This Week in Futures Options

Topics this week include: Indices Crude Bitcoin Winners: Soybean meal, EuroDollar Losers: WTI, Heating Oil Futures Options Feedback: Listener questions and comments Question from Jill - What happened to S&P skew after this week's selloff? Comment from Volvic - Liked all the rates talk. More of that please. Question from El Nino3 - Are the skews between eMini, SPY and SPX all correlated? Question from McNuggins - Fun show! Maybe bring back the crazy trade of the week? Like the gold trade. Thanks.

Today's guest co-host is Agha Mirza, Global Head of Interest Rate Products for CME Group Inc. Topics this week include: Rates Indices Crude Futures Options Feedback: Listener questions and comments Question from Jackson - How is the new Fed chair being reflected in the rates products? Question from Alejandro - Can you guys do an overview of Rho and its impact on options in a rising interest rate environment? Is this something I should be concerned about?

Topics this week include: Soybeans Nat Gas Silver Futures Options Feedback: Options question of the week Bitcoin Futures are currently trading around $11,500. If #Options existed, how would you trade them? Assuming one-month to expiration would you...? 27% - Buy 5% OTM Call 32% - Buy 5% OTM Put 16% - Sell 5% OTM Covered Call 25% - Just Short the Future Listener questions and comments: Question from Camper - Do you notice any interesting patterns in corn volatility skew ahead of crop planting or harvesting? Question from Brian Zin - COT reports have CME yet?

Today we feature Sean Smith, Managing Director of Derivatives Licensing & Exchange Data at FTSE Russell. Topics this week include: Looking back at the Russell 2000 in 2017 RUT up nearly 12% Interesting trends and developments Russell options breakdown from this week Bonus: RVX Crude Oil Ags Metals Futures Options Feedback: Options question of the week Bitcoin futures are currently trading around $11,500. If #Options existed, how would you trade them? Assuming one-month to expiration would you...? Buy 5% OTM Call Buy 5% OTM Put Sell 5% OTM Covered Call Just Short the Future Listener questions and comments Question from Alfred: Why aren't CME Bitcoin futures listed on the COT reports? Question from Camper: Do you notice any interesting patterns in corn volatility skew ahead of crop planting or harvesting? Question from Daley: Can I use QuikStrike to compare and contrast skew charts for the indices to try to find trading opportunities between SPX/DOW, SPX/RUT and all? Thx. Question from Lromero: Do all indices have the same issue with OTM puts being so outrageously expensive? Where can I go for cheap protection? Question from Kondit: what is shortest duration option contract available on Globex?

Topics this week include: Nat Gas Oil Gold Futures Options Feedback: Questions and comments from listeners Question from DWayneh - How are nat gas collars setting up here? Comment from Houstorian - Today in 1901, the first major oil wells come in at Spindletop, south of Beaumont, marking the birth of the oil industry in Texas.

Topics this week include: Our top 5 show from 2017 Crude Gold Bitcoin Futures Options Feedback: Listeners weigh in Question from Tim Haver - What's the cost for the premium version of QuikStrike? I like the free stuff that I play with during the show and I'm thinking about taking the plunge.

Topics this week include: WTI Gold Bitcoin Futures Options Feedback: The final options question of the week for 2017. Our Final #QOTW for 2017 is an easy one. Quite simply: what is your enduring market memory/event/trend/etc. of 2017? Have a suggestion of your own? We encourage you to choose "Other" and send in your thoughts. We'll share the interesting ones on the network. Happy New Year! Death of Volatility/VIX Rise of Bitcoin The Unstoppable Bull Other: Reply/DM w/ideas Comment from Olivewanabroker: The oats bull market. Very important.

Topics this week include: Bitcoin Crude Oil Gold Winners - RBOB, Platinum Losers - Feeder Cattle, Oats Futures Options Feedback: Listeners have their say Comment from TinySpec - @Options @QuikStrike1 @CMEGroup "Donald Trump might be long bitcoin! "?!?!?!?!? Question from MarkClydeBrant1 - Should CL be priced in BTC value of GC to strip out USD risk?...Can't wait to see the COT reports on BTC Commercial Shorts: BANKS. Comment from Ezpreso - Good bit on gold v #bitcoin from CME - openmarkets.cmegroup.com/12749/bitcoin-gold-growth-comparison Comment from Bilc - Good job on the show Nick! Mark left the show in good hands. He can take vacations more often. Question from LV67: Why is futures and FO data so hard to get? Question from Camper: Do you notice any interesting patterns in corn volatility skew ahead of crop planting or harvesting? Question from Tim Haver: What's the cost for the premium version of quikstrike? I like the free stuff that I play with during the show and I'm thinking about taking the plunge. Question from NOZ3T: Is it possible to hedge some of these aggregate commodity ETFs with puts in their underlying itself - so hedge USO with WTI puts, Corn with corn puts - you get the idea? Question from NOMNOM: I was excited about #bitcoin but this is giving me pause. From the article: About 40 percent of bitcoin is held by perhaps 1,000 users; at current prices, each may want to sell about half of his or her holdings, says Aaron Brown, former managing director and head of financial markets research at AQR Capital Management. (Brown is a contributor to the Bloomberg Prophets online column.) What's more, the whales can coordinate their moves or preview them to a select few. Many of the large owners have known one another for years and stuck by bitcoin through the early days when it was derided, and they can potentially band together to tank or prop up the market. Because bitcoin is a digital currency and not a security, he says, there's no prohibition against a trade in which a group agrees to buy enough to push the price up and then cashes out in minutes. Other investors say the whales won't dump their holdings, because they have faith in the long-term potential of the coins. "I believe that it's common sense that these whales that own so much bitcoin and bitcoin cash, they don't want to destroy either one," says Sebastian Kinsman, who lives in Prague and trades coins. But as prices go through the roof, that calculation might change.

Topics this week include: Crude Oil Silver Bitcoin Futures Options Feedback: Listeners weigh in Question from Knack - Like the show with the QuikSkew updates. What's the best way for me to take advantage of that information? Should I be trading risk reversals? Question from B98 - I know straddle runs are big thing in the indexes. Don't hear them used much in the ags or metals though. Why's that?

Topics this week include: Crude Gold Winners: Soybean Meal, Class 3 Milk Losers: Nat Gas, Oats Futures Options Feedback: Options question of the week The war for Bitcoin derivatives is heating up again. CME Group is launching #futures on 12/18. CBOE just announced a 12/10 launch date. Not enough? Nasdaq also announced futures with a planned Q2 2018 launch. With so many choices-How will you trade Bitcoin in 2018? CBOE Futures 12/10 CME Futures 12/18 Nasdaq Futures Q2 2018 "Old School" Bitcoin Listener questions and comments: Comment from Mark Clyde Brant‏: Who is listing options first? Probably CBOE! Many thx to Nick @QuikStrike1 for the heads up about miners bitcoin recycling and selling calls thereby dampening call skew! Keep the inside BTC skinny coming! Question from Chilic - Love the TWIFO. Good info. Back to collars - do you guys think bitcoin will be as favorable to collars as other commodities like precious metals? Comment from JonasGrumble - Last night, my 19yr old daughter texted me "Have you invested in #Bitcoin yet?" I think we are near a top. Can you say #Shoeshinegirl? Question from B98 - I know straddle runs are big thing in the indexes. Don't hear them used much in the ags or metals though. Why's that? Question from Baspin - Is gold still the leading candidate for you guys when you're lining up collar trades? Question from JacksonTill - What's the biggest #option with retail crowd? WTI? Emini? Gold? Something else?