The Option Block

Trading Block: Earnings today (before the bell): Wal-Mart, Hormel Foods, MSG Networks); (after the bell): Gap, Ross Stores. Wal-Mart closed at $73. ATM straddle $2.75, approx. 3.8% Options #QuestionoftheWeek: $VRX $26.66 up 7% Monday. IV30 is 63. HV30 is 99. Looking out 1 month would you rather: Buy Calls? Buy Puts? Sell Premium? Will not touch $VRX Odd Block: Calls trade in JA Solar Holdings Co....

Trading Block: New all-time highs across most major indices. Oil rallies yet again; up 1.5%. VIX cash still below the 12-handle. Earnings Tuesday: BMO. Stock $137. ATM straddle approx. $4/3%. Odd Block: Vertical put buying in Polaris Industries Inc. (PII), vertical call buying in Energy Transfer Partners LP (ETP), buying calls in Akamai Technologies Inc. (AKAM) Mail Block/Options Question of the W...

Trading Block: Strong earnings, surge in oil power Dow to record intraday high. Earnings today: Before the bell: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, Kohls Corporation, Macys Inc.; After the bell: Cosi, Inc., Nordstrom Inc. VRX: ATM straddle approx. $3, 13%. So much for put buyers Stock opened $1.50 higher and closed nearly $6 higher - surrendered most of those gains today. Odd Block: Calls trade in Twitter...

Trading Block: Earnings today include (before): Dean Foods, Sotheby's, Tyson Foods; (after) Hertz Global Holdings, Rackspace, WebMD Health Corp. Options bears descend on Valeant ahead of earnings. Traders are betting shares are due for even more pain. Non-farm payroll brightens the U.S. economic outlook. Odd Block: Puts trade in Tupperware Brands Corp. (TUP), puts trade in SM Energy Co. (SM), call...

Trading Block: Earnings today: AMC Networks, HH Gregg, Icahn Enterprises, MGM Resorts International, Nokia Corporation, Starwood Property Trust, Time Inc. (before); Activision Blizzard, Almo Group, Bats Global Markets, LinkedIn Corporation, Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, Weight Watchers International, Zillow (after). ATVI at $40.84, approx. 7%. Takeover rumor sparks busy day in Twitter opti...

Trading Block: Earnings today include: AMC Entertainment Holdings, Loews Corporation (before), and Dunn & Bradstreet, General Growth Properties (after). U.S. stocks pressured as oil losses mount. Crude back below $40. BATS to launch "BAM" Options Auctions, offering competitive price improvement opportunity. Odd Block: Calls selling and buying in MetLife (MET), calls selling in FDC First Data Corp...

Trading Block: Big news! OptionsHouse is now the sponsor of The Option Block. Earnings today include CME, FORD, DOW. Ford off nearly 9% AMZN: $748.50. ATM Straddle approx. $50, 6.6% GOOG: $742. ATM Straddle approx. $38.50, 5%. Odd Block: Calls trade in ETSY Inc. (ETSY), calls trade in The Technology SPDR (XLK), calls and puts trade in Yandex NV (YNDX) Mail Block: Listener questions and comments Qu...

Trading Block: Earnings! Not many earning today, but a big week is ahead. Apple after the bell tomorrow. Stock at $97.27, ATM Straddle approx. $2.90, or 3%. Oil prices fell to two-and-a-half month low. Verizon owns the internet from the 90s, AOL last year, Yahoo today. Odd Block: Calls trade in Crown Castle Inter. (CCI), call buying in Bank of America (BAC), call selling in iShares MSCI Japan ETF...

Trading Block: Most major markets off 0.5% or more. VIX cash watch. Earnings today (before) Dunkin Brands,General Motors, Marriott Vacations, Southwest Airlines; (after) AT&T, Chipotle Mexican Grill, E*Trade Financial (ETFC). Apple Watch is a flop! Odd Block: Calls trade in Nobel Corporation (NE), calls trade in Teucrium Corn Fund (CORN), calls and puts trade in Ebay Inc (EBAY), and calls trade in...

Trading Block: The coup that wasn't. Earnings today include Bank of America, Hasbro, Charles Schwab Corp., (before) and IBM, Netflix, Yahoo (after). A Brexit swoon boosts US options volume to a 10-month high. Odd Block: Size puts in IZE iShares MSCI Turkey Market Index ETF (TUR), calls trade in Nobel Energy (NE), calls trade in Market Vectors Russia ETF (RSX), and calls and puts trade in ArcelorMi...

Trading Block: Earnings today include: JPMorgan Chase, Delta Air Lines. Legislation to impose financial transactions tax introduced. Clinton aims "Wall Street" tax at Flash Boys, not banks. Odd Block: Calls trade in ConAgra Foods Inc. (CAG), calls trade in HollyFrontier Corp (HFC) and calls trade in Credit Suisse Group (CS). Mail Block: Listener questions and comments Question from Dmitry: What ha...

Trading Block: Today we have a specail co-host, Steve Claussen, Chief Investment Strategist, OptionsHouse. What do the all-stars discuss? Earnings today: Alcoa Inc. ATM Straddle approx. $.65-6.5%. The S&P hits new all-time high, Nasdaq above 5,000. CBOE to list SPX Monday-expiring Weeklys Options. Pokemon Go craze sends Nintendo stock soaring. Odd Block: Short-term bulls go shopping at Macy's (M);...

