The Options Insider Radio Network

Happy New Year! We are kicking off 2026 on The Futures Rundown by giving the "Big Adios" to the wild, untamed year that was 2025. Mark Longo and Dan Gramza of Gramza Capital Management reunite to break down the final ledger of a year that was anything but boring in the pits. From the absolute explosion in Silver (+140%) and Platinum to the brutal sell-off in Orange Juice and Rough Rice, we count down the Top 10 movers of the year. We also dive into the recent geopolitical shifts in Venezuela and why the crude oil market isn't reacting the way many expected. In this episode, we explore: The Precious Metals Clean Sweep: Why Silver was the late-bloomer that ended the year up a staggering 140%. The 2025 Leaderboard: Deep dives into the winners like Lithium, Copper, and the surprising strength of the Brazilian Real. The "Big Adios" Losers: Breaking down the 50% drop in OJ and the continued struggles for the Widowmaker (Natural Gas). Energy Outlook 2026: Dan Gramza explains the infrastructure and political hurdles facing Venezuela's oil production and what it means for WTI and Brent prices. The Crypto Futures Flip: Analyzing the volatile year for Bitcoin and Ether futures and why spot vs. futures performance varied so widely. Resources Mentioned in this Episode: Dan Gramza's Daily Videos: DanGramza.com Join the Pro Community: TheOptionsInsider.com/Pro Episode Sponsor: Tastytrade.com/podcasts

Kick off the new year with a fresh set of options trading resolutions on this episode of Options Boot Camp. Hosts Mark Longo and Dan Passarelli dive into what traders should be focusing on in 2026 — from expanding your options strategy toolbox to managing risk, sizing trades properly, and knowing when not to trade at all. With many traders coming off years of strong equity performance, the hosts explore whether it's time to rethink long-only strategies, reduce concentration risk, or introduce new approaches like stock substitution, LEAPS, downside hedging with puts, and portfolio diversification through options strategies. The conversation also covers why relying on a single options strategy can be dangerous, how to diversify your Greeks, and what newer traders often overlook when markets change. This episode also looks ahead to potential options market trends in 2026, including zero-DTE options, 24-hour trading, prediction markets, crypto volatility, and global market opportunities. Along the way, Mark and Dan reference past Options Boot Camp episodes to help listeners build a deeper understanding of puts, volatility, and long-term strategy planning.

It's the first full trading week of 2026, and the options tape is heating up! In this episode of the Hot Options Report, Mark Longo breaks down the top 10 most active names lighting up the chains. While Nvidia continues its dominance as the volume king, a massive 8% jump in Intel (INTC) stole the show following its CES 2026 manufacturing breakthroughs. We dive into the order flow for the "Double-Digit Million" club and the names struggling to hold their ground, including a deep dive into Tesla (TSLA) and AMD sell-offs. On this episode, we break down: The Volume Leader: Nvidia (NVDA) hits nearly 2M contracts—are the 190 calls a trap or a target? The CES Catalyst: Intel (INTC) rallies 6.5% on "18A" tech news with heavy call action at the 46 strike. Big Tech Fade: Why Apple (AAPL) and AMD are seeing opening paper hit the bid. The Long Game: Someone is betting big on Alphabet (GOOGL) with massive June 430 calls. Crypto Proxy: MicroStrategy (MSTR) stays hot as it flirts with the 170 level. Top 10 Tickers Covered Today: Nvidia (NVDA) Tesla (TSLA) Intel (INTC) Amazon (AMZN) Apple (AAPL) MicroStrategy (MSTR) Palantir (PLTR) Alphabet (GOOGL) AMD Microsoft (MSFT) Check out the data for yourself: Visit The HotOptionsReport.com for more options data.

