Option Block 280: Pre-Shutdown Put Bonanza Trading Block: Shutdown fears hanging over the market. Vol surging back into the marketplace, but Bloomberg says realized vol is nonexistent. Odd Block: Calls trade in Northstar Reality Finance Corp. (NRF), calls trade in YPF SA (YPF), and puts trade in Intrexon Corp (XON) Xpress Block: How has the potential of a shutdown affected OX customers? More trading patterns! Strategy Block: A risk management and annuities rant. Around the Block: The big deadlin...
Oct 01, 2013•49 min
Option Block 279: OTM Fly Breakdown Trading Block: There was a mild rally today. All Facebook all day at OX. Odd Block: Calls trade in Juniper Networks, Inc. (JNPR), puts trade in iShares MSCI Australia Index (EWA), calls trade in Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. (HTZ), and risk reversal trades in St. Jude Medical (STJ). Xpress Block: Biotech, mobile, and hedging activity pouring in. What are the GLD traders trading? Let’s take a look: 1-SPY, 2-SLV, 3-APPL, 4-FB, 5-DUST (daily gold miners bear 3X ETF...
Sep 27, 2013•59 min
Option Block 278: Fading the Shutdown Trading Block: It was an aggressive day on the street, with a lot of love for Apple, up 20%. Call stupids go up in VIX. Talks of Blackberry selloff continue. Odd Block: Puts Trade in Xilinx Inc. (XLNX), calls trade in Sierra Wireless Inc. (SWIR), calls trade in Covidien plc. (COV) Xpress Block: Today’s Xpress Block will feature a guest: Daril Wagner, Product Manager at OX, who will discuss some new tools available to clients - including the Trading Patterns ...
Sep 24, 2013•55 min
Trading Block: A mild day on the street. Watch out! SPY ex-dividend today. Metals hosting a "Volapalooza" Odd Block: Calls Trade in Zynga Inc. (ZNGA), calls trade in Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. (EGLE), put buyers in Sealed Air Corp (SEE), and calls trade in Meritor Inc. (MTOR). Xpress Block: Tesla is still on a tear. CME metal trading very active. Listener Mail: You have the questions, we have the answers. Question from Buckeye6 - I am a new listener catching up on the archives. On an earlier episo...
Sep 20, 2013•59 min
Option Block 275: Predictably CrappyTrading Block: A mild selloff, but gold and silver took it on the chin. AAPL down 30 handles in a dismal post iPhone announcement. Ichan liked it at $500, he’ll love it at $470. Lulu earnings before the open...sheer pants knock the stock down 5%, well off the highs of $82 from earlier this year.Odd Block: Puts trade in Mechel OAO (MTL), calls trade in Wendy’s Co. (WEN), and calls trade in Vera Bradley Inc. (VRA). Alex discloses that he knows way too much about...
Sep 13, 2013•1 hr 1 min
Option Block 274: More Buyers than Sellers Trading Block: All is right with the world again! Most indices up over 1% today after Chinese export data beats expectations. Prepping for the Apple event. How big could this still be? Groupon continues to rally - announced acquisition of travel app Blink. CITI closing CBOT desks. Odd Block: Call spreads trade in SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB), puts trade in CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), calls trade in Smithfield Foods Inc. (SFD), puts trade in iSha...
Sep 10, 2013•1 hr
Option Block 273: Trades to Salivate Over Trading Block: It was a very mild day on the street. How did the holiday weekend volatility play out last week? It’s that time again - the volume numbers are in! Microsoft buys Nokia. Odd Block: Calls trade in Timken Company (TKR), NetApp Inc (NTAP), Oasis Petroleum Inc. (OAS), and Fastenal Company (FAST). Strategy Block: What happens when your covered call goes in the money? Mail Block: Question from Phillip Kay - What is the ASPs take on Tesla skew? Up...
Sep 06, 2013•58 min
Option Block 272: Presidential Rope-A-Dope, or Bags of Money Trading Block: Labor Day weekend is nearly upon us. VIX cash above the 16-handle. Jobless claims are down, as expected. HFT and algos appear to have had a negligible impact on the vol of major futures contracts. Odd Block: Puts trade in Garmin ltd. (GRMN) Calls buyers in Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg. (TSM). Mail Block: Question from Mike - I have been watching Dollar General for a while. What do you mean by the seller could be using an up-...
Aug 30, 2013•1 hr 4 min
Option Block 271: Sabre Rattling Rattles Markets Trading Block: A mild rally on the street until Kerry started sabre rattling in Washington, sending the markets down. NASDAQ, Goldman and others still facing heat over their tech meltdowns last week. BATS and Direct Edge merging. TABB Group predicts options commissions to shrink of the next few years. Commodity rundown with Mike Tosaw. Odd Block: Large buy writes go up in Facebook Inc. (FB), and puts trade in ProShares Short 20+ Year Treasury ETF ...
