The Options Insider Radio Network

Looking to take the next step beyond vertical debit or credit spreads? Then join host Mark Benzaquen as he welcomes Tony Zhang of OptionsPlay to discuss calendars and diagonals: how they’re structured, how they’re priced, and how to potentially manage the position.

Join your hosts, Mark Longo and Dan Passarelli as they dive deep into the world of exotic options, tackling questions about their name, their role in the 2008 financial crisis, and whether they're just a marketing gimmick. They also tackle more fundamental questions on scaling into a trade and the practicality of making all options cash-settled. The episode concludes with a forward-looking discussion on how algorithmic and AI trading are reshaping the options market.     Timestamps [00:00:00] - Intro & Sponsor [00:07:00] - What Are Exotic Options? [00:10:00] - Exotic Options & The 2008 Crash [00:15:00] - Scaling into a Trade [00:20:00] - Cash-Settled Options [00:25:00] - Open Interest Updates [00:30:00] - The Rise of Algo & AI Trading [00:35:00] - Outro  

This episode of the Hot Options Report is an early edition, hosted by Mark Longo. The show covers the day's market activity, which is in the red, with the S&P 500 down and the VIX up. The host goes through the most active options in various indices and single-name stocks, including VIX, SPY, SPX, IWM, QQQ, and popular names like Robinhood, Amazon, Alibaba, AMD, MicroStrategy, Apple, Palantir, Open, Tesla, and Nvidia. The host also talks about how active the market has been, with many options contracts expiring today. Time Stamps 0:00: Show introduction  2:40: Market overview: S&P and other indices are down; VIX is up. 3:57: VIX activity analysis, including the top hot option. 5:10: SPY activity and the hottest options contracts. 6:27: SPX activity and the hot options in the index. 7:39: IWM (small caps) activity and the top put option. 9:30: QQQ (Nasdaq) activity and the prevalence of zero-day options. 10:30: Single-name stock analysis begins. 10:52: #10 Robinhood (HOOD) options activity. 12:00: #9 Amazon (AMZN) options activity. 13:00: #8 Alibaba (BABA) options activity. 14:04: #7 AMD options activity, noting high average daily volume. 15:38: #6 MicroStrategy (MSTR) options activity. 17:34: #5 Apple (AAPL) options activity. 18:32: #4 Palantir (PLTR) options activity. 19:54: #3 Open (OPEN) options activity. 21:05: #2 Tesla (TSLA) options activity, including a potential conversion reversal. 22:15: #1 Nvidia (NVDA) options activity, taking the top spot. 23:18: 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.

In this episode of Volatility Views, hosts Mark Longo, Russell Rhoads, and Mark Sebastian discuss the unusual market behavior of a Friday sell-off after a week of bullish momentum. They analyze the reasons behind the market's sudden shift to the red, including a surprising reaction to recent Fed commentary and pre-holiday weekend risk management. The show delves into the VIX and VIX futures curve, highlighting unusual calendar spreads and a large-volume trade in out-of-the-money October calls. The hosts also review volatility ETPs like SVIX, UVIX, and UVXY, noting the "air pocket" between futures and cash that benefits inverse volatility products. The show concludes with their "Crystal Ball" predictions for the following week's VIX level. Timestamps 2:02: The Volatility Review 2:15: Market sell-off and VIX pop 3:50: Mark Sebastian's market commentary 7:46: Russell Rhoads market commentary 11:59: VIX futures curve analysis 13:58: Russell Rhoads analysis of the back end of the curve 16:30: VIX options trading 18:50: Russell's Weekly Rundown of specific trades 22:56: Discussion of the "I Can't Drive 55" trades (wild out-of-the-money calls) 24:28: Most active VIX options for the week 30:57: Mark Sebastian's key takeaways from VIX options activity 32:00: Inverse Volatility ETFs (SVIX and VYLD) 34:55: UVIX and UVXY analysis 37:25: The Crystal Ball segment (VIX predictions) 40:50: Russell and Mark's final thoughts

On this midday Friday, August 29th edition of the Hot Options Report, the hosts cover a day of market sell-offs across the major indices. The VIX is up, reflecting increased volatility, with significant activity in its October 31 calls. The show breaks down the top tickers seeing explosive options action, with a notable theme being the aggressive buying of out-of-the-money calls in major tech names like TSLA and NVDA, despite the overall market downtrend. The top 10 single-name stocks are dominated by companies with recent earnings reports, including Marvell (MRVL) and Baba (BABA). The episode wraps up by noting the need for a significant market reversal in the second half of the day for many of these bullish bets to pay off. Time Stamp 2:30: VIX  3:46: SPY  4:57: SPX  6:05: IWM  7:12: Q's (QQQ)  8:20: Top 10 Single Names 8:55: Marvell (MRVL) - #10  10:00: Weebull (BULL) - #9  11:27: MicroStrategy (MSTR) - #8  12:52: Palantir (PLTR) - #7  14:14: AMD - #6  15:15: Apple (AAPL) - #5  16:03: Open (OPEN) - #4  17:34: Baba (BABA) - #3  18:55: Tesla (TSLA) - #2  20:25: Nvidia (NVDA) - #1  22:00: Closing  ------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 of "This Week in Futures Options" (TWIFO) focuses on the week's top movers in the futures options market. Mark Longo breaks down the Movers and Shakers report, highlighting a week with a slight bias toward green, but with the largest percentage moves on the dark side. The show also takes a deep dive into the volatility of various markets and discusses the trading activity in natural gas, nicknamed "the widowmaker." The episode concludes with a discussion about the future of crypto derivatives and the debate between cash-settled and physically settled contracts. Time Stamps 4:16 Movers & Shakers this Week 10:37 Volatility Report (CVOL) 14:38 Featured Segment: Nat Gas - "The Widowmaker" 22:38 Listener Question: Is Physical Settlement Dead

