May 11th, 2026
Hey Five Star Traders,
On Friday, I joined Making Money with Charles Payne show with guest host Cheryl Cascone, sharing some of my highest-conviction ideas right now. I took real-time notes straight from the show, and I’m bringing them straight to you — fresh, unfiltered, and ready to act on.
Here’s exactly what I laid out on Friday:
Space Theme – Planet Labs (PL) & Intuitive Machines (LUNR)
I love the space trade right now, especially with the SpaceX IPO hype building. I love the technical Five Star patterns, the tight consolidations ready to break out, and the elevated short interest. These are low-priced names with real options volume — perfect for both swing trades and momentum plays.
My top space tickers I like right now:
- Planet Labs (PL)
- Intuitive Machines (LUNR)
I’m in the trade on Planet Labs in the Mastering the Trade room. LUNR is a ticker I traded on Fox Business on Friday, and as of today, it’s up another 15%.
I specifically called these out as excellent options trades because of their liquidity and explosive potential as the whole sector heats up, especially given their high short float.
Photonics Picks – Harnessing the Power of Light
Photonics stocks are on absolute fire right now. I highlighted my two favorite names for long-term investors:
Lumentum (LITE) and Coherent (COHR). These can make for nice stock trades, but the options market is not as favorable. As such, I like them for long-term investment picks. I love their consistent bullish trends, rock-solid long-term chart patterns, and the way they pull back and give you clean entries. Great for the buy-and-hold side of the portfolio.
AI Infrastructure Candidates
I rounded out my buy list with this high-conviction mix:
Reddit (RDDT), MP Materials (MP), Astera Labs (ALAB), and Cipher Mining (CIFR).
Why these stand out to me:
- Strong technical patterns — all consolidating in squeezes and shifting higher, ready for breakout
- Real fundamental tailwinds tied to the AI infrastructure build-out
- High short float across the board
Special call-out on Reddit (RDDT):
I’m buying long-term shares here. The stock is bottoming out and reversing off the lows after the “software apocalypse.” I like the company’s role as a key data source for many large language models (LLMs), plus the growing AI integration and partnerships.
Earnings This Week – High Short Float Opportunities
I’m watching several high short-interest names (including some from the lists above) reporting earnings this week. For example, Circle (CRCL) reported earnings this morning and is already up 16%. These kinds of moves can cause post-earnings momentum moves, plus short squeezes, which is why I put them on my watchlist before the reports.
CRCL is experiencing a post-earnings move, up +16% after initially gapping up +4.6% this morning after earnings.Here is the rest of my Earnings Short Squeeze Watchlist this week:
- Rigetti (RGTI)
- Oklo (OKLO)
- Archer Aviation (ACHR)
- Nebius (NBIS)
If they surprise to the upside, the shorts will have to cover fast — which can cause a price explosion (look for moves twice the expected move).
These make for high-volume momentum trades right after the report and can also set up excellent post-earnings buy entries for longer-term shares. I usually wait until after the print before jumping in — buying before earnings is risky.
Joining Making Money with Charles Payne on Fox Business
I covered my picks and more on Friday with Cheryl Cascone, who was filling in for Charles on Making Money with Charles Payne.
Check out the full segment here:
Bottom line:
The setups I laid out come from my Five Star System of analysis, which I use to identify long-term buys and trades in my personal trading and investing, and the ideas I share here at Five Star Trader and in the Mastering the Trade room at Simpler Trading.
These tickers have beautiful technical patterns, strong narratives (space, photonics, AI infrastructure), and short interest that can fuel big moves. Whether you’re trading options for quick swings or building core positions on pullbacks, these names have the ingredients.
I’ll be watching these closely next week and will follow up with any fresh levels or triggers as they develop.
Disclaimer: This newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only. It reflects my personal notes and ideas from the show and is not financial advice. Always do your own due diligence and consult your financial advisor. Trading and investing involve substantial risk of loss.
