The Options Insider Radio Network

Host: Mark Longo - The Options Insider Cohosts: Uncle Mike Tosaw - St. Charles Wealth Management and Andrew "The Rock Lobster" Giovinazzi - The Option Pit On today's episode, during The Trading Block segment, we analyze a trading day marked by low volatility and a pause in major indexes after a "drunken rally" last Friday. We discuss the top options activity in VIX, SPY, and other major indexes, and break down the top 10 most active single-name stocks, including surprising movements in Tesla, Open, and Nvidia. We also look at earnings volatility for the week. The Odd Block segment features unusual options activity in Bentley Systems (BSY) and Transocean (RIG). Finally, in The Strategy Block, Uncle Mike explains a unique collar strategy. We end by sharing what we are watching for the week ahead, including key earnings reports from Nvidia, Dollar General, and more in The Around the Block segment. Time Stamps 5:59: The Trading Block 33:57: The Odd Block - Bentley Systems (BSY) & Transocean (RIG) 43:55: The Strategy Block 49:09 Around the Block

In this episode of The Hot Options Report, host Mark Longo breaks down the most active options contracts for Monday, August 25, 2025. He notes that volume was generally light across the board, as many traders are waiting for Nvidia's earnings later in the week. The report covers the top index and single-name tickers, highlighting the most traded options and their average prices. Time Stamps Index Products 3:51 - VIX 4:46 - SPY 6:14 - SPX 7:22 - IWM (Small Caps) 8:44 - QQQ (NASDAQ) Single-Name Most Actives (Top 10) 10:43 - AMD (#10) 11:42 - Alphabet (GOOGL, #9) 13:00 - NIO (#8) 14:14 - Apple (AAPL, #7) 15:38 - Intel (INTC, #6) 17:15 - SoFi (SOFI, #5) 18:24 - Palantir (PLTR, #4) 20:20 - Nvidia (NVDA, #3) 21:49 - Open (OPEN, #2) 23:05 - Tesla (TSLA, #1) ----------------------------------------------- All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Open to the Public Investing Inc, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Options trading entails significant risk and is not appropriate for all investors. Customers must read and understand the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options before considering any options strategy. Options investors can rapidly lose the value of their investment in a short period of time and incur permanent loss by expiration date. Certain complex options strategies carry additional risk, including the potential for losses that may exceed the original investment amount, and are only available for qualified customers. Index options have special features and fees that should be carefully considered, including settlement, exercise, expiration, tax, and cost characteristics. See Fee Schedule for all options trading fees. There are additional costs associated with option strategies that call for multiple purchases and sales of options, such as spreads, straddles, among others, as compared with a single option trade. Rebate rates vary monthly from $0.06-$0.18 and depend on the particular security, whether the trade was placed via API, as well as your current and prior month's options trading volume. Review Options Rebate Terms here. Rates are subject to change. Go to public.com/optionsbrief to learn more.

This is a special birthday holiday edition of Volatility Views, providing a rundown of the VIX options market from the past week. The episode breaks down the most active VIX options, open for size positions, and day-by-day highlights of trading activity. Time Stamps 0:00 Welcome to Volatility Views 2:16 Top 10 VIX Open for Size 5:14 Thursday's VIX Activity 6:58 Wednesday's VIX Activity 8:00 Tuesday's VIX Activity 9:05 Monday's VIX Activity 10:07 Conclusion

In this episode of "This Week in Futures Options" (TWIFO), host Mark Longo and guest Kevin Green from Schwab Network break down the week's trading action in the futures options market. They cover the top movers, analyze volatility across different sectors, and dive deep into agricultural products. The main discussion focuses on the soybean complex, including soybeans, soybean oil, and soybean meal, as well as the live and feeder cattle markets. The hosts examine recent market-moving events and options trading activity, highlighting notable trends and specific trades. The episode concludes with a look at the energy sector and a final wrap-up. Time Stamps 0:00 Welcome 3:55 Movers and Shakers Report 6:35 Volatility Breakdown 11:45 The World of Ags 20:30 Cattle Analysis 28:09 Energy Discussion 35:25 Wrap-up

The panel discusses the current state of the market, including a week of "red" for the major indices and a corresponding increase in volatility. The episode features a deep dive into unusual options activity, including a mysterious buyer in Unity Software and a vertical call spread in Select Quote. A conspiracy theory about AI engineers making a fortune in the options market is also debated by the hosts. The show wraps up with a look at upcoming earnings reports and a discussion on whether listeners are comfortable buying and holding the S&P 500 in the current market environment. Host: Mark Longo from The Options Insider Media Group Co-hosts: "Uncle" Mike Tosaw from St. Charles Wealth Management and Henry "The Flowmaster" Schwartz from Cboe Time Stamps 0:00 Welcome 3:02 The Trading Block: The panel discusses the overall market sentiment, a week of "red" for major indices, and a slight uptick in volatility. They analyze volume in VIX, SPY, SPX, and NASDAQ and discuss top-performing single-name stocks, including Nvidia, Tesla, Palantir, and Intel. 10:37 The Odd Block: The hosts investigate trades in Unity Software, Blend Labs, and Select Quote, analyzing specific call and put positions and speculating on the motives behind the trades. 19:54 The Mail Block: The hosts answer a listener's question about whether they are comfortable buying and holding the SPX in the current market. They also discuss a viral conspiracy theory that suggests top AI engineers are making a fortune through options trading, which is why they are being offered such high salaries. 27:46 Around the Block: The panel shares what they will be watching in the market until the next show, including upcoming earnings reports from companies like Intuit, Zoom, and Nvidia. They also give contact information for listeners who want to connect with them.

In this episode, host Mark Longo provides a daily recap of the most active options in the market. He begins with an overview of the broader market, including volatility and key indices, before moving into a countdown of the top ten single-name stocks with the most options activity. Time Stamps 0:00 Welcome to the Hot Options Report 1:49 Volatility (VIX) 3:02 SPY 3:45 SPX 4:25 Small Caps 5:20 The Qs (NASDAQ) 6:20 Single Names 6:57 #10 - Amazon (AMZN) 8:05 #9 - Walmart (WMT) 9:05 #8 - Intel (INTC) 10:35 #7 - AMD (AMD) 11:58 #6 - Nio Inc. (NIO) 13:00 #5 - Open (OPEN) 14:02 #4 - Apple (AAPL) 15:20 #3 - Palantir (PLTR) 16:29 #2 - Tesla (TSLA) 17:28 #1 - Nvidia (NVDA) 18:16 Conclusion ------------------------------------------------------------ All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Open to the Public Investing Inc, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Options trading entails significant risk and is not appropriate for all investors. Customers must read and understand the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options before considering any options strategy. Options investors can rapidly lose the value of their investment in a short period of time and incur permanent loss by expiration date. Certain complex options strategies carry additional risk, including the potential for losses that may exceed the original investment amount, and are only available for qualified customers. Index options have special features and fees that should be carefully considered, including settlement, exercise, expiration, tax, and cost characteristics. See Fee Schedule for all options trading fees. There are additional costs associated with option strategies that call for multiple purchases and sales of options, such as spreads, straddles, among others, as compared with a single option trade. Rebate rates vary monthly from $0.06-$0.18 and depend on the particular security, whether the trade was placed via API, as well as your current and prior month's options trading volume. Review Options Rebate Terms here. Rates are subject to change. Go to public.com/optionsbrief to learn more.

In this episode of The Futures Rundown, host Mark Longo is joined by guest Carley Garner from DeCarley Trading to discuss the latest action in the futures markets. They begin by exploring an unexpected commodity that has caught Carley's attention: feeder cattle, and the challenges producers face in a record-high market. The conversation then shifts to a detailed breakdown of the week's top movers, both to the upside and downside, in agricultural, energy, and crypto futures. Mark and Carley analyze surprising trends, including a deflationary narrative in commodities and the extreme volatility of crypto products like Ether. The episode concludes with a deep dive into the contract specifications for the newer Solana futures, including a discussion on contract sizing and the pros and cons of cash settlement for crypto futures. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome 04:08 The Trading Pit: Feeder Cattle and Grain Markets 06:50 The Week's Top 5 Upside Movers 10:35 The Week's Top 5 Downside Movers 15:05 Host and Guest Discuss Crypto Options 17:25 Top 10 Most Active Futures Contracts 23:25 The Year-to-Date Movers (Losers) 27:30 The Year-to-Date Movers (Winners) 31:35 Contract Specs: Solana Futures 39:00 Final Thoughts and Outro

