121 percent.

Tim Sykes here.

Last month I set a target for a trade at 10 to 20 percent. The trade paid 121 percent, six times what I predicted.

I didn’t get lucky. I’ve done this over and over.

The opportunity I’ve been quietly using is so wide that even conservative targets get blown out of the water.

It doesn’t require watching a screen all day or quitting your job, and you don’t need special software.

What it does require is knowing where to look, and when.

See where Tim is looking, and when >>

-Tim Sykes

Chips are bouncing after the semiconductor index’s eighth straight down day Friday: SMH +2.6%, Intel +3.7% premarket (~07:25 ET), with SPY +0.51%, QQQ +1.11% and IWM +0.57%. Oil is slipping (USO −0.8%) after President Trump waived Russian energy sanctions to boost supply (SeekingAlpha), and Cleveland-Cliffs is up 13% after swinging to a Q3 profit ($0.28 adjusted vs $0.21 expected, MT Newswires).

THE HEADLINE THAT MATTERS TODAY

Fifth Third beat on profit, missed on revenue, and is trading above Friday’s close. The first bank test of the week is passing so far.

MT Newswires via QuoteMedia · Oct 19, 2026 06:58 ET. “Fifth Third Bancorp’s Q3 Adjusted Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenue Rises”

Fifth Third earned $1.13 a share adjusted, against $1.10 expected (FactSet). Revenue was $3.28B, short of the $3.34B forecast but up from $2.30B a year ago. Net interest margin came in at 3.34% vs 3.13% last year, the bank sees Q4 net interest income up 2.5% to 3.5% from Q3 (The Fly), and FITB was up 1.2% near $50.97 premarket.

Who’s exposed: Regional banks, after a week when the worry was AI build-out debt and credit. Zions and Western Alliance report after today’s close and give the second read.

Next: Fifth Third’s call starts at 9:00 AM ET, as this lands. NAHB housing index at 10:00 ET. Steel Dynamics also reports after the close.

Wrong if: FITB loses Friday’s $50.37 close in the first hour. That would say the revenue miss matters more than the beat.

TOP PRE-MARKET MOVERS

1 · AAME +50% ($1.58). Atlantic American released its long-delayed financial results and credit agreement amendments Friday (MT Newswires). It hit a 52-week low Friday morning.

2 · XLAB +20% ($2.83). Exascale Labs is extending Friday’s 73% jump after an SEC filing showed it will supply NVIDIA GPU servers to Sunon, a contract worth roughly $8.2M (MT Newswires).

3 · VAI +12% ($2.62). Valor Energy agreed to buy an 18MW computing center in Youngstown, Ohio (GlobeNewswire, 06:58 ET).

Prices ~07:25 ET. XLAB is on day two of a filing-driven run and an $8.2M contract is small next to that move. Size accordingly.

The Justice Department says cash isn’t legally your property. Three ways to protect your savings (From First Ballot Digital)

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Market Signal Report
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Signal over noise. Fifth Third’s first hour, chips’ bounce, Zions and Western Alliance after the close.