The Options Insider Radio Network

In this episode, hosts Mark Longo and Dan Passarelli dive into the world of Asian options, a type of exotic option. They explain how these options differ from standard "vanilla" options by basing their payoff on the average price of an underlying asset over a specific period, rather than its price at a single expiration date. The hosts break down the two main types: fixed-strike and average-strike options, providing clear examples of how their payoffs are calculated. They also discuss the historical origins of the name "Asian options" in the Singaporean commodity markets. The episode highlights the primary use case for these options: reducing volatility and hedging against wild price swings, making them particularly useful for industries like commodities, energy, and foreign exchange. The show also includes the popular "Mail Call" segment, where the hosts answer a listener's question about options flow and market volume statistics for August. Time Stamps [0:00] Intro and episode overview [2:50] Introduction to Exotic Options [4:05] What are Asian Options? [7:00] Average-Strike Asian Options [10:15] Fixed-Strike Asian Options [14:00] Use Cases for Asian Options [17:30] Mail Call: The hosts open the mailbag to answer a listener question about options flow and market volume in Q3. [29:00] Final Thoughts and Conclusion

This episode of The Hot Options Report provides an overview of a day of options trading activity on September 9, 2025. Mark Longo first details the activity in major indices, including VIX, SPY, SPX, IWM, and QQQ, before counting down the top 10 most active single-name equity options. The report highlights significant volume in names like Nvidia, Apple, and Tesla, with notable call activity across the board and a rare put-dominated day for Open. 3:15 - VIX 4:00 - SPY 4:50 - SPX 5:45 - IWM 7:00 - NASDAQ (QQQ) 8:00 - 10. JD.com (JD) 9:35 - 9. Alphabet Class A (GOOGL) 10:45 - 8. Open (OPEN) 11:55 - 7. Robinhood (HOOD) 12:55 - 6. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) 14:05 - 5. UnitedHealth Group (UNH) 15:40 - 4. Palantir (PLTR) 16:45 - 3. Tesla (TSLA) 17:50 - 2. Apple (AAPL) 19:10 - 1. Nvidia (NVDA) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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 episode features Mark Longo and Greg Magadini from Amberdata analyzing the latest trends in the crypto derivatives market. The show begins with a discussion on Bitcoin's surprising stability over the past two weeks and how its market behavior is diverging from gold. Greg notes the significant shift to a negative long-term skew, suggesting a new, more mature risk asset mentality among institutional traders. The hosts then dive into the most active crypto-related equities like IBIT, MARA, and MSTU, with a special, humorous segment on the new, highly volatile stock, ETHZilla. They close with a look at the altcoin market and a Crypto Questions segment on the viability of physically-settled vs. cash-settled crypto derivatives, with an overwhelming majority of listeners favoring the latter. Timestamps 00:00:00 - Introduction and Welcome 00:03:00 - The Bitcoin Breakdown (BTC) 00:15:20 - The Altcoin Universe 00:16:30 - Bitcoin-related equities: IBIT 00:18:45 - MARA 00:20:00 - MSTU 00:23:45 - ETH 00:30:20 - BMNR 00:31:30 - CRCL 00:34:00 - ETHZilla 00:39:00 - Solana 00:40:00 - XRP 00:41:00 - Dogecoin 00:41:45 - Litecoin 00:42:00 - Cardano 00:42:15 - Polkadot 00:42:30 - Shiba Inu 00:43:00 - Crypto Questions (Physical vs. Cash Settlement)

This episode provides a rundown of the most active options contracts for Monday, September 8th. The report kicks off with an overview of index options, including VIX, SPY, SPX, IWM, and the QQQ, highlighting the most traded contracts and their relevance to the day's market movements. Mark then proceeds with a countdown of the top ten most active single-name stocks, analyzing the specific options that saw the most significant volume. The discussion provides insights into notable trades and their potential outcomes for the week.  Timestamps 00:01:00: Intro and Welcome 00:01:45: VIX Options 00:02:40: SPY Options 00:03:30: SPX Options 00:04:20: IWM Options 00:05:00: QQQ Options 00:05:40: Single Name Stocks Countdown #10 SMCI (Super Micro Computer Inc.) #9 AVGO (Broadcom) #8 AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) #7 PLTR (Palantir) #6 AMZN (Amazon) #5 AAPL (Apple) #4 HOOD (Robinhood) #3 OPEN (OpenDoor Technologies) #2 TSLA (Tesla) #1 NVDA (Nvidia) 00:10:00: Outro and Closing Statements --------------------------------------------------------------- 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 episode features a discussion on current market conditions and unusual options activity. The hosts, Mark Longo, Uncle Mike Tosaw (St. Charles Wealth Management), and Andrew Giovinazzi (The Option Pit), analyze the mixed performance of the major indices and the behavior of the VIX. They dive into a number of active stocks, including Alphabet (GOOGL) and Nvidia (NVDA), and touch on the bond and precious metals markets. In the Odd Block segment, they dissect peculiar options trades in Golar LNG Limited (GLNG) and the comically-named ETHZilla Corp (ETHZ). The show also includes an educational segment on managing "wash sales" when trading covered calls. Time Stamps Beginning: Options Insider Radio Network Intro 00:03:00: 80s Trivia Challenge 00:10:00: The Trading Block - Market Analysis 00:30:00: The Odd Block - Unusual Options Activity (GLNG and ETHZ) 00:40:00: The Strategy Block - Wash Sale Discussion 00:46:00: Around the Block - Market Outlook

