The Option Block

Option Block 380: Apple Bores Us to Tears Trading Block: Apple earnings rundown: weekly straddle at approx. $4.40 going into earnings. Upside in the stealth Apple: CMG.   Odd Block: Buy write trades in Digital Realty Trust, Inc.  (DLR), calls trade in Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO), and combos trade in iShares MSCI Brazil Index (EWZ).   Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses the benefits of long premium  ...

Option Block 379: Explosion of VIX Stupidity Trading Block: Rocktober in full effect - hot on the heels of the madness yesterday, we saw another day with record swings and volume. Can nothing derail the bulls? NFLX earnings apocalypse? HBO Go spooking people? Odd Block: Combo unwind in iShares iBoxx $ High Yield ETF (HYG), puts close in Global X FTSE Greece 20 ETF (GREK), and collar closing in Yin...

Option Block 378: Market Apocalypse Redux Trading Block: A crazy time in the markets today - the biggest rally of the year, sparked by the Fed minutes, followed by one of the worst down days. VIX Cash back up over 19. Icahn - Apple trading at half value. Odd Block: Put spreads trade in AECOM Technology Corp (ACM), puts trade in Babcock and Wilcox Co. (BWC), and puts trade in Frontier Communication...

Option Block 377: Covering The Cost of Your Put Trading Block: A mild day on the street. The dollar weakened the most in six months, dropping from a four-year high. U.S. stocks fell, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index retreating after touching its average price for the past 50 days, as small-cap shares resumed a selloff following a fifth weekly decline. Beginning Monday, October 6, 2014, CBOE wi...

Option Block 376: Rebar and Rapeseed - the Stealth Titans Trading Block: Another selloff - pulling ever farther away from the 2000 level. VIX Cash moving into the high teens. OCC announced today that total cleared contract volume in September reached 371,034,038 contracts. It’s time for the global futures and options guessing game!   Odd Block: Calls trade in RF Micro Devices (RFMD), puts roll in...

Option Block 375: How to Hedge Your 401K Trading Block: Alibaba options active in U.S. trading debut. OCC and U.S. options exchanges announce new risk control standards to strengthen industry protections. ISE Holdings files for third exchange license to launch ISE Mercury.   Odd Block: Fun and unusual trading activity in TTPH, MX, and TAP.   Strategy Block: Uncle Mike discusses how to hedge a 401k...

Option Block 374: When To Exercise An Option...Never Trading Block: An aggressive selloff in the market today. VIX up 3 handles - about 22%. Apple off 3%. Nike, the other big player in the market today - up about $4.  Odd Block: Calls and puts trade in EXH- looks like a straddle seller, puts close in KO- could be a put closer but not rolling, and calls trade in PBF- existing roll for calls Mail Bl...

Option Block 373: Talking BABA, YHOO, AAPL and more Trading Block: A sea of red on the street today. Bad news out of China. Apple announced opening weekend iPhone 6 sales were over 10 million. Alibaba I.P.O. underwriters increased deal size to a record-setting $25 billion. Yahoo options went bonkers on Friday. Odd Block: Puts roll in Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. (CLF) risk reversal goes up in iSh...

Option Block 372: Call Stupids and Bond Hedges   Trading Block: Alibaba IPO on Friday. Fed Meeting on Wednesday. Scots vote whether or not to stay in UK. Odd Block : Calls trade in Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) ratio spreads in Petroleo Brasilieiro Petrobras (PBR), put buyers jump into PDL Biopharma Inc. (PDLI).   Mail Block: Listener questions and comments Question from Lawrence Silverberg - Hi!...

Option Block 371: Talking TSLA, SCTY, YHOO and Alibaba Trading Block: NOTE: No Alex for the next six weeks. Our thoughts and prayers with him while he undergoes surgery. Alibaba IPO & Yahoo - Barron’s telling people to buy Nov 43-48 call spread to benefit from the IPO. TSLA & SCTY over 10%. A bad day for the wallet of Elon Musk. Odd Block: Puts filled in The Market Vectors Russia ETF (RSX), puts t...

Option Block 370: Live Episode Spectacular! Trading Block: Apple trading above $100 post iWatch/Mega - any changes to outlook/trading strategy here? CBOE Futures ExchangeSM (CFE) announced today that it plans to launch futures trading on the CBOE/CBOT 10-year U.S. Treasury Note Volatility IndexSM. 9/11 Anniversary - Bin Laden Put Options Odd Block: Puts spreads trade in Market Vectors Russia ETF (...

Option Block 369: Short Puts and Ratios in AAPL Trading Block: S&P glued to the 2000 handle. Go Pro very active today - Yahoo as well. TLT - blame the Viceroy. Odd Block: Puts trade in Valero Energy Corp. (VLO) Calls trade in Pattern Energy Group (PEGI) Calls trade in Apple Inc. (AAPL) Strategy Block: Good greed vs. Bad greed Mail Block: Comment from KaiserDog76 - Oh that Granny Smith tasted sour...

Option Block 368: Selling Premium in a Quiet Market Trading Block: A mild day on the street today. BP fiasco slaughters everything oil related. Apple had a four point loss. CBOE announces weeklies on SPX Odd Block: Calls buyers flood into QuickSilver, Inc (ZQK) Calls trade in JAKKS Pacific, Inc (JAKK) Calls trade in Corning Inc. (GLW) Mail Block: Question from Mandel - What is a premium writer to...

Option Block 367: Talking AAPL Collars Trading Block: A relatively quiet day on the street. GoPro and Twitter were the only two names Apple still seems to be reaching new high. How did Tosaw play it? Odd Block: Big put seller in Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC), puts trade in 21Vianet Group Inc. (VNET), and bullish paper in EZCHIP Semiconductor LTD (EZCH). Xpress Block: A very quiet day on the OX desk. 3 t...

Option Block 366: The Knife Edge of Volatility Trading Block: Most major indices up today on the street. Vol saw a bit of a rally as well. S&P briefly hit 2,000, but couldn't stay there.   Odd Block: Calls trade in Credit Suisse Group AG (CS), calls trade in H&R Block (HRB), and risk reversal trades in Lennar Corp (LEN).   Xpress Block: What’s new with IdeaHub? Futures side and securities side pre...

Option Block 365: The Great Apple $107 Debate Trading Block: A mild day on the street. Apple finally passes $100. What will Yellen say tomorrow and how will it affect the market? New study show advisors use of options increased 13% since 2011.   Odd Block: Calls trade in Jarden Corp. (JAH) calls trade in China Finance Online Co. (JRJC), and calls trade in Macerich Co. (MAC).   Xpress Block: Free p...

Option Block 364: Dollar General Madness Continues Trading Block: Rally ho on the street today! German 10-year realized vol was 100%! The social media trio - FB, LKDN and TWTR mixed today.   Odd Block: Unusual options activity in DG, AMSC, EGHT, and TASR.   Xpress Block: Schwab tools: The 4-legged trade ticket is coming to Schwab the first-second week of September.   Mail Block: Question from Ted...

Option Block 363: The Last Train to Pallookaville Trading Block: The market rallied about half a handle. Putin talks up the street. Bonds: TLT & IEF. Berkshire A crosses $200,000 a share. Red Robin taking it on the chin today.   Odd Block: Some unusual activity in TSRA, NM, and NKTR   Xpress Block: The social networking triplets (Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook) were all active today. Amazon surpri...

Option Block 362: You, Too, Can Own a Piece of History Trading Block: Big momentum days for PriceLine, LinkedIn and Tesla. Zynga rallies. A picture of Alex is up for sale on Ebay . Odd Block: Diagonal puts trade in Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) ratio call spread buy - Earnings trade goes up in Fossil Group Inc. (FOSL), and calls roll in iShares Dow Jones US Home (ITB) - sell Aug buy Sep.   Xpress Block: Three...

Option Block 361: The Happy Bottom Trading Block: A little bit of a down day on the street, but nothing like last week. Zynga and Groupon after the bell. ZNGA closing south of the 3 handle. VIX futures trading below the VIX cash. Grains and wheat options and the Russia embargo.   Odd Block: Combos trade in Flotek Industries Inc. (FTK), puts trade in Gerdau SA (GGB) wheel trade.   Xpress Block: LUL...

Option Block 360: Return of the Voice Trading Block: Some of the Thursday selloff coming back into the market. Where could the VIX go in the next few weeks? VXST trading below the VIX cash.   Odd Block: Ratio roll calls in Select Sector SPDR Financials (XLF), a ratio time "Tosaw Stupid" in SM Energy Co. (SM), size ITM call buyer with stock in AmerisourceBergen Corp. (ABC), and closing call roll in...

Option Block 359: Thursday, Bloody Thursday Trading Block: A bloody day on the street. A default, a bankruptcy, and bad Fed news. Massive FLEX trades went up today. Professor Whaley and the VIX term structure     Odd Block: Revisiting a position in iShares MSCI Taiwan Index (EWT)   Xpress Block: Alex discusses about the changing metrics in portfolio margining and the risk tools.   Strategy Block:...

Option Block 357: AMZN Call Buyers Get Crushed Trading Block: Markets mostly unchanged in modest volume. Apple posts decent numbers but disappoints overall. Amazon earnings after the bell. OX clients still buying far OTM calls? Facebook rallies $4.50 post earnings and trades over 1m contracts. Ford announced before open. Not much of an event. Odd Block: Call buyers trade in Wisconsin Energy Corp (...

Option Block 356: CME and NFLX Earnings Rundown Trading Block: A relatively quiet day on the street, after a crazy week. Earnings so far: NFLX after the close, CME (the stealth Apple) after the close. Positioning for Apple tomorrow. Odd Block: Call buyers trade in Steel Dynamics (STLD), call spreads buyers trade in Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. (OREX), calls buyer trade in Crocs, Inc. (CROX), call s...

Option Block 355: Bleeding Out Into the Pillow The Trading Block: A bit of a bloodbath on the street. Dire world news out of Ukraine and Israel/Palestine. Yellen's comments reverberating around the market. A 33% spike in the VIX. Microsoft slashing jobs. U.S. House passes spending bill with Dodd-Frank changes.  The Odd Block: Opening put buy in Currency Shares Canadian Dollar ETF (FXC), short puts...