Options · Research · Risk
XIV
Capital.
My work in options trading, market research, and risk management. I trade my own capital and build tools to support my decisions.
01 / Research
Notes on the markets.
Options, businesses, and the questions behind each thesis.
- Before I Trust a Backtest, I Check the DataBuilding a small options-data check in Green Machine taught me to ask what a result can actually support before asking how much it could make.
- The AI Boom Is Tying Balance Sheets TogetherWatching The Big Short led me to examine the financial ties behind the AI boom, how losses could spread, and what the government might choose to save.
- All In, Every TimeGiving the work everything I have, changing how I build with AI, and knowing what I will not compromise.
02 / Tools
From research to review.
Software for research, data checks, and documenting decisions.
Options research
XIV Capital brings together my options research and the tools I build to support it.
View research ↗Data quality
Before trusting a backtest, I examine coverage, missing data, and quote quality.
View research ↗AI-assisted research
Research workflows that organize evidence and keep decisions with me.
Read the note ↗03 / Experience
Software in the real world.
Publix Super Markets · 2022–2026
Enterprise systems, integrations, and quality automation.
Sr Quality Assurance Engineer
AI-assisted quality workflows across four development teams. Validation with Playwright, Azure DevOps, SQL, REST APIs, and Kafka.
Software Engineer
Built and modernized inventory APIs and integration services across ordering, invoicing, supplier, and warehouse systems.
Associate Software Engineer
Helped modernize warehouse technology supporting automation equipment, including crane and conveyor-control systems.
04 / About
Marcelo Zapata.
I’m an options trader with a background in software engineering. My focus is market structure, execution, and risk management.
This site documents my research and tools. I share my personal process; I do not manage other people’s money or provide investment advice.
XIV Capital research