This episode of Volatility Views discusses the recent market volatility, particularly in response to the non-farm payrolls report. Mark Longo and Russell Rhoads (Indiana University Kelley School of Business) analyze the impact of the economic data on VIX cash and futures, highlighting the surprising downturn after an initial market rally. They examine the VIX futures curve, noting the significant spread between the September and October contracts. The episode also delves into a discussion about the explosive growth of options trading volume and whether the options market has become so large that it is now "wagging the dog" of the underlying stock market. They also review VIX option volume for the week, pointing out a high number of contracts traded, including some unusual trades and large spreads. The show concludes with their weekly VIX predictions for the following week. Show Notes: 1:00 Welcome  3:50 Volatility Review: Non-farm Payrolls Report 6:30 Discussion on Market Reaction and Fed Rate Cuts 9:50 VIX Futures and Volatility Surface Analysis 12:40 Conversation about Options Volume Growth and the "Tail Wagging the Dog" 16:40 Discussion on Jane Street in India and Single Stock Futures 18:50 VIX Options Volume Review (Top 10) 21:05 Russell Rhoads' Weekly Rundown (Unusual Trades) 27:50 Host's Breakdown of Daily VIX Volume 30:00 VIX ETPs and Inverse Volatility Products 33:30 The Crystal Ball: Weekly VIX Predictions 36:30 Closing Remarks   

This episode of "The Hot Options Report" recaps the trading week, highlighting the significant market activity on Friday, September 5th. Mark Longo notes that the non-farm payroll data caused a lot of red in the market and a lot of green on the volatility screen. The episode then dives into a countdown of the hottest options, starting with broad market indices like the VIX, SPY, SPX, IWM, and QQQ, before moving on to individual stocks. The host provides details on the trading volume and the most active options for each security. The report concludes by recapping the top 10 single-name stocks with the most options activity, with a special mention of the explosive volume in Nvidia and Tesla, which took the top spot.  Time Stamps 0:00 Introduction  0:45 Sponsor: Public.com 1:25 VIX 2:40 SPY 3:25 SPX 4:10 IWM 4:50 QQQ 5:35 Single Name Stocks Countdown (Top 10) 6:00 10. GOOGL 6:55 9. HOOD 8:10 8. MSTR 9:20 7. AAPL 10:15 6. AMD 11:15 5. PLTR 12:20 4. AVGO 13:20 3. OPEN 14:35 2. NVDA 15:55 1. TSLA 17:00 Closing Remarks ------------------------------------------------------------------ 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.

Mark Longo and Mike Tosaw from St. Charles Wealth Management break down top trades, hot products, volatility explosions, and more in precious metals, interest rates, and equities on this episode. Timestamps 0:00 - Introduction  5:52 - Movers and Shakers Report (top performers and decliners). 11:58 - Breakdown of the CME Group CVOL report (volatility). 14:52 - Discussion on the precious metals market, with a focus on silver and gold. 24:45 - Analysis of the interest rate market and the 10-year note. 33:57 - Exploration of the equities market, focusing on the S&P 500. 38:53 - Closing remarks and where to find more information.

This episode breaks down the trading activity and hot options in major indices like VIX, SPY, SPX, IWM, and QQQ. It then dives into notable trades in individual stocks, including a dividend-related trade in Bank of America (BAC) and continued long-term bullish bets on MicroStrategy (MSTR). The episode concludes with a recap of the day's top-volume names like Nvidia (NVDA) and Tesla (TSLA). Time Stamps 0:00 - Intro and sponsor information. 2:22 - VIX 3:05 - SPY 4:05 - SPX 5:17 - IWM 6:27 - QQQ 7:41 - #10 Bank of America (BAC) 8:45 - #9 AMD 9:16 - #8 Palantir (PLTR) 10:02 - #7 Alphabet (GOOGL) 11:10 - #6 MicroStrategy (MSTR) 12:12 - #5 Apple (AAPL) 13:16 - #4 Amazon (AMZN) 14:04 - #3 OpenDoor (OPEN) 15:00 - #2 Tesla (TSLA) 15:45 - #1 Nvidia (NVDA) 16:30 - Outro and final sponsor information --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.  

On this episode of The Option Block with Mark Longo, Uncle Mike  Tosaw (St. Charles Wealth Management), and Henry The Flowmaster Schwartz (Cboe) discuss the week's market volatility, noting the S&P 500's post-Labor Day sell-off and subsequent rebound. The hosts analyze overall market sentiment, paying close attention to the VIX and specific sector movements. In the Odd Block, they break down unusual options flow in NiSource (NI), MobileEye (MBLY), and ArcelorMittal (MT). A listener's question prompts a discussion on the challenges of obtaining real-time open interest data from OCC. The episode concludes with the hosts outlining the key events and market indicators they will be watching in the days to come, including upcoming employment numbers and continued options flow. Time Stamps 0:00 - Intro and sponsor information. 4:45 - The Trading Block: Market analysis, including the S&P, VIX, and technology and financial sectors. 12:56 - The Odd Block: Discussion of unusual options activity in NiSource (NI), MobileEye (MBLY), and ArcelorMittal (MT). 24:40 - The Mail Block: Responding to a flash poll and a listener question about real-time open interest updates from OCC. 30:10 - Around the Block: Hosts share what they'll be watching in the markets, including employment numbers and unusual options flow. 32:55 - Outro and final sponsor information.