Aug 27, 2013•59 min
Option Block 270: Looking Behind the Curtain Trading Block: NASDAQ halts trading today over tech glitch. Many big names were impacted. Goldman Sachs screws up JPM options trading. Question from T_Pal: Should I be concerned about the wave of technology problems impacting the market? Can they impact my trading? Saw Mark L. quoted a lot of this. What's his take? Odd Block: Calls trade in Express, Inc. (EXPR), calls and puts trade in Accuray Incorporated (ARAY), and calls trade in Uranium Energy Cor...
Aug 23, 2013•53 min
Option Block 269: Listener Questions a Go-Go Trading Block: Another down day on the markets. The 3-year and 10-year are bumping up against levels we haven't seen in a while. Mail Block: Your questions, our answers Question from Lee Patterson - I've been an Option Block listener for a few months and you've inspired me to hedge my retirement plan through my employer. It has been 100% invested in the S&P 500 and unfortunately I cannot use options in this account. My idea is to go to cash in my ...
Aug 20, 2013•42 min
Option Block 268: Commodity Sea of Green Trading Block: A broad selloff across the board today. Inflation fears spook the Fed and the market. Cisco off 7%, looking at layoffs. Walmart off 3%. A sea of green in the commodities. Record day in the VIX - only 133 contracts short of 1 million. Odd Block: Review from 7/29 - very well-timed paper in American Eagle Outfitters (AEO). calls trade in SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB), and combos trade in Microsoft Inc. (MSFT). Xpress Block: Single leg Wa...
Aug 16, 2013•1 hr 1 min
Option Block 267: Betting Against Yourself Trading Block: A relatively flat day on the street. A big day for Silver and Apple –both up 3%. It was a good day for Tosaw! Blackberry exploring strategic options with the stock up 11%. Tesla finally sells off. Odd Block: Review from 7/1 - Air Products and Chemical (APD), calls trade in Sanchez Energy Corp. (SN), combos trade in Rockwell Medical Inc. (RMTI), call spreads trade in Micron Technology, Inc.(MU). Mail Block: Question from D. Adams - What is...
Aug 13, 2013•58 min
Option Block 266: Juice and Paper Trading Block: Commodities rundown featuring Matt - starting with Nat Gas. The ride for Tesla continues. DNDN after the close. NVDA after the bell. Odd Block: Call buyers in Microsoft Corp (MSFT) and calls trade in Freeport-McMoRan Corp (FCX). Xpress Block: New single leg options transactions with the WalkLimit! Mail Block: Question from @SouthbayTrader1 - @Options "Juice"? "Paper"? (probably time for an overview of these two terms that we use so frequently on t...
Aug 09, 2013•1 hr 3 min
Option Block 265: The Innovator Trading Block: Giving back some of the gains on the street today. A surprising pop in Blackberry. Apple touching near-term highs. ALSO GLD, SLV, ETC Odd Block: Odd Block Review: Dendreon Corp. (DNDN), put spreads trade in DeVry Inc. (DV), put spreads trade in The Chubb Corp. (CB), calls trade in China Automotive Systems, Inc. (CAAS), and call spread roll in Deckers Outdoor Corp (DECK). Xpress Block: Tesla very active with earnings coming up. CBOE and Alcatel-Lucen...
Aug 06, 2013•59 min
Option Block 264: Swimming in a Sea of Green Trading Block: A sea of green across the board. S&P crosses 1700 mark on strong manufacturing data. Unemployment claims at a 5.5 year low. Activision and LinkedIn earnings after the bell. CME reports a 27% rise in quarterly profits, still down 4%. Commodity rundown: metals, nat gas, coffee, etc. It's number day again - The Options Industry Council (OIC) announced today that total options contracts traded in July was up 5.81%. Average daily volume ...
Aug 02, 2013•55 min
Option Block 263: The Wasted Year Trading Block: A mild selloff across the board. GLD sells off fractionally on the day. ISE Gemini set to launch Aug 5. CBOE announces new VIX trading hours. Odd Block: Pre-earnings run in Activision Blizzard Inc. (ATVI), stock replacement in Alcatel Lucent SA (ALU), interesting pre-earnings play in American Eagle (AEO), and was there a hedge in iShares MSCI Japan Index (EWJ)? Odd Block Review : Looking back to 6/27: Goodrich Petroleum Corp. (GDP) - stock trading...
Jul 30, 2013•59 min
Option Block 262: Cramer Loves It Trading Block: Zynga earnings after the close. Someone paid 17% for a one-month straddle! Amazon earnings are also after the close. Facebook! Facebook! Facebook! Commodity rundown - An overview of recent action in futures/futures options. Options "insiders" come forward. Odd Block: Put spreads trade in Crocs, Inc (CROX), and calls trade in Denderon Corp. (DNDN). Xpress Block: Questions, anyone? Question from Tom P. Are we ever going to see Walk-Limit on single l...
