The Option Block

Option Block 202: VIX: How Low Can It Go? Trading Block: Zynga is up 4%, after filing Form 4 with the SEC. Who's going to gobble up Zynga? Today's rally due, in part, to some talks of potential settlement headed towards the fiscal cliff. VIX tanking. Xpress Block:   Alex Jacobson gets the OX hot seat once again and discusses VIX. How low can it go? Is it actually low right now? Has our frame of re...

Option Block 201: Traders as Quarterbacks Trading Block: Black Friday/Cyber Monday/Holiday season appears to be off to a good start. Facebook pops 8% with 60% more volume than normal. Apple rallies 18 handles. Microsoft drops their second-in-command. Interview Block: Today's guest is Anthony Crudele, Head Trader at eMini Executors. Xpress Block: Alex Jacobson gets the OX hot seat today and discuss...

Option Block 200: It's a Celebration Celebration Block: Let's pat ourselves on the back for lasting for 200 episodes, the most episodes of any program on our network, and probably the most episodes of any options podcast in history. We've had more episodes than: Seinfeld, Magnum PI, The Cosby Show, Full House, Different Strokes, Golden Girls & Three's Company. We also look back at the origins of t...

Option Block 199: Apple Selloff and Yoga Pants Trading Block: The mild selloff continues. What is happening with VIX and realized volatility post-election? VIX calls/verticals/ratios vs. SPY puts/verticals/ratios. Does VIX win?  A big Apple selloff. Is Uncle Mike getting ready to get back in? Dell earnings after hours. Tons of volume coming in for NetApp Inc. Odd Block: Interesting activity in Gam...

Option Block 198: Sex Scandals and Star Wars Trading Block: All three major indices unchanged at 0. Mild vol selloff, following a mild rally after post-election selloff. CIA head forced out following a fantastically crazy scandal. Odd Block: Unusual activity in Titanium Metals Corp. (TIE); bullish options are in play on drug maker Eli Lilly and Co. (LLY); unusual activity in Flagstar Bancorp, Inc....

Option Block 197: Driving Towards the Fiscal Cliff Trading Block: Markets down following presidential election. What can we attribute this to? There is strength in inelastic demand, inflation sensitive assets like GLD, corn, soybeans and wheat.  Interview Block: Newcomer David Peltier, Portfolio Manager for TheStreet.com’s Stocks Under 10, gets his own segment to let our listeners get to know him...

Option Block 196: Election Edition Trading Block: The market took off once early polling results came in, a broad-based rally across most of the market. Vol came in after being out most of the morning. Odd Block: 30,000 contracts trade on the VIX Nov16 put. Xpress Block: John Grigus gets the OX hot seat today to discuss VIX, recent highs in volume and the ex dividend date for Apple. Mail Bag: Via...

Option Block 195: Post-Hurricane Sandy Edition Trading Block: The market reopens Wednesday after closing for two days due to Hurricane Sandy. Apple opens nearly unched, some long premium holders ended up alright. Vol has been coming in hard. How was the NYSE not prepared for a disaster such as a hurricane? Odd Block: Straddle sold on Take 2 Interactive Software (TTWO). Xpress Block: Dave Vitamonis...

Option Block 194: The Great AAPL Death Knell Trading Block: The great Apple death knell? Tosaw is out! A momentous decision. Amazon and Apple earnings after the close. Facebook earnings earlier this week.  Odd Block: Volatility plays heat up on KLA-Tencor (KLAC). Xpress Block: Sean Fitzgerald gets the OX hot seat and discusses today's action on the desk. Russell credit spreads, GLD, and Zynga.  St...

Option Block 193: Post-Earnings Selloff & Turnaround Trading Block: Post-earnings selloff continues, but then we saw a dramatic turnaround late in the day. Iron flies on Microsoft post-earnings. Odd Block: Large call spread purchased on MGIC Investment Corporation (MTG); calls bought on Eli Lilly (LLY). Xpress Block: John Grigus gets the OX hot seat today and discusses Bank of America, new tech pr...

Option Block 192: Earnings Palooza Trading Block:   GOOG earnings announced early, although no one is sure why.   Today is an earnings-palooza: AMD, LUV, MSFT, NOK, VZ all after the bell. Odd Block: Is McGraw-Hill Topped Out? (MHP); puts rolled on Sprint Nextel (S); volatility purchased on Hertz Global (HTZ). The Mail Block: You ask. We answer. EMAIL FROM TED, WASHINGTON:  “I know you guys have to...

TRADING BLOCK Vol Rundown - Vix came in today, as expected given Vol inflation on Friday and today's rally. Nobel Prize for economics announced today - Alvin Roth won. Citi and Chipotle reporting earnings today. ODD BLOCK Calls Active as Two Harbors Crashes (TWO) Protection Purchased on the Healthcare Select SPDR (XLV) Calendar Spread Trades on Wells Fargo (WFC) INTERVIEW BLOCK Today's guest: Kevi...

