The Option Block

Trading Block: Welcome to our 500th episode. Today's special panel includes: Mark Sebastian, Mike Tosaw, Andrew Giovanazzi, and our must beloved former panelist Alex "The Viceroy" Jacobson. They discuss: How many exchanges are too many exchanges? Options Insider question of the week The SEC Citadel Transaction fees Talking free of compliance issues And so much more... Odd Block: Rolling calls in C...

Trading Block: TSLA: Options traders are betting on a 16% move in Tesla shares in either direction through the end of the week. Four of the five most traded Tesla options on Wednesday were put options, but it was not clear whether investors were buying or selling them. It has been a rough year for Elon Musk - off $3.3B between TSLA and SCTY. Earnings today: Before the bell: Nokia, PepsiCo, After t...

Trading Block: Stocks take another beating: Dow down 400. Gold tops $1,200 for first time since June on economic woes. Earnings today after the bell: Yelp - $16.17, down nearly $2 - over 10%; Before the bell: Hasbro, Loews Odd Block: Calls trade in Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX), calls trade in Goldcorp Inc. (GG), calls trade in iShares MSCI EAFE Index fund (EFA), and calls and puts trades i...

Trading Block: Today we have guest co-host Dan Cook from NADEX. LNKD after the bell. ATM straddle: $22, approx. 11.5%. Wall St. fluctuates as equities track oil prices. Is oil driving the stock market - and should traders care? As energy rout deepens, CME, ICE reap benefit from record volumes. Earnings today - Before the bell: ConocoPhillips, Intercontinental Exchange. Odd Block: Calls trade in SP...

Trading Block: OCC announced total cleared contract volume for the month of January was up four percent from January 2015 with 371,870,087 contracts, marking the third highest January on record. CBOE announced that it plans to list S&P 500 Index (SPX) Wednesday - expiring Weeklys options beginning February 23, 2016. ISE Mercury to launch on February 16, 2016. Earnings today after the bell: Options...

Trading Block: Earnings! Ford Alibaba Amazon - rocking and rolling! Odd Block: Calls trade in ICICI Bank Ltd (IBN), calls trade in Abbott Laboratories (ABT), and call buyers in JA Solar Holding Co. (JASO) Mail Block: Listener questions and comments Question from BillyMo - Hey, any new updates with after hours options trading on earnings stocks? Question from NVid - The junk bond market is melting...

Trading Block: Earnings today before the bell Hess Corp. ConocoPhillips fell at least 6.1 percent. Banks retraced their best rally in more than a month Friday, with Bank of America Corp. down 3.1 percent. McDonalds Corp. gained after the fast-food giant earnings beat analysts forecasts as all-day breakfast helped fuel U.S. sales. The Fed begins a two-day meeting tomorrow. The probability of a rate...

Trading Block: Stocks rebound as Dow up more than 200 points and oil jumps 5%. Wall Street pay takes a hit, braces for deeper cuts. Yellen to keep Fed rate options open amid turbulent markets. Earnings today (Thursday): Before the bell: Southwest Airlines, Verizon Communications After the bell: American Express Company, E-Trade Financial Corporation Odd Block: Calls trade in NewCastle Investment C...

Trading Block: U.S. stocks rally from 3-Month lows as energy, healthcare lead. Goldman plans to cut up to 10% of fixed-income traders, salespeople. Before the bell: JP Morgan Chase. What crisis? JPMorgan Chase reports $5.4 billion profit. After the bell: Intel Corporation. ATM Straddle - $1.45, ADV 72K contracts, today: 115K. Odd Block: Puts trade in Fiat Chrysler Auto NV (FCAU), calls trade in KK...

Trading Block: Last week was the worst start to a trading year in history. An early rally lost steam later in the session. Intra day S&P high - 1935. Does the lack of IPOs signal a looming recession? Fear makes oil options increasingly expensive. Odd Block: 1-by-2 call spread in The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), buy to close short in Teva Pharmaceutical (TEVA), and bullish risk reversal in Powersha...

Trading Block: Hysterics are creeping back into the market in the New Year. This question seems to be popping up all over the place this week. Is this 2008 all over again? Chinas 29 minutes of chaos: stunned brokers and a race to sell. Apple Inc. said App Store billings topped a record $20 billion in 2015, but growth from the business appeared to slow even as the company introduced apps on new dev...

Trading Block: OCC 2015 cleared contract volume third highest ever at 4.2B. Options traders adding to bullish bets on Europe stocks for 2016. Stocks plunge as Dow tumbles about 420; S&P falls below 2,000. Odd Block “Best of” 2015: Weird trade of the year - 11/30/15 - Put rolls and calls going up in Ascena Retail Group Inc (ASNA) Loser of the year - 6/1/15 - Possible upside Anadarko Petroleum Corp....

Originally posted on December 24th, 2014, we bring you "The Most Epic Strategy Block Ever" Trading Block: A shortened holiday week, so not much is moving on the street. Upside move in Taser. Facebook and Amazon. Odd Block: Calls trade in Cobalt International Energy (CIE), opening calls trade in U.S. Bancorp (USB), and calls going up in Alibaba Holding Group Ltd (BABA). Xpress Block: Another new to...

Trading Block: The S&P 500 surged 2.8 percent last week, buoyed by gains in oil and raw-material companies, some of the year’s least-loved stocks. VIX jumped 14 percent Monday to 17.91. Oil led an early retreat among commodities Monday, sliding more than 3 percent from a three-week high as Iran repeated its goal of boosting exports after sanctions on the country are lifted. Odd Block: Calls tradin...

Originally published on August 25, 2015, this episode focused on the biggest single point drop ever in the DJIA. Also, chicken little was referenced. Trading Block: The DJIA briefly slumped more than 1,000 points, its biggest point-drop ever. VIX Cash hit 53.29 at 10am. The VIX jumped as much as 90 percent to 53.29, its highest since January 2009. VIX didn’t update for 30 minutes as options quotes...

Trading Block: The Force is not strong with Disney. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” had a record-breaking $238 million opening weekend at box offices in the U.S. and Canada, in addition to a near-record $279 million overseas, but DIS was off 2% today and off nearly $10 since the movie launched on Thursday. Dow sets mark for most volatile December since 2008. Wall St. slides on lower crude prices, s...

This week, we are digging through the archives to bring you highlights from the Option Block catalog. First up, a look back at a live raucous show, taped in July, 2012. Remember when AAPL was at $600? Mini contracts. AAPL vs. Samsung. And more...

Trading Block: Crude oil futures fell to seven-year lows - below $35. VIX: On Friday, it was up 28 percent at 24.72. Volatility the surest bet in stocks after Fed meets. Three U.S. fund sectors fear SEC proposal on derivatives may hurt ETFs. Odd Block: Buying vertical call spreads in Console Energy (CNX), upside call purchase in Royal Caribbean Cruises LTD (RDL), selling June 37 puts in Mondale In...

Trading Block: Oil was down, but energy stocks seemed to drive the market upward. Natural gas down around $2 level today. Odd Block: Call buyers in SPDR Gold Trust (GLD), call buyers in Whole Food Market (WFM), and calls trade in Mens Warehouse (MW) Around the Block: What will the Fed do?

Trading Block: There is an even weirder thing happening in financial markets. SEC to crack down on derivatives. Oil tumbles to six-year low as OPEC abandons production target. Odd Block: Calls trade in JP Morgan Alerian MLP index (AMJ), calls trade in SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), and calls trade in Sunedison Inc. (SUNE) Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses a different way to execute a stock repai...

Trading Block: A bit of a selloff today - Yellen signals growing likelihood of a December rate hike. OCC cleared contract volume increased 10% in November. SEC charges twin brothers with fraud for options trading Spoofing and order mismarking. Odd Block: Call buyers in Medtronic PLC (MDT), call sellers in Emerson Electric Co. (EMR), and put sellers in InvenSense Inc. (INVN) Around the Block: Non F...

Trading Block: VIX and the egocentricity of the Fed. Odd Block: Calls trade in Qunar Cayman Islands Ltd (QUNR), puts trade in Ascena Retail Group Inc. (ASNA), and puts trade in Zoetis Inc. (ZTS) Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw gives us an update on his most recent SPY positions. Around the Block: Non-Farms and the Fed are the main events we will be watching this week.

Trading Block: Earnings! Before the bell today: Gamestop Corporation, Tyson Foods, Trina Solar. After the bell:  Palo Alto Networks. S&P 500 profits fall $25 Billion in first three quarters of 2015. Oil slides back lower after spike on Saudi statement. CME: Shrinking locally to grow abroad. Odd Block: Puts trade in Freeport McMoran Inc (FCX), puts trade in Chesapeake Energy Corp (CHK), and calls a...

Trading Block: Apple plummets to 4th place among hedge holdings, from No. 1. Square surges after raising less than sought in IPO. BATS reports successful launch of EDGX Options - The new market launched on November 2nd and implemented a phased rollout of symbols, which was completed November 17th. Odd Block: Calls trade in The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), calls trade in CurrencyShares Euro Trust (...

Trading Block: Rally Ho post Paris. U.S. stocks rise slightly as markets see muted reaction to Paris attacks. Getting Bullish on Yahoo! Heavy call action today. Getting bullish on Bank of America (BAC). Odd Block: Puts trade in TJX Companies Inc (TJX), calls trade in Lions Gate Entertainment Corp (LGF), and dalls trade in Burlington Stores Inc. (BURL). Strategy Block: Tosaw discusses how he has st...