Jul 26, 2013•1 hr
Option Block 261: NFLX Strangles Children Trading Block: Netflix earnings are after the bell. Could it be the return of the widow-maker? McDonald's down 3%. It’s never a good sign for the economy when McD can't make money. A follow-up on our good discussion on after-hours options trading from our last show. Is 3pm still reasonable? Odd Block: Call ratios trade in Skechers USA Inc. (SKX), calls trade in Verisign Inc. (VRSN), puts sold on the World Acceptance Corp. (WRLD), and call sellers in Gene...
Jul 23, 2013•57 min
Option Block 260: Doing the Earnings Straddle Dance Trading Block: Earnings-Palooza: Google, Microsoft and more after the bell. Odd Block: Combos trade in Rite Aid Corp (RAD), paper buying calls in Covanta Holding Corp. (CVA), and puts trade in YY Inc. (YY) Xpress Block: This should be a very interesting expiration coming up. A little bit of everything is coming across the desk. Google and Microsoft both missed. Strategy Block: Mr. Tosaw discusses straddles as this week's strategy. Around the Bl...
Jul 19, 2013•1 hr 3 min
Option Block 259: Reverse Splits & Twinkies The all-stars are joined by guest co-host Henry Schwartz, the Founder of Trade Alert. Trading Block: A modest, broad rally on the street. Earnings season is in full swing. Pre-deal call in LEAP from Friday. Earnings action in Goldman-Sachs. CITI earnings before the open. Bloomberg beating the drum on VIX puts. Retail sales sluggish, up less than expected in June. Odd Block: Combos trade in United Online, Inc. (UNTD) Xpress Block: The Twinkie is bac...
Jul 16, 2013•1 hr 3 min
Option Block 258: Highly Accommodative Policy Trading Block: Uncle Ben's comments about "highly accommodative policy" spark yet another rally. It's going to be all about the earnings next week. It has been "rally ho" in the metals. Odd Block: Calls trade in Colfax Corp (CFX), puts trade in Atlas Pipeline Partners, L.P. (APL), calls trade in WisdomTree Investments Inc (WETF), and calls trade in Whiting USA Trust (WHX). Xpress Block: It's a race to 1,000 between Priceline and Google. Green lights ...
Jul 12, 2013•1 hr 5 min
Option Block 257: Deep Dive into Gold, Silver and Oil Interview Block: Today's guest is Matthew Bradbard, futures broker from RCM Asset Management. Hel discusses recent trends in metals and energies with the Option Block gang. Trading Block: Another broad, but mild rally on the street. Zynga rallies hard on the news of new CEO: snatching a dubious hire from Microsoft. INTC down 4% off analyst downgrades. Odd Block: Calls trade in Zynga Inc. (ZNGA) and call spreads trade in Elan Corp. (ELN). Arou...
Jul 09, 2013•56 min
Option Block 256: The Great AAPL and GLD Rebound: Trading Block Another broad rally - a "doing stuff" kind of day. Gold spikes. Blackberry annihilated post-earnings. Corzine finally charged in MF Global debacle. The Options Industry Council (OIC) announced today that 361,180,257 total options contracts traded in June, up 10.86 percent compared to last year. Odd Block Calls Rolled in Sina Corp (SINA) Legging into a Butterfly in Tempurpedic (TPX) Puts Trading Air Products and Chemical (APD) Xpress...
Jul 02, 2013•56 min
Option Block 255: Balloon is Over-squeezed Trading Block: Rally Ho! Again. Vol crushed, but not as aggressively as expected. Are the pronouncements of the death of Apple's vol premature? Prosecutors finally get around to charging Corzine in MF Global debacle. 30-year mortgage rate at 4.46%. Odd Block: Calls trade in Statoil ASA (STO), Goodrich Petroleum Corp (GDP), and New York Community Bancorp (NYCB). Xpress Block: Alex discusses GDX, Newmont Mining (NEM), and other trade ideas from the Idea H...
Jun 28, 2013•58 min
Option Block 254: Unlearn What Does Not Work Trading Block: Futures, interest rates, bonds and the 10-year dominated trading today. It was an otherwise slow day for volatility. Interview Block: This week's guest is Nate Bluestein from Pivotal Trading Concepts. He discusses how Pivotal Trading Concepts was created and helps educate traders. Odd Block: Calls trade in Web MD (WBMD), and puts Trade in Gerdau S.A. (GGB). Xpress Block: It was a pretty quiet day at OX. Alex discusses VIX, CBOE and the ...
Jun 25, 2013•45 min
Option Block 253: Market Maelstrom Trading Block: The broad indices were down over 2%. All red, all day. Fed will cut $85 billion in monthly bond purchases by $20 billion. VIX cash breaks through the 20-handle for the first time since December. Apple, Google, GLD and more! Odd Block: Call combo unwinds in the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) for big money, puts trade in Fleetcor Technologies (FLT), and puts trade in Contango Oil and Gas Co (MCF). Xpress Block: It's about time for an Alex Jacobson-sty...
Jun 21, