Option Block 127: Predicting Facebook’s First Day Closing Price Trading Block: Apple is back to the races following the Nortel patent news -- up 10% post earnings and vol popping to the upside. Groupon down 14% - AGAIN. Cisco earnings were decent, but is the worst over? CBOE announces record volume numbers - stock shrugs in response. Activision out after the bell - now trading close to $13. LinkedIn after the bell as well. Tis the season to trading earnings long premium. Odd Block: Unusual activ...
Feb 10, 2012•1 hr 5 min
Option Block 126: VIX: You Don't Have To Go Home, but You Can't Stay Here Trading Block: VIX creeping up off concerns of Greek debt weighing on the market again. Greece reportedly eliminating 15,000 jobs. NYSE/Deutsche Boerse deal was killed last week by the EU – there will be no mega combination of three different options exchanges. Odd Block: Unusual activity in: Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF), and Solarwinds Inc. (SWI). Xpress Block: Tim Navabi discusses recently active and popular names out o...
Feb 07, 2012•51 min
Option Block 125: When Squishy Becomes a Technical Term Trading Block: Is it too risky to actively short volatility in this environment? Andrew thinks that, from a volatility point of view, all things are pointing in the same direction. Earnings plays. What's the deal with Amazon? Chipotle, or stealth Apple, is nothing but classy. Andrew gives taqueria recommendations in San Francisco. All is right in the world, so it's time to buy stocks. Odd Block: Unusual activity in Zynga, Inc., Facebook is ...
Feb 03, 2012•59 min
Option Block 124: Confessions of a Juice Buying Junkie Trading Block: It was a calm day in volatility, given that it has been beaten up recently. What effect does Greece's financial woes has on our market anymore? The precious Metals market pulls back, affected by China. The yellow Wiggle is out: Australia is in turmoil! The biggest kids brand is in the toilet, sold Wiggles sold!!! Scalping tech Vol. Odd Block: Unusual activity in Pfizer Inc. (PFE), Cell Therapeutics Inc. (CTIC) (an odd block sp...
Jan 31, 2012•1 hr 3 min
Option Block 123: Like a Virgin Trading Block: Apple blows the doors off earnings again – long premium going into earnings was the way to play it. JC Penney up $6.50 today, but is it best to still keep a short position? Netflix on the comeback trail? Odd Block: Unusual activity in Deutsche Bank AG (DB) and DeVry Inc. (DV).Xpress Block: Tim Navabi breaks down the recent activity at OX. Have the recent round of earnings and a move to the upside started to lure back degenerate premium sellers back ...
Jan 27, 2012•50 min
Option Block 122: Option Block After Dark Trading Block: Greek debt swap is keeping the market in neutral. S&P and VIX both up today, but overall a slow trading day. Natural gas and Google are both gathering interest among traders. It is an interesting time to looking at long premium. Odd Block: Usual activity in Melco Entertainment (MPEL), Alexza Pharmaceuticals (ALXA), and Ingersoll Rand (IR).Xpress Block: Tim Navabi discusses the most recent strike of the widowmaker, Google, and some of t...
Jan 24, 2012•1 hr 1 min
Option Block 121: Degenerate Options Traders Trading Block: Ho hum day on the street, but VIX makes it below 20 after much dancing in the area. Looking at a sleepy creep up of the general markets and for a dedicated selling of volatility. Uncle Mike’s patience has paid off in Ford. Mark rolls in the Wheel of Fun. The gang fixes the issues with weeklys, but are the exchanges listening? Playing around in earnings season. Kodak throws in the towel and declares bankruptcy. Odd Block: Unusual activit...
Jan 20, 2012•51 min
Option Block 120: Doin' Stuff Trading Block: Another mild day on the market. Metals/Commodities rundown - GLD up a bit, but not much. Premium on the VIX futures is getting crushed. Corn and grains limit down after a USDA report this morning rocked the market. Odd Block: Unusual activity in Newell Rubbermaid, Inc. (NWL) and Research in Motion (RIMM). Xpress Block: Rob Kurzatkowski commands the OX desk today and discusses the ags from CME and Globex, limits and what you need to know before trading...
Jan 13, 2012•1 hr 3 min
Option Block 119: The Fanboy Piggyback Trading Block: Another mild day on the street. Apple hits a new high ahead of earnings, riding high on iPad 3 rumors. Apple's new high comes in spite of the fact that Android finally eclipsed IOS in the mobile market over the holidays. Netflix was up 14% today despite opting out of ultraviolet program. Is the widowmaker back? Nuance, perhaps a stealth play going into CES. Odd Block: Unusual activity in Perfect World Co., Ltd. (PWRD). Xpress Block: John Grig...
Jan 10, 2012•52 min
Option Block 118: Buying Cheapy Premium Trading Block: Market mostly unchanged today. Vol off modestly - a decent day for gamma scalping in the VIX. Jobless claims modestly lower - the market shrugged it off. A Metals/Commodities rundown. Apple on a little bit of a tear which has rallied since mid-December, augmented by a lot of attention with the CES next week. A quick discussion of butterfly and iron butterfly positions. Odd Block: Unusual activity in Barnes & Noble, Inc. (BKS) and Fossil,...
Jan 06, 2012•1 hr
Option Block 117: 2011 Year in Review Trading Trends Rocky year for volatility The ups and downs of AAPL NFLX: aka the Widowmaker Weeklys Metals Migration into other products Headlines: SPXpm OX + Schwab Deutsche Borse + NYSE MF Global fallout Social media IPOs The Year Ahead: Andrew puts it all on the line re: VIX Mark makes an over/under prediction on SPX What you can expect to see from KYO, OX, Option Pit, and The Options Insider in 2012...
Dec 30, 2011•1 hr 1 min
Option Block 116: Holiday Volatility Sale Trading Block: A weak rally going into the holiday -- not too much going down on the street except for the continued annihilation of volatility. GLD and GVX ended the year down. Not much movement otherwise given the time of year. Odd Block: A look back at some usual activity from the past, including GLD and Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI). Xpress Block: Rob K talks about straddles and strangles given the fact that volatility has been crushed lately. Aroun...
Dec 23, 2011•1 hr 4 min
Option Block 115: Scooping Cheap Volatility Trading Block: A volatility/VIX rundown -- it's up, it's down, it's in lockstep with the market, it does its own thing. It's VIX madness. Zenga, a new tech name to hit the market -- can it follow in the footsteps of Linkedin, Groupon, Angie's List or the other 2011 tech bubble names? A Metals/commodity rundown. Odd Block: Unusual activity in Norfolk Southern Corp. (NSC), St. Jude Medical, Inc. (STJ), and an Odd Block review from 10/27 on Hecla Mining C...
Dec 20, 2011•55 min
Option Block 114: No Straddles Without Gamma Scalping Trading Block: SPY and other expirations on ETFs--close out your shorts! More put buyers are rolling into VIX - even the Journal is starting to pick up on it. Given this erratic movement, how risky is hedging the VIX? GLD put options, a relatively inexpensive option if you still need to hedge you're GLD downside. A Reuters article debating and discussing the sideways movements of the market, which gained popularity of the site recently, recom...
Dec 16, 2011•1 hr 1 min
Option Block 113: The Great VIX Implosion Trading Block: It's been quite the roller coaster ride for VIX as of late, a lot of people picked up their insurance and are sitting fully hedged, just riding out the storm. Over at KYO, Dollar General and GNC stocks continue an upward climb. Gold down today, as well as crude oil, bonds may be next. Plus, Netflix, aka the widow-maker, makes a return cameo. Odd Block: Unusual activity in Activision Blizzard, Inc. (ATVI), Targacept, Inc. (TRGT), and revisi...
Dec 13, 2011•46 min
Option Block 112: VIX Resistance Trading Block: VIX cash back above 30, how long can it last? MF Global disaster continues to get worse, with no clue as to where customer money is. Customers are making additional margin payments because their funds at MF Global are frozen. This disaster may have ramifications for years to come. Metals/commodity rundown -- volatile gold and silver. Ford brought their dividend back after five years. Odd Block: Three-legged spreads. Unusual activity in Yahoo!, Inc....
Dec 09, 2011•49 min
Option Block 111: The Waffle and Egg Indicator Trading Block: VIX was all over the map today. Stocks opened strong but rumors of an S&P downgrade warning to Germany killed some of the optimism. The ups and downs of trading Groupon. Trading the wheel of fun: keeping an eye on Dollar General and GNC. Odd Block: Unusual activity in Angie’s List - (ANGI), Darden Restaurants, Inc. - (DRI), and American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. - (AEO). Plus an update from last week on RIMM. Xpress Block: John Grigu...
Dec 06, 2011•59 min
Option Block 110: Worthless December Lottery Tickets Trading Block: A massive explosion to the upside, what was the impetus for the 400 point rally? The S&P 500 has climbed 3% or more in a day 36 times in the past three years compared with 27 times for the nine years before, according to Bloomberg. EU battling to hold itself together. The first of the month means “Options Numbers Day.”Odd Block: Unusual activity in Research in Motion, Ltd. (RIMM) and Barnes & Noble, Inc. (BKS) Xpress Blo...
Dec 02, 2011•43 min
Option Block 109: Danger is in the Air Trading Block: A strong move to the upside after the holiday weekend. VIX at 30 yet again – is this becoming the new norm? Strong Black Friday sales compelling market. Metals/commodity rundown. Odd Block: Unusual activity in MGIC Investment Corp. (MTG); BlackRock, Inc. (BLK), and Charles Schwab Corp. (SCHW). Plus, an update on Guiled (GLID) from last week. Xpress Block: Rob discusses the extreme polarity last week from doom and gloom to consumer uplift on B...
Nov 29, 2011•1 hr 6 min
Option Block 108: Super Committee VIX Spreads Trading Block: Dow back in the red for the year. Debt cutting debate concerns hit the market -- reminiscent of the debt debate from August, only you don't see everyone loading up on VIX puts this time. Did they learn their lesson? Could more DC gridlock trigger another debt downgrade? Odd Block: Unusual and interesting activity in: Gilead Sciences Inc. (GILD) NII Holdings, Inc. (NIHD) Strategy Block: Andrew Giovanazzi from Option Pit discusses gettin...
Nov 22, 2011•48 min
Option Block 107: The End of the AAPL Bulls? Trading Block: Housing starts better than expected, yet the market shrugged off an usually strong indicator for movement. S&P breaks through 1225 -- a key support level. Apple down in the 375 level. Ford getting crushed -- down $0.40 despite strong October sales. Is the Dec 9/10 put spread a popular sale? Metals down today. AGQ is gaining popularity, could ultra short terms make a difference? Odd Block: Unusual activity in: Ann Taylor (ANN), Louis...
Nov 18, 2011•1 hr 2 min
TRADING BLOCK: Italian borrowing costs spooked the market. May we actually see some countries abandon the Euro? Groupon options finally went live, not surprisingly, with 100+ vols in the downside skew, puts were bid! A lot of selling in the 1 and 500 lot July 15's, the highest activity strike next to the Dec 20 puts. ODD BLOCK: Unusual activity in: Titanium Metals Corp. (TIE) Home Depot Inc. (HD) International Business Machines, Inc. (IBM) XPRESS BLOCK Jon Gregius is in the OX hot-seat for this ...
Nov 15, 2011•1 hr 6 min
Option Block 105: A Pod of Sissy girls Trading Block: How to use SPX movement in the downside skew to gauge the sentiment of a particular rally. An uncharacteristic sell-off in Apple -- will they finally lose their grip on the 400 handle? Green Mountain Coffee closed at nearly $41 today, down a whopping 40%. Odd Block: Unusual activity in eBay Inc. (EBAY): A Bullish option strategist appears in online marketplace provider EBAY this morning with the purchase of the January 30-34 call spread for $...
Nov 11, 2011•52 min
Option Block 104: Piling Onto Groupon Trading Block: A bit of a market turnaround, but mainly a relatively mild day. What a strange place VIX and volatility are in general right now. Priceline (PCLN) earnings today after the close, trading over $500. The frenzy began Friday as Groupon went public -- when will the options go live? A quick metals/commodity rundown. Odd Block: Unusual activity in: McMoRan Exploration Co. (MMR) - Two noticeably bullish option trades in Gulf of Mexico oil and gas pro...
Nov 08, 2011•59 min
Option Block 103: Greece is the Word Trading Block: Greece! The other European countries have finally said enough is enough - they may survive without Greece, but Greece can't survive without them. It looks like the VIX was hedging its own bets, there was a giant relief sell-off like was last week. XLE up over 2% on the day. There's definitely been a lot of movement in energy today, when it feels like things are getting better, people flock towards energy - a good time to be a bull. Gold closed ...
Nov 04, 2011•35 min
Option Block 102: Turn Off the Idiot Box Trading Block: Bonds rallied, volatility exploded. MF Global news, combined with inflation and the Japanese efforts to intervene in their currency, provided for a big up day in the dollar. Given the lack of volume, the market had a strong sell-off today. Here in Chicago the Merc and the Board had to come down and say no trading. Gold and silver, they've been down a bit and out of the news spotlight, but could there be another run on it give the lows here?...
Nov 01, 2011•30 min
Option Block 101: Size Money vs. Smart Money Trading Block: The market is off to the races...again. Strong rallies across the board. VIX cash finally makes its way down into the sub-30 range, welcome news for those who have been leaning to the downside in VIX. European leaders expand bailout fund - 50% write-down on Greek debt. Is the European debacle behind us? Strong economic data -- the economy grew at 2.5%, consumers strongest since Q4 2010. Also, a strong earnings season so far -- more than...
Oct 28, 2011•55 min
Option Block: The 100th Episode Extravaganza Trading Block: A brand new Options Insider website! Are there any legs to the rally? Where was VIX during this rally? Netflix, the window maker, released earnings after the bell. Odd Block: Unusual activity in: Bank of America - (BAC) Signs of optimism in the progress towards a European debt crisis deal has helped push Bank of America Corp. (BAC) and the rest of the financials higher this morning but early option activity in BAC suggests at least one ...
Oct 25, 2011•1 hr 2 min
Option Block 99: Selling MSFT Premium Trading Block: A rare fairly uneventful day. Chipotle Mexican Grill with earnings after the bell - Is CMG the other Apple? Microsoft after the close - a whopping non-event. Odd Block: Unusual activity in: Microsoft (MSFT) Basically printing money today. Options on the software giant are the most actively traded by volume on any single stock ahead of the company’s much-anticipated first-quarter earnings report. The near month October at-the-money contracts, w...
Oct 21, 2011•1 hr 6 min
The Option Block 98: Playing Apple Earnings Trading Block: Volatility rundown. Issues with the structure of the VIX - is it time to revamp the "Fear Index." Hot metals action. Odd Block: One massive bull in CHMT. Sizable bullish call activity in USU. Xpress Block - Debating the use of market orders by retail options traders. Around the Block: Playing AAPL earnings with options. Is a buywrite synthetic your best bet?
Oct 18, 2011•1 hr
