The Hot Options Report: 01-05-2026

Jan 5, 2026

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Welcome to the first full trading week of 2026! While the major averages surged to kick off the new year, the options tape is telling a much more nuanced story. Mark Longo breaks down the top 10 most active names, highlighting a strange divergence where the broader market rallied while tech titans like Apple and Nvidia faced early-year selling pressure.

The Top 10 Countdown:

#10: AMD (AMD) – Bucking the green trend, AMD sold off over 1% to close at $221.08. Traders focused on the Jan 230 calls expiring this Friday.
#9: SoFi (SOFI) – Roaring back with a 6.6% pop, SoFi reclaimed nearly all its recent dilution losses. The Jan 30 calls were the hot strike of the day.
#8: Palantir (PLTR) – Rallying over 3.6%, Palantir bulls are looking toward the moon with heavy volume on the Jan 190 calls.
#7: MicroStrategy (MSTR) – "The Monster" saw wild opening flow, specifically a nearly 25,000-contract block of March 160 calls.
#6: Amazon (AMZN) – The Amazonians joined the rally, gaining nearly 3%. Buyers stepped into the Jan 235 calls for Friday expiration.
#5: Apple (AAPL) – A rare red day for the fruit company amidst a market rally. Over 44,000 of the Jan 270 calls traded, likely as overwrites.
#4: Nu Holdings (NU) – The Brazilian banking giant popped over 5% on 15x its average daily volume.
#3: JPMorgan (JPM) – Financials are leading the charge, but JPM's 1.28 million contract volume was heavily skewed by Ex-Dividend (X-Div) activity in the January pars.
#2: Tesla (TSLA) – Back in the silver medal spot, Tesla jumped 3.1% to $451.67. The Jan 460 calls saw aggressive action.
#1: Nvidia (NVDA) – Taking the crown once again, but finishing slightly in the red. Massive interest remains at the Jan 195 calls for the end of the week.

In This Episode:

Why Apple and Nvidia are struggling while the Dow and S&P climb.
Understanding the impact of Ex-Dividend flow on JPMorgan's massive volume.
Breaking down opening vs. closing flow in MicroStrategy and Nu Holdings.

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