Option Block 190: Getting Out of AAPL Trading Block: Another 0.0% move for the S&P today. Zynga was crushed again this week, and closing today at $2.43 as it takes a massive write-down on the OMG Pop acquisition. It also manages to bring Facebook down with it. Corn up 5% after U.S. harvest forecast slashed. Apple closing down about 13 handles or 2% to $628.10. Odd Block: Upside calls active on Aux...

Option Block 189: Iron Condors and Big Trends Trading Block: Apple down about 2.5%. When might we see the minis? Groupon finally goes to the plus side. Is it time to abandon ship? Non-farms better than expected. Odd Block: Huge three-way put spread trades on Consol Energy (CNX); options action surges as Vringo pops (VRNG). Xpress Block: John Grigus takes the hot seat and discusses the many spin-of...

Option Block 188: Diversify. Diversify. Diversify   Trading Block: The market's reaction to Wednesday night's Presidential debate. Review from the Morning Star conference. (Spoiler: Options exposure and education is still significantly lacking.) HPQ, SLV & GLD, ACT. Odd Block: Upside purchased in Sachs (SKS); calls active as Dell pushes to new lows (DELL) Xpress Block: New-comer Dave Vitamonis get...

Option Block 187:  It’s That Time of the Month Trading Block: VIX cash getting some weekend love back. Monthly volume numbers are in, and according to ISE, dividend trades made up 8.8% of industry volume in September 2012. Apple closing down 1%. Will Uncle Mike ever get out? Groupon = garbage? Premium selling candidate? Risk reversals? Is Activision lining up for more bullish risk reversals? Ford...

Option Block 186: RIMM Time Spreads and SPY Dividends Trading Block: A broad rally, thanks to Spain's spending cuts. RIMM earnings after the bell. It closed today at $7.14. Mark ponders the weekly/Oct 6-7-8 iron fly. Jobless claims hit a two-month low. Odd Block: Implied volatility mover in Regions Financial (RF); volume signals in Deckers Outdoors (DECK), and; Coca Cola Enterprises (CCE). Love pi...

Option Block 185: Dividend Trade Blowup   Trading Block: VIX getting some of the weekend back courtesy of some selloff love. It's been a while since we've have a 1% down day. A big whoops with dividend trades for Merrill Lynch occurred Friday. Facebook taking it on the chin - down about 9%. Apple closing today down about 1.5%. Odd Block: Some significant size going up in XLF; Oct 100 puts going up...

Option Block 184: BNNY vs. FB vs. GRPN Trading Block: A mild selloff and a mild VIX rally, yet another 0.0% day! Groupon the only green on the screen.  At last, Grigus is rolling in dough! BNNY blows FB out of the water. Odd Block: Calls active as Dollar Tree pops (DLTR); J.C. Penney craters resulting in unusual puts activity (JCP), and; a quick review on Jefferies Group, Inc. (JEF). Xpress Block:...

Option Block 183: Bernanke Puts Trading Block: Most of the major indices giving back some of the QE3 love, after an abnormally odd Friday. QE3: good, bad or ugly? A rundown from the options conference last week. Is Grigus still on the Groupon love train? Option Block: Shares of Linn Energy (LINE) are trading low; traders look for increased vol on Pan American Silver Corp. (PAAS), and; LEAPS calls...

Option Block 182: Setting Low Expectations for Employment Trading Block: The bulls were definitely in charged today, the market seemed to like what Big Ben had to say this week. Vol rundown, volatility has come in. What happened with Apple after their product announcement?  The initial claims and jobless report numbers, again today we had more claims and fewer jobs than expected. Xpress Block: Sea...

Option Block 181: Apple Overlord Trading Block: A mild down day on the Street. VIX off to the races. Positioning after the jobs number. Apple pullback ahead of Wednesday event. Intel lowers guidance and is promptly down 3%.  Odd Block: Calls active as Talisman Energy appoints new president and CEO (TLM); block trade fever in Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF); and Leap Frog puts flying out th...

Option Block 180: A Whimper Not A Scream Trading Block: Finally a strong rally across the board. Vol and VIX rundown. CBOE announced at RMC Europe that they are hoping to trade VIX futures around the clock next year. Amazon announces new Kindle devices today, including Kindle Fire HD and new Kindle Fire for $159. Apple poised for a big announcement next week, looking for the new iPhone and perhaps...

  TRADING BLOCK Finally a day of action after an unchanged last couple of weeks. Apple destroys Samsung in jury verdict  - $1B Verdict - Samsung won basically no judgements - Interesting that the judge disallowed a samsung media player from 2006, that looks just like the iPhone! Groupon can't catch a bid.  ODD BLOCK Huge Blocks of Calls Trade on EMC - Chasing Deltas  Puts Active on Seagate Technol...

Option Block 178: Apple: Cheap? Expensive? Cheap Expensive? Trading Block: A slow Friday. Looking at the spread between VIX cash and the VIX futures. What is causing the build-up in premium? Looking at the November elections. Xpress Block: Sean Fitzgerald gets the OX hot seat today and discusses the lack of volume this last month and the interesting orders from today on Salesforce.com. The Fed and...