A respectable, but not explosive day in the options market, with volumes generally a bit below their average daily volume (ADV). The market is still in the "dog days of summer," which can often lead to lighter trading. Today's action was influenced by NVIDIA's earnings report, a known market-moving event. Time Stamps 0:00 - Welcome and Introduction 1:46 - VIX 2:50 - SPY 3:32 - SPX 4:22 - Small Caps (IWM) 5:08 - The Qs (QQQ) 6:07 - Single Names 6:50 - #10 - Amazon (AMZN) 7:57 - #9 - Alphabet (GOOGL) 8:48 - #8 - Barrick Gold (B) 10:33 - #7 - Snowflake (SNOW) 11:51 - #6 - AMD 12:50 - #5 - SoFi (OPEN) 13:58 - #4 - Palantir (PLTR) 14:49 - #3 - Apple (AAPL) 15:43 - #2 - Tesla (TSLA) 16:51 - #1 - NVIDIA (NVDA) 18:18 - 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.  

On this episode of The Option Block, Mark Longo is joined by Uncle Mike Tosaw from St. Charles Wealth Management and Henry "The Flowmaster" Schwartz from Cboe. They discuss the unexpected and muted reaction to Nvidia's earnings, the current state of the market, and the ideal trading conditions for investors. The panel also breaks down unusual options activity in a few unique single names and dives into a lively Mail Block discussion about the VIX and crypto derivatives. Time Stamps (04:54) - The Trading Block The panel discusses the surprising lack of volatility following Nvidia's earnings, despite high expectations and a large straddle pricing. The S&P 500 is up over 10% year-to-date, but the market feels subdued with low volatility and a steady, upward "trudge". Uncle Mike notes this is his "ideal market": boring and making new all-time highs. Technology and energy are the only sectors showing significant movement, with many others "taking the day off." The VIX is "hunching" at 14.25, with respectable options volume. SPY and SPX also have decent, though not record-breaking, paper on the tape. The hosts review the most active single names, including Snowflake's (SNOW) earnings pop, Retti (RETI), and Palantir (PLTR), which continues its pattern of aggressive early-session sell-offs followed by a late-session rebound. A quick recap of earnings moves in names like Best Buy, Burlington, Five Below, and Dell, with many straddles underpricing the actual moves. (22:38) - The Odd Block Onas Holdings (ONDS) Braze, Inc. (BRZE) Westrock PLC (SW) (35:54) - The Mail Block Audience Polls: Mark shares the results of recent listener polls, revealing that most listeners were not comfortable buying the S&P at its current level and that a large majority would prefer to buy rather than sell the VIX December 15 puts. VIX Debate: The show's central question: which level will the VIX hit first, 12 or 20? Both Uncle Mike and the Flowmaster believe the VIX will touch 12 first, driven by the ongoing bull market and low realized volatility, but they both note the high potential for a sudden, unexpected spike. Crypto Derivatives: A discussion on the future of crypto contracts, with a poll showing an overwhelming preference for cash-settled contracts over physically settled ones, due to simplicity and a desire to avoid dealing with the underlying assets. (44:54) - Around the Block  What to Watch: The hosts share what they'll be watching until the next episode, including the S&P 500's attempt to break 6,500, the post-earnings action in Nvidia and Dell, and the overall macroeconomic picture as traders return from summer vacations.      

On this episode, Mark is joined by  Abhishek Fatehpuria, VP of Product Management - Robinhood They discuss Robinhood's new offerings for active options traders and explore whether the firm is ready to take on high-end options clients?

Welcome to The Futures Rundown, the show where we break down all the action in the futures markets. In this episode, we're giving you a special early edition to catch up on all the week's biggest moves. We’ll analyze the top movers to the upside and downside, reveal the most actively traded contracts, and dive deep into a crypto futures product that surprised even our hosts. Timestamps 2:05 The Trading Pit: A rundown of this week's top movers. 2:26 Winners of the week 3:27 Losers of the week 4:28 Most Active Contracts 7:22 Year-to-Date trends: The biggest losers of the year 8:20 Year-to-Date trends: The biggest winners of the year 10:18 Answering a listener question about XRP futures.