AAPL’s ascent toward a longstanding target at 176.52 has been untroubled, with no swoons ugly enough to enable a ‘mechanical’ buy on the way up.  Nor has the rally been steep enough to make owning call options profitable. Selling them short has been the ticket, and that’s probably one reason the stock’s handlers have been content to get where they’re going slowly but surely. This is going to be little help to us, although there may be opportunities to place jackpot bets with options that sometimes get underpriced.  Stay tuned if you care. ______ UPDATE (Apr 19, 2:14 p.m.): The stock is closing on double resistance that could be shortable. See the chat room discussion for further details. ______ UPDATE (Apr 20, 11:22 p.m.); The intraday short-squeezes and gap-up opening bars have turned so ferocious lately that you just know DaBoyz are trying to Mau-Mau bears before turning out the lights. Hang onto those puts!