The trading day doesn't start when the opening bell rings. In this inaugural episode of 2026, Mark Longo is joined by a powerhouse panel to dissect a wild 2025 and forecast the trends shaping the European derivatives landscape in the year ahead. Inside This Episode: 2025 Retrospective: Why European financials and defense sectors outperformed the US mega-cap tech narrative. The Defense Boom: A look at the unprecedented returns in European defense indices (some up nearly 100%) and whether the momentum can survive potential geopolitical shifts. Banking on Europe: Why the STOXX Europe 600 Banks index returned a staggering 76% in 2025 and how the diversification of European mega-caps offers a unique play compared to US financials. Volatility Outlook: Russell Rhoads breaks down the VIX vs. VSTOXX and explains why the US remains the primary source of global "anticipatory" volatility. New Product Alert: Sophie Granchi (Eurex) discusses the shift toward Industry Futures and the demand for thematic trading in a de-globalizing world. The Red Phone: Listener Q&A The panel answers your burning questions on: Relative Value Trades: How to play the narrow calendar spreads in VSTOXX vs. the wider spreads in VIX. Institutional Rotation: Is the heavy volume in European Bank futures a "higher for longer" play or a flight from US markets? The Divergence Myth: Is the gap between the S&P 500 and STOXX cyclical or a permanent shift in global equity performance? Featured Guests: Mark Longo: Founder & CEO, The Options Insider Media Group Russell Rhoads: Kelly School of Business, Indiana University (a.k.a. Dr. VSTOXX) Sophie Granchi Head of Equity & Index Sales (EMEA), Eurex Arun Singhal: Global Head of Index Product Management, STOXX

Kick off the first full week of 2026 with a deep dive into a wild day on the options tape. In this episode of the Hot Options Report, Mark Longo breaks down the top 10 most active products, headlined by a massive breakout in Micron (MU) and a significant "dark side" shift in Tesla (TSLA). While the broader market saw mixed action, the semiconductor space stole the show. We analyze why Micron popped 10% to close near $344 and what the heavy activity in the 350 calls suggests for the rest of the week. Meanwhile, Tesla bulls took a breather as volume flooded into the 430 puts following a 4% sell-off. In this episode, we cover: The Semiconductor Slugfest: Nvidia vs. Tesla for the #1 spot. Micron's Moonshot: Breaking down the 619,000 contracts and the $350 call interest. Tesla Sentiment Shift: From $500 calls to $430 puts—is the "dark side" taking over? The Tech Round-up: Unusual activity in Palantir (PLTR), AMD, Apple (AAPL), and Amazon (AMZN). SoFi's Slump: Analyzing the 8% drop and the volume at the $27 strike. Check out more from The Options Insider: Get Pro Insights: theoptionsinsider.com/pro Daily Data & Tools: TheH otOptionsReport.com

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. Get the Full Data: Visit TheHotOptionsReport.com to see the daily options data that didn't make it into the show. Join the Pro Community: Go to theoptionsinsider.com/pro for access to the upcoming Vol Death Match 2.0 and exclusive Q&A sessions.

Bitcoin is back north of $90k and the crypto markets are firing on all cylinders to kick off 2026! Mark Longo returns for the first Bitcoin Breakdown of the year to analyze the massive "love fest" in digital assets and what the data tells us about the months ahead. In This Episode: The Bitcoin Breakdown: Bitcoin surges nearly $7,000 in a single week. We compare the current $94k levels to the start of 2025 and discuss whether BTC is truly acting as "digital gold". Volatility & Skew Analysis: Using Amberdata metrics, we look at the spike in weekly and monthly vol, and the shifting skew that suggests the "yield-seekers" are changing the derivatives landscape. The IBIT Story: BlackRock's IBIT continues its dominance. We break down the massive open interest in the Jan 43 puts and what it means for institutional sentiment. Altcoin Universe: A resurgence across the board! From ETH regaining the $3,200 level to double-digit pops in Solana and XRP, we rank the Top 10 by market cap. Yield Generation in Circle: Analyzing a massive stock repair/ratio spread in Circle options and what it reveals about current risk-reward profiles. Crypto Question of the Week: Will the major crypto assets end 2026 higher or lower? We reveal the early poll results. Resources Mentioned: Amberdata: Granular on-chain and market data for institutions. amberdata.io Options Insider Pro: Get access to exclusive Q&A sessions and Vol Deathmatch 2.0. theoptionsinsider.com/pro

