Options Insider Radio Interviews

Mark is joined by Mary Savoie, Executive Director of the Options Industry Council (OIC) and First Vice President, Industry Services for The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC). They discuss: Mary's background in the options industry The 25th anniversary of the Options Industry Council What is the origin of the OIC? The mission of the OIC The newly upgraded website, optionseducation.org How does OIC support advisors? The OIC video series And more...

In this episode, Mark is joined by Michael Mollet, Director of Product Development at CBOE and CFE. They discuss: Bitcoin and the potential for listed derivatives What is the proposal? Why now? Partnering with Gemini What exactly is the product they plan to launch? How is settlement determined? What is the timing on releasing this product? Will there be Bitcoin options? What about a Bitcoin VIX? What about other cryptocurrencies? What else is on the CFE horizon?

In this episode, Mark is joined by Rande Howell, Trader Psychologist, who has more than 15 years of practice as a licensed therapist and performance psychology coach. They discuss: What does a trader psychologist do? The thin line between fear/anger and revenge trading Freedom from emotion versus freedom of emotion What attracted him to performance psychology Figuring out a new set of rules Who is Rande's typical client? What is the number one issue people need to overcome? Redefining winning and losing Controlling what you can control gives traders the edge Knowing when to cut your losses Moving out of mediocrity is about performance How do you start managing emotion?

In this episode, Mark is joined by Ed Boyle, CEO of the BOX Options Exchange. They discuss: Why are they launching a new options trading floor? How are they going to incent options order flow? The backlash against new exchanges What will trade on the floor versus electronically? How many firms will make markets? What about the PIP? What can we do to bring people back to market making? The search for the holy grail

In this episode, Mark is joined by Joe Halpern, Founder and CEO of Exceed Investments. They discuss: What is Exceed Investments? The Exceed Defined Shield Investment Fund Is there a standardized methodology for the fund? The obsession with short duration How did they arrive at 12.5% How are they dealing with record low volatility? The volatility in the political sphere On the hunt for yield The use of options by financial advisors Want more information? Check out catalystmf.com or exceedinvestments.com

In this episode, Mark is joined by Jen Nayar, CEO of Vela Trading Technologies. They discuss: Major acquisitions: OptionsCity and Object Trading The whys and hows of the acquisitions How will the brands merge together going forward? Is the smaller, fragmented community cause for concern? Was there much of an overlap between Vela and Object Trading? When will the whole platform come together? Is there more to come?

Mark is joined by Mead Welles, Co-Founder, Chairman and Treasurer of A Leg to Stand On (ALTSO). Mead is also the Founder and CEO of Octagon Asset Management, LLC They discuss: What is ALTSO? Rocktoberfest 2017 is October 5 at City Winery How did it all start? What surprises are in store for this year? How do the Chicago and New York events differ? Any plans for additions to the schedule? New York event is October 26 at the Hard Rock Cafe in Time's Square What are ALTSO's business practices? How has technology helped ALTSO meet their goals? About ALTSO: A Leg To Stand On ("ALTSO") is a non-profit organization providing free orthopedic care including prosthetic limbs, orthotic devices, mobility aids, corrective surgery and rehabilitative care to children in the developing world. Its mission is to offer children who have lost their limbs in traumatic accidents or suffer from congenital disabilities the physical capabilities to access the opportunities and self-esteem earned through education, work and mobility. The net proceeds raised at the events will benefit ALTSO's programs in Asia, Africa and Latin America. For more information on the charity or events, visit ALTSO's website at altso.org.

In this episode, Mark is joined by Arthur Bass, Managing Director Fixed Income Financing, Futures, and Rates at Wedbush. They discuss: Arthur's backgroun in the finance space The recent Fed meeting, no big surprises there Good employment numbers and low inflation...where do we go from here? Will it be a policy error to continue increasing rates Is there too much information coming from the Fed? The Wedbush growth, including KCG, Crossland and EFutures acquisitions And more

In this episode, Mark is joined by Greg Stevens, Vice President of Product Development for Options at Fidelity. They discuss: Greg's winding path through the derivatives space Fidelity's performance in Options Broker Madness Fidelity is so much more than just 401k Three ways to play: mobile, web, and Active Trader Pro Trader tools, including back-testers Commissions, margins, and price improvement Excelling at customer service Does Fidelity offer a virtual trading platform? The resurgence of back-testing More tools for happy options traders Idea generation/trade recommendations Investing in the mobile experience Charging to close shorts? Price improvement: the voodoo of order routing? The decline in options volume What happened to minis? Auctions: yea or nay?

Recorded live at the 2017 Options Industry Conference, Mark is joined by Eric Cott, Director of Advisor Education, and Emily Sweet, Senior Analyst at Cerulli Associates. They discuss: Merging the Options Industry Conference and the Financial Advisor Conference The survey Cerulli Associates did for the OIC on financial advisors Surprising findings from the survey Downside protection, hedging, and other ways larger advisors are using options How many advisors participated in the survey When there is a dedicated CIO, there is more use of options Improving professional trading tools How many advisors aren't comfortable talking about options with clients? Options as a counterpoint to the robo advisor What about the advisors who previously used options but stopped? The client influence on options is hard to quantify