Trading Block: Post-Brexit market update. OCC Cleared contract volume up 11% in June. The urgency of the Fed to hike has faded away as Brexit further clouded the outlook. SEC approves NYSE request for new market volatility rules. Twitter Poll Options Question of the Week: Which products' performance post-#Brexit surprised you the most? 43%: Volatility (VIX, etc) 0%: Rates (10yr, etc) 52%: Equity I...

Trading Block: Earnings today before the bell: ConAgra. U.S. lawmakers seek more money, authority for derivatives regulators. CFTC charges ex-Chicago Board Options Exchange director with fraud. Options Question of the Week Twitter Poll: Where will $VIX close on Friday in this first trading week post-#Brexit? #QOTW 6%: Above 25 13%: 22-24.99 22%: 19-21.99 59%: Below 19 Odd Block: Calls go up in Her...

Trading Block: Brexit provides a review of pitfalls for options and futures traders. Oil extends decline as Brexit fallout spurs market volatility. Could the Fed potentially reverse course and cut rates? Odd Block: Calls trade in Crown Castle Inter. (CCI), puts trade in Starbucks Corporation (SBUX) Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses how to select the correct collar size. Listener Mail: Lis...

Trading Block: Brexit, Brexit, Brexit! Results due late Thursday night. Tesla owner Elon Musk wants to acquire SolarCity, another company he owns. Gold. Oil. Odd Block: Bull call spreads trade in RiteAid Corp. (RAD), bull call spreads trade in Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF (VGK) Mail Block: Listener questions and comments Question from Robert K.: I would like to use strategy regarding naked puts. If th...

Trading Block: Brexit: Much ado about nothing? Market rallies and VIX Cash sells off 2 handles, Dow jumps 200 points. Is that it for volatility? Goldman slashes stock demand estimates. Odd Block: Puts trade in Newmont Mining Corp (NEM), calls trade in Credit Suisse Group AG (CS), and puts trade in Community Health Systems (CYH) Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses iron condors Around the Blo...

Trading Block: Fed keeps rates unchanged, lowering odds for future hikes. Weak Nonfarms number derailed any Fed plans to raise in June. Earnings today: (before the bell) Oracle Corporation; (after the bell) the Kroger Co, Rite Aid Corporation. CME Fedwatch tool: July probability: 7% Sep: 29% Nov: 31% Dec: 47% Options Question of the Week: $VIX surging ahead of FOMC, but for how long? Where will $V...

Trading Block: Today we have a special guest co-host: Steve Claussen, Chief Investment Strategist, OptionsHouse. What's going on: VIX/VVIX surging ahead of FOMC - VIX Cash over 20, VVIX: 117. Suspicious options activity in LNKD/MSFT ahead of deal A group from Silicon Valley has a serious plan for creating a totally new US stock exchange. Options Question of the Week Results: How are you prepping y...

Trading Block: VIX remains somewhat muted heading into FOMC new week as well as Brexit the following week. Billionaire George Soros returns as a Brexit bear. He's also loading up on gold and GLD options, SPY puts. Odd Block: Calls trade in Market Vectors Oil Services ETF (OIH), calls trade in AT&T (T), and calls trade in Marathon Petroleum Corp (MPC). Mail Block: Listener questions and comments Qu...

Trading Block: Market not spooked by Yellen today. Brexit worry has radiated around world as poll puts traders on edge. Odd Block: Calls trade in Calpine Corp (CPN), calls trade in EI Dupont (DD), and calls trade Enterprise Products Partners (EPD) Listener Questions: In which the listeners take over Question from Andy Noble: What do you guys think about this scandal over the super trader? Another...

Trading Block featuring guest co-host Todd Rich, President of OM Media (an affiliate of OptionsHouse). Crude oil and energy stocks It is that time of the month - volume time. OCC announced that cleared contract volume in May reached 319,533,636 contracts, a four percent increase from the May 2015 volume of 308,639,215 contracts. YTD average daily cleared contract volume is also up four percent fro...

Trading Block Featuring guest co-host Nick Howard, Bantix Soybean rundown: Is the collar skew still favorable? Gold rundown: GLD vs Futures options. The SEC has obtained a court order to freeze the profits of a trader who allegedly manipulated a technology stock through a false regulatory filing traced to a computer in Pakistan. Odd Block: Calls trade in WisdomTree India Earnings (EPI); calls trad...

Trading Block: Will anything useful come out of the Fed meeting? Will the United Kingdom leave the EU? Bayer offers to buy Monsanto for $62B Odd Block: Calls trade in Comcast Corp (CMCSA), calls and puts trade in Bed Bath and Beyond (BBBY), calls trade in Corning Incorporated (GLW) Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses how not to force a trade. Mail Block: Listener questions and comments Ques...

Trading Block: Earnings Thursday (retail heavy) After the bell: Gap, Inc., Ross Stores, Shoe Carnival, Before the bell: Wal-Mart, Dick's Sporting Goods, HH Gregg, Stein Mart, The Bon-Ton Stores Stocks to watch: Wal-Mart, Monsanto, Advance Auto Parts, Tesla, Urban Outfitters. This S&P 500 Death Cross could be the real deal. Odd Block: Calls trade in Kinross Gold Corp (KGC), call buyers trade Coeur...