The 2026 trading year is officially underway! Mark Longo, Uncle Mike Tosaw, and Andrew "The Rock Lobster" Giovinazzi gather for the first full trading week of the year to break down a massive 2025 and look ahead to the new market landscape. In This Episode: The 2025 Trivia Champion Revealed: After a grueling year of 1980s Trivial Pursuit, we finally crown the winner of the 2025 Trivia Challenge. Who took home the title between Uncle Mike, The Rock Lobster, and previous guest Dan Passarelli? The Trading Block: A robust start to 2026! The team analyzes the S&P 500's push toward all-time highs, the sudden surge in Financials (XLF) and Energy (XLE), and why Big Tech (Apple and Nvidia) is showing some early-year weakness. Record-Breaking Volume: We dive into the final 2025 numbers from the OCC. With over 15.26 billion contracts traded last year, we discuss what this explosive growth means for retail traders. The Odd Block: Unusual activity returns with a deep dive into Peloton (PTON) and a massive January 2027 call trade, plus some aggressive short-term upside speculation in Enovix Corp (ENVX). Strategy Block: Uncle Mike explains the "Time Non-Linear Time Decay Differential" and why calendar or diagonal spreads might be your best bet if you expect volatility to rise from these lows. Around the Block: Predictions for the year ahead, the impact of geopolitical headlines on the energy sector, and a look at the upcoming VIX expiration. Get More Options Insider: Pro Analysis: theoptionsinsider.com/pro The Network: Search "Options Insider Radio Network" on your favorite podcast app. TastyTrade: Visit tastytrade.com/podcasts to see why they were named the Best Broker for Options in 2024.

Happy New Year, Vol Maniacs! Mark Longo kicks off 2026 by welcoming Jim Carroll (The Vixologist) to the first Volatility Views of the year. Jim helps us close the books on 2025. From the "Tariff Tantrum" to the birth of the proprietary "VIX Mix," we break down the trends, trades, and traps that defined the volatility landscape over the last 12 months. Volatility Review: The 2025 Autopsy The Tariff Tantrum: Why April 2025 became the apex of volatility for the year, sending VIX cash to an intraday high near 60. VIX Cash Highlights: A look back at the 17.93 start in January and the contentiousness of the year-end 14.95 close. The "VIX Mix" Debrief: Jim Carroll breaks down the first full year of his 17-component composite indicator. Realized Volatility: Why 2025 saw a wider range of realized vol than 2024, yet remained "well-behaved" compared to 2022 or 2020. Credit Market Canaries: Why the Move Index and corporate bond behavior were the secret drummers for equity volatility this year. Trades & Trends: Where Money Lived (And Died) The 15 Put Trap: Why the VIX 15 put strike was the ultimate "scratch-off ticket" that never paid off for retail traders. The 47.5 Call Mystery: Analyzing the massive, recurring upside rolls that dominated the tape all year. Capital Efficiency: A look at the bizarre VIX 200 put spreads and the shifting of institutional volume from futures into options. The Vol Fade Game: Performance reviews of SVXY, VXX, and the opportunity to scoop SVX during the April dip. The Crystal Ball: Predictions for 2026 The team kicks off the new year's prediction game. Will 2026 be the year of the 23.00 VIX? Resources & Links Follow Jim Carroll: Twitter/X: @vixologist Brokerage Spotlight: tastytrade.com/podcasts Connect with the Network Twitter/X: @Options Web: TheOptionsInsider.com Questions: questions@theoptionsinsider.com

Welcome to the first Hot Options Report of 2026! Mark Longo kicks off the new trading year by breaking down a high-volume session where "opening paper" dominated the tape. Despite a respectable 678,000 contracts needed to break the Top 10, the action was concentrated in zero-day expirations (0DTE) and a major shakeup in the EV sector. Market Highlights & The Top 10 Countdown The year started with a bang for semiconductors like Intel and Micron, while Tesla faced a rocky road following disappointing Q4 delivery numbers. We dive deep into the most active options contracts for the following movers: Tesla (TSLA): The undisputed #1. Following soft Q4 delivery data, the stock slipped 2.6%. The tape was lit up by 179,000 of the $440 Puts expiring today. Nvidia (NVDA): Claiming the #2 spot with 2.85M contracts. Investors focused heavily on the $190 Calls, with 347,000 contracts trading as the stock gained 1.25%. Palantir (PLTR): A rough start for PLTR, dropping 5.5%. Unlike the rest of the 0DTE crowd, the hot action here was in the $180 Calls expiring next week. The Semi Surge (INTC, MU, AMD): Intel rallied 6.75%, Micron gained a massive 10.5%, and AMD climbed 4.3%. We break down the heavy call activity in all three. Big Tech (AAPL, AMZN, NFLX): A mixed bag for the giants. Netflix saw a 3% sell-off, while Amazon and Apple both struggled to stay green. Data: TheHotOptionsReport.com Twitter/X: @Options