The Option Block

Option Block 253: Market Maelstrom Trading Block: The broad indices were down over 2%. All red, all day. Fed will cut $85 billion in monthly bond purchases by $20 billion. VIX cash breaks through the 20-handle for the first time since December. Apple, Google, GLD and more! Odd Block: Call combo unwinds in the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) for big money, puts trade in Fleetcor Technologies (FLT), and...

Option Block 252: The Dangers of Covered Straddles Trading Block: Market rallies ahead of the Fed, but lost steam in the late session. Gold selloff ahead of the Fed. Odd Block: Puts trade in PVR Partners, LP (PVR), calls trade in Insmed Incorp. (INSM), and puts trade in UltraShort Real Estate Proshares (SRS) Xpress Block: Netflix moves over $15, but otherwise, not a very exciting trading day Liste...

Option Block 251: Insider Trading, Options-Style Trading Block: Is the VIX going backwards? The rally has returned. Jobless claims fall by 12,000, sparking the rally.   An insider trading case involving options. “For the first time since its inception, high-frequency trading, the bogey machine of the markets, is in retreat.” VXX options hit record open interest. Exchanges finally subject to fines...

Option Block 250: Goldilocks Non-Farms Numbers Trading Block: It was a quiet day on the market. Non-farms announcement came out last Friday.   What are some trading ideas following a large event like this? Odd Block: Calls trade in Linhas Aereas Inteligent (GOL), puts trade in Celldex Therapeutics Inc. (CLDX), and put spreads trade in Southern Copper Co. (SCCO). Xpress Block: S&P changed the outlo...

Option Block 249: Great Expectations Trading Block: Another schizophrenic day on the street. McDonald's announces some 24-hr stores will serve breakfast after midnight. The Zynga apocalypse! A big move in Apple. Odd Block: Calls trade in Savient Pharmaceuticals Inc. (SVNT), a collar unwinds in DOLE Food Company (DOLE), and call spreads trade in Tessera Technologies Inc. (TSRA). Xpress Block: What'...

Option Block 248: The Ice Is Always Melting Trading Block: It was a bit of a head scratcher today, as an infusion of end-of-day buying threw a wrench into the machine. Disappointing ISM numbers, putting a laser focus on the jobs numbers out Friday. Market share and volume day with overall total options volume up 3% in May. Odd Block: Very near-term bullish play in Iron Mountain Inc. (IRM), sizable...

Option Block 247: The Confidence Trade Trading Block: The rally continues with interest rates and bonds hot. Looking forward to the 10-year VIX from the CME. Tesla breaks 100. Will the hype never end? Ford breaks $16. Odd Block: Collars closes in Approach Resources Inc. (AREX), and big call purchase in T-Mobile USA (TMUS). Xpress Block: Alex discusses what's been lighting up the desk at OX and the...

Option Block 246: Jump on the Boat with the 10-Year Note Trading Block: CBOE/CME launches a new 10-year treasury VIX. It is the first volatility index based on U.S. government debt to be calculated and disseminated by CBOE. CBOE stock hits $40 on its 40th anniversary. CRM & MRVL earnings after the bell.  TSLA - hard to short stock, bears turning to puts. MSFT - is there no love for the new Xbox On...

Option Block 245: Golden Tickets & Oompa Loompas Trading Block: It was an unchanged day on the street with stocks hovering around record highs. Does this rally have legs, or are we poised for a collapse? There was a weird dip in SPX on Friday night due to APC. Jumbo SPX is a flop so far. Only 18 contracts have traded through the middle of last week.   Everyone is still refusing to list it. Odd Blo...

Option Block 244: Car Talk Trading Block: It was down day on the markets. A lot of political news came out of Syria late in the day. Could Tesla be Apple 2.0? Xpress Block: Alex talks about the OX feature "Trading Patterns," which lets you look at what underlyings people traded in the OX environment. Available to most OX customers. Strategy Block: Mike Tosaw discusses what we've been seeing in the...

Option Block 243: The Viceroy Trade Trading Block: Another unchanged day. Netflix up due in part to the return of Arrested Development. Take Two earnings after the bell. Zynga gets a big pop in the day. First live day of jumbo SPX on Friday.   ISE lost its Supreme Court lawsuit and refuses to list contract. Ironic? Odd Block: Calls trade in Zynga, Inc. (ZNGA), puts trade in VIX short-term Futures...

Option Block 242: Dollar vs. Yen - The Eternal Battle INTERVIEW BLOCK: Today's guest is: Kevin Davitt, futures broker at RCM. He comes to the Option Block today to discuss ags, commodities and metals - as well as the record set by the dollar and the yen. TRADING BLOCK: Only a bit of movement on the market today - S&P sitting at the 16 handle. Priceline earnings, Shatner might be disappointed with...

Option Block 241: "Legalized Front-Running" Trading Block: The market trading much more modestly than recent rallies. ZNGA leaning on Farmville 2 - slashing 5% of workforce. Apple rallies up 11 handles, after they announced buybacks. VIX Cash well south of 200 day moving avg. of 15.26. VXX ranks as #3 exchange traded product by volume - avg. 53 million shares/day. Buffet's right hand man, Charlie...

Option Block 240: Questions Linger After CBOE Shutdown TRADING BLOCK:  The yo-yo markets continue - down 1%, up 1%.  Facebook misses but still feels the love. LinkedIn down after hours.  Earnings...Earnings...Earnings! ODD BLOCK:  Calls trade in Neutral Tandem Inc (IQNT) and c alls trade in Monster Worldwide Inc. (MWW) XPRESS BLOCK:  OX unveils a new quick trade function for iPad users, as well as...

Option Block 239: Rally Ho! Interview Block: Today's guest is Erik Long from Quant Trade, a CTA who primarily day trades futures. His method of looking at the markets can be associated with any time frame and he has some interesting insight for our listeners. Trading Block: Rally Ho! Again. There was some serious tech love on the street with Google, Apple, Intel, and IBM up 2% or more today. Overa...

Option Block 238: Markets Have a Headache   Trading Block: Weekly expiration this Friday. Exxon sells off after a disappointing earnings announcement. CBOE was down for most of the day, causing a lot of headaches. Bundesbank came out and rejected the "outright monetary transaction" taking the wind out of the sails today. Odd Block: Put spreads trade in Open Text Corp. (OTEX),calls trade in Supernu...

Option Block 237: Buy Juice, Be Happy Trading Block: VIX cash turns to the dark side. CAT earnings were not overwhelming. Netflix earnings have yet to come out, but there’s a lot of love for the "widow maker." Microsoft is also feeling a lot of love. Odd Block: Calls trade in General Motors Corp. (GM), calls roll on a Medivation Inc. (MDVN) spread, and big calls trade in Micron Technology Inc. (MU...

Option Block 236: Riding the Earnings Rollercoaster Trading Block: The market was down big time. Again. Earnings-palooza after the close with CMG, GOOG, MSFT, and IBM reporting. Odd Block: Puts trade in Bally Technologies Inc. (BYI), put spreads trade in Banco Itau Holdings SA (ITUB), OTM puts trade in Auxilium Pharmaceuticals Inc. (AUXL), and Financial Select Sector (XLF) puts trading early. Xpre...

Option Block 235: The Difference Between Risk Management & Market Timing Trading Block: An aggressive selloff wipes out most gains on the street today. Precious metals take a bath on the news that China development is slowing down. Gold down 9%. Priceline, Apple, Google, everything down. It was a bloodbath. Xpress Block: Alex Jacobson discusses what was up and what was down in this very prominent...

Option Block 234: Debunking the Expiration Graph Myth Trading Block: Ford was off to the races again, in a very mixed market.   Vol was mixed as well. Money is coming out of Asia into the U.S. market. Microsoft was down in a big way. Odd Block: Calls trade in Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO), big puts trade in Cell Therapeutics (CTIC), calls trade in ImmunoCellular Therapeutics Ltd (IMUC), and calls trade in iS...

Option Block 233: Trickle Down SPX Trading Block: The market is gaining back some ground after a skittish week. Here we go again with Alcoa earnings after the bell. Uncle Mike updates us on Ford, GLD, SLV and Apple. Is there any love for Facebook at these levels? The market is not loving FB Home apparently. Caribou Coffee pulling out of Chicago. BOX files with the SEC for a jumbo SPDR - 1000 multi...

Option Block 232:  Crushing Inflation Trading Block: Facebook goes after Google. Bank of Japan moving a lot today. S&P opened lower than gold for the first time since the flash crash. How high can the interest rate go? Odd Block: Big calls trade in the S&P 500 VIX Short Term Futures ETN (VXX), more puts trade in Alerian MLP ETF (AMLP), and out month put buy in Bank of America Corp. (BAC) Xpress Bl...

Option Block 231: April Fool Joke from Tesla? Interview Block: RCM’s Matt Bradbard talks about interest rates. When might they reverse course and head upwards? What is the Eurodollar? Trading Block: We actually saw a rise in VIX today. Tesla was today's big news: they made a profit for the first time this quarter! Apple bouncing off the lows. Odd Block: Calls trade in North American Palladium Ltd....

Option Block 230: The Psychology of Options Trading Interview Block: Today's guest is Benjamin Lee, founder of Think|Trade|Think. He talks about the psychology of trading, and gives us a preview of his upcoming RCM webinar. Trading Block: There was a bit of a selloff, as concerns about Cyprus crept back into the market. Which way are we heading from here? Odd Block: Puts trade in DaVita Healthcare...

Option Block 229: The Death Hedge Trading Block: Most indexes closed down by the end of the day. Juice comes back into the VIX. Cypress: is it the new Greece? GLD, SLV and other metals up on the day. Lululemon recalls "see-through" yoga pants. Odd Block: Calls spread trades in the VIX, put buying in Citigroup Inc. (C), and big trades in Constellation Brands Inc. (STZ). Xpress Block: Two names stoo...