In this episode of the Options Boot Camp, "Let's Get Exotic With Knock-out And Knock-In Options," hosts Mark Longo and Dan Passarelli dive into the world of exotic options, specifically barrier options. These are contracts that activate or deactivate when the underlying asset hits a predetermined price level. The discussion is broken into two main types: Knock-out options and Knock-in options. Timestamps 00:00 - Welcome to Options Bootcamp 04:20 - Explaining Barrier Options (Knock-outs and Knock-ins) 06:05 - Diving into Knock-out Options 10:25 - The Limited Use Case and Cheaper Price Tag 13:40 - Exploring Knock-in Options 18:25 - The Cons of Exotic Options 22:50 - Final Thoughts

Episode Summary: This episode of The Hot Options Report covers the key options activity dominating the market on Wednesday, August 20th. Mark Longo breaks down the high volume in major indices and then counts down the top 10 most-traded single-name stocks for the day. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro to the Network & Show 01:05 Sponsor: Public.com 02:00 Wednesday Market Overview 02:40 Volatility Report: VIX Options 04:00 SPY Options Trading Activity 04:55 SPX Options Volume and Hot Contracts 05:40 Small Caps (IWM) Review 06:40 The QQQ Report 08:00 Top 10 Most Active Single-Name Stocks 08:35 #10: MicroStrategy (MSTR) - Wild OTM Calls 09:50 #9: Amazon (AMZN) - Upside Bets 10:35 #8: Robinhood (HOOD) - Distant Calls 11:35 #7: Open (OPEN) - The Volatility Story 12:45 #6: Apple (AAPL) - Puts Emerge 13:50 #5: Intel (INTC) - The SoftBank Buzz 15:10 #4: AMD (AMD) - Another Put on the List 16:05 #3: Tesla (TSLA) - Puts Dominate 17:00 #2: Palantir (PLTR) - A 14-Handle Day 18:30 #1: Nvidia (NVDA) - The Top Spot 19:40 Wrap-up and Looking Ahead --------------------------------------------- All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Open to the Public Investing Inc, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Options trading entails significant risk and is not appropriate for all investors. Customers must read and understand the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options before considering any options strategy. Options investors can rapidly lose the value of their investment in a short period of time and incur permanent loss by expiration date. Certain complex options strategies carry additional risk, including the potential for losses that may exceed the original investment amount, and are only available for qualified customers. Index options have special features and fees that should be carefully considered, including settlement, exercise, expiration, tax, and cost characteristics. See Fee Schedule for all options trading fees. There are additional costs associated with option strategies that call for multiple purchases and sales of options, such as spreads, straddles, among others, as compared with a single option trade. Rebate rates vary monthly from $0.06-$0.18 and depend on the particular security, whether the trade was placed via API, as well as your current and prior month's options trading volume. Review Options Rebate Terms here. Rates are subject to change. Go to public.com/optionsbrief to learn more.

Welcome to the European Market Brief, Episode 8! In this episode, we dive into a transatlantic financial showdown, comparing the European and U.S. markets. Join Mark Longo and special guests Russell Rhoads, Christoph Schon, and Zubin Ramdarshan as they explore everything from market concentration and volatility to the surprising resurgence of the European defense sector. Key Discussion Points & Timestamps [00:03:52] - Introducing the Panelists Host Mark Longo, CEO and founder of The Options Insider Radio Network Russell Rhoads, also known as "Dr. VSTOXX," from Kelley School of Business - Indiana University Christoph Schon, Lead Principal at SimCorp Zubin Ramdarshan, Global Co-Head of Derivatives Products and Markets at Deutsche Börse [00:10:07] - The US vs. European Market Structure [00:13:30] - Sector Trading in Europe [00:16:30] - The Small-Cap vs. Large-Cap Debate [00:18:48] - Recent Market Performance [00:23:38] - The Impact of US Headlines on Europe [00:27:10] - The European "Tech" Sector Analogs [00:29:40] - The Role of Earnings Season in Europe [00:32:04] - The Rise of the European Defense Sector [00:36:54] - Final Takeaways [00:41:26] - The Red Phone: Listener Q&A Regarding the Spread between VIX and VSTOXX & Zero-Day Options in Europe Where to Find Our Guests Christoph Schon: Learn more about his research and insights at https://simcorp.com/resources/insights. Zubin Ramdarshan: Connect with Zubin on LinkedIn (Zubin Ramdarshan) or explore product details at Eurex.com. Russell Rhoads: Follow Russell's research and commentary on Twitter: @RussellRhoads.