Volatility Views 122: Goldman Straddles and Buffett Puts

Volatility Review: VIX cash range: 14.69-17.30. VIX futures trading above cash for quite a bit this week. VIX options 3.4/1 call/put ratio. Top open interest positions:

273,733 .VIX Aug-14 16.0 C, chg +7148
262,146 .VIX Sep-14 19.0 C, chg +1029
221,559 .VIX Sep-14 21.0 C, chg +24

VXST OI: 3037, ADV: 832, 4.2/1 call/put ratio

RVX OI: 591

Goldman analyst events study http://www.docstoc.com/docs/158693818/Goldman-Sachs from Trading-Events-Analyst-days. Studied 3,700 analyst days from 2002 to 2012. Twice as positive for stocks vs average day. Analyst days are more significant if held far after earnings. Checking in on Warren Buffett’s equity index put trade by Russell Rhoads, CFA.

Volatility Voicemail: Listener questions and comments

Question from Rueben Brooks -Listened a while back to a show you and Jared did talking about N. N. Taleb and how you were surprised that, given his long-gamma leanings, he would short the ATM straddle. I found this interview he did a while back, curious on your thoughts: http://www.fxtsp.com/education/fx-trader-interviews/834-interview-with-top-trader-nassim-nicholas-taleb.html One other thing: I was very intrigued by a show you did a while back with Chris Cole over at Artemis capital. I was fascinated by his papers and his exploration of volatility arbitrage. Do you have any resources or books you could recommend where I could learn more about this? I really appreciate all the work you do. You have been by far the best resource, and aggregator of resources, regarding options education that I have found. If you end up addressing any of this on a show, could you let me know which show so I make sure I don't miss it? I try to listen to Volatility Views, Option Block, and Options Bootcamp. Thanks for your time, -Reuben