The Option Block

Trading Block: The stock market slipped following Fed rate-hike rally, declining in oil prices. The U.S. equity benchmarks slipped Thursday as investors reconsidered the Wednesday rally. Odd Block: Calls trade in GoPro Inc (GPRO), calls trade in Hecla Mining Co. (HL) and calls trade in Momo Inc (MOMO) Strategy Block: Andrew Giovinazzi discusses closing trades in his strategy block debut. Mail Bloc...

Trading Block: Are SNAP options set for strong demand on their market debut? Fed kicks off tomorrow. Odd Block: Puts trade in Encana Corp. (ECA), calls trade in Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN) and calls trade in Rio Tinto PLC (RIO) Mail Block: Options #QuestionOfTheWeek - $VIX = 11.50, $SNAP IV30 = 56, $AAPL IV30 = 14, $OIV = 33. If you had to buy #Volatility, which is the best value? $SNAP - aka Twe...

Trading Block: What's going on in the market? The BBI explained. What would drive the VIX up? Interactive Brokers to Stop Options Market-Making Activities . Snap options set for strong demand on market debut . Crude oil prices fall below $50 as US stockpiles rise . Odd Block: Puts trade in ILG Inc (ILG), puts trade in SPDR S&P Oil and Gas (XES) and puts call and puts trade in SPDR S&P Oil and Gas...

Trading Block: OCC announced that total cleared contract volume in February was 333,411,251 contracts, 1% from February 2016 volume. Index options volume was up 11% with 39,247,030 contracts in February. An escalating broker price war has begun. Odd Block: Puts trade in iShares Iboxx $High Yield Corp (HYG), calls trade in NRG Energy, Inc. (NRG) and calls trade in Dicks Sporting Goods (DKS). Mail B...

Trading Block featuring special guest Ophir Gottlieb, CEO of Capital Market Laboratories, Editor in Chief @CMLviz SNAP: The first big IPO of the year is off to the races. Supposed to list at $17, opened at $24 and traded up to nearly $26, up over 50% from the listing price. Earnings earlier in the week: Tuesday - Target Wednesday - Best Buy Earnings today: After the bell - Costco Odd Block: Puts t...

Trading Block: Dow sets sights on 12th straight record close. PCLN - $1631.25, ATM straddle approx. $69, approx. 4.2%. Odd Block: Calls trade in CurrencyShares Euro Trust (FXE), calls trade in SPDR Euro Stoxx 50 (FEZ) and calls trade in Square Inc. (SQ). Mail Block: Questions, polls, and more. Options #QuestionOfTheWeek - #Oscars Edition. #WarrenBeatty screwed up Best Picture. What is your biggest...

Trading Block: Earnings! Earlier this week: Tuesday - Home Depot, Macy's, Wal-Mart; Wednesday - Tesla, Fitbit TSLA: Close - $273.51, ATM straddle - $17.16, approx. 6%, Open - $264.08, down 3.4% FITBIT: Close - $5.88, ATM straddle - $.76, approx. 13%, Open - $5.92, effectively unchanged Earnings today: Before the bell - Kohls; After the bell - Nordstrom, BIDU, Herbalife NYSE plans a trial run for S...

Trading Block: Earnings earlier this week. Tuesday - Potbelly, T-Mobile Wednesday - PepsiCo, Inc., Cisco Systems, Inc., Groupon, Marriott International Earnings today. AVP - Crush, stock down 17% intraday. Odd Block: Calls trade in Himax Technologies, Inc (HIMX), Calls trade in Health Care SPDR (XLV), Calls and puts trade in Mondelez International Inc (MDLZ). Mail Block: #Options #QuestionOfTheWee...

Trading Block: Earnings! Apple did not reach all time highs, but its close price is an all time highs. All time highs happened on April 28, 2015 @ 134.54. MIAX launches 15th options exchange with MIAX-Pearl. ICE Cool on Options : Speaking at the Credit Suisse Financial Services Forum in Miami Beach, Fla., Jeff Sprecher, founder, CEO, and chairman of ICE, painted a less than rosy picture of the opt...

Trading Block: Oil prices prop up Wall Street; NASDAQ hits record high. MIAX launches 15th options exchange with MIAX-Pearl. Earnings Today: Before the bell: Coca-Cola, Dunkin Brands Group, Twitter, Viacom After the bell: Activision, Nvidia, Zinga DIS (earnings on Tuesday): Close: $109 - ATM straddle: $3.50, approx. 3.2%; Open: $109.52 - traded as high as $11.42, up 2.2% Other earnings earlier thi...

Trading Block: Earnings Today Before the bell - Hasbro After the bell - CBOE Holdings, Twenty-First Century Fox But there is more than just earnings. OCC announces Total Cleared Contract Volume was down 9% in January. The Snapchat IPO looms ahead. Odd Block: Calls trade in S&P 500 VIX Short Term (VXX), puts trade in T-Mobile Inc (TMUS), alls trade in TrueCar Inc (TRUE). Mail Block: Options #Questi...

Trading Block: Earnings edition AAPL: Closed: $121.35, ATM Straddle: $4.25 approx. 3.5%. Opened: $127.09 - up 4.7%, traded as high as $130.49 - up 7.5%. iPhone 7 sales blew away estimates. Apple still sitting on over a quarter of a trillion in cash - excluding debt. FB: Closed: $133.23, ATM Straddle: $6.70 approx. 5%. traded as high as $135.29 - up 1.5%, today down to $130.70, approx. 2% After the...

Trading Block: Earnings today include Apple, Under Armour. Odd Bock: Call writer in Coach Inc. (COH), call spreads trade in Constellation Brands, Inc. (STZ) and calls trade in Pfizer Inc. (PFE) Mail Block: Questions, comments, and more. Options #QuestionOfTheWeek - Time for another earnings straddle battle. Which company will outperform their earnings straddle by the largest margin? Apple - $AAPL...

Trading Block: Earnings! Before the bell: Southwest, Caterpillar After the bell: Alphabet, PayPal, E-Trade, Microsoft, Intel GOOGL - $852.70. ATM Straddle: $34, approx. 4% MSFT - $64.05. ATM Straddle: $2.75, approx. 4.3% INTC - $37.6. ATM Straddle: $1.25, approx. 3.3% PAYPAL - $41.52. ATM Straddle: $2.12, approx. 5% SBUX - $58.51. ATM Straddle: $2.20, approx. 3.7% Odd Block: Calls trade in Kate Sp...

Trading Block: The Trump Effect: President Donald Trump is set to unleash a cascade of stock-market anxiety - The day of reckoning for the Wall Street is here. McDonalds (MCD) earnings today. Friday close - $122.26; ATM Straddle - $3.52, approx. 3%; Open down $.75, Traded as low as $2.44; No more love for all-day breakfast. Odd Block: Calls and puts trade in Morgan Stanley (MS), calls trade in Hom...

Trading Block: Stocks tumble ahead of Trump inauguration - Dow off 100. Netflix: Another crazy earnings for NFLX. Close = $133.26, straddle = $12.60 / 9.5%. Spiked to $145 in the after-hours, opened at $142 today. How a one-two, Trump-Yellen punch may move interest rates. Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses the importance of event risk Odd Block: Puts trade in 3D Systems Corp (DDD); Calls t...

Trading Block: Stocks sharply lower: Dow drops about 150 points. Who can slow down the Amazon juggernaut? Odd Block: Calls trade in Cheasepeake Energy (CHK), puts trade in Fiat Chrysler Auto NV (FCAU) and puts trade in Ford Motor Co (F). Mail Block: #QuestionOfTheWeek $VIX hit a high of 28 last year. How high will $VIX get in 2017? About the same (27-29) Slightly Lower (24-26) Slightly Higher (30...

Trading Block: Oil drop stymies the Dows march to 20,000. Tech stocks send Nasdaq to record, Apple is celebrating the tenth anniversary of the iPhone. Gold prices settle at highest level in nearly 6 weeks. The options market is not too worried about retail (XRT) woes, but should it be? Is Amazon.com the mall killer? Odd Block: Calls trade in 3D System Corp (DDD), calls trade in IAMGOLD Corp (IAG)...

Trading Block: Looking back at 2016! The thrills of victory. The agonies of defeat. Odd Block: Andrew's favorite Odd Block trades from 2016 Big winner: Calls trade in Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX) . Size upside calls trade (buy Jun expiration $5 ITM) - 2/4/16 Favorite House Money Roll: Calls trade in Advanced Mico Devices Inc. (AMD) . Calls roll up in Jan 2017 - 8/23/16 Big Jury is still ou...

Trading Block: A look back at the year 2016 in the options market. An overview of Lightspeed Trading with guest co-host Kevin Ott. Oil falls for the first time in nine days as U.S. crude supplies climb. Odd Block: Calls trade in Moblieye NV (MBLY), calls roll in Jetblue Corp (JBLU), puts trade in Kinross Gold (KGC). Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses 1256 contracts Mail Block: Listener que...

We dug through the archives to bring you the very best of the Option Block.

Trading Block: Gold, the Fed and volatility on this last episode before the holiday weekend. Odd Block: Calls trade in Globalstar, Inc. (GSAT), calls roll in Michael Kors Holdings, Ltd (KORS) and call buyers in Eldorado Gold Corp (EGO) Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses the strategy of "boxing off" Mail Block: Options question of the week, listener questions and comments #QuestionOfTheWeek...

Trading Block: The polar vortex might have snuck into the S&P, a narrow range of movement today. Vol off half a handle. How likely is the Fed to make an announcement before the end of the year? Odd Block: Calls trade in GlobalStar, Inc (GSAT), calls trade in Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) and calls trade in Energy Transfer Equity LP (ETE). Mail Block: Listener questions, comments, and opinions #Qu...

Trading Block: The market and everything else rallied. Vol drops. Fed forecasting. What's the scoop with the shiny stuff? Odd Block: Call trade in Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF), call spreads trade in Michael Kors Holding LTD (KORS), calls trade in KEY Corp. (KEY) Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses how to choose a financial advisor. Around the Block: The Fed has spoken. Now what?

Trading Block: Stocks mixed as Dow hits another new record high, flirting with 20,000. Crude and XLE up too. Wealthy investors show a Trump bump in confidence, UBS Wealth Management Americas reported Thursday. Odd Block: Puts trade in Transocean ltd (RIG), calls and puts trade in SPDR S&P 500 trust (SPY) and calls trade in Hain Celestial Group (HAIN). Mail Block: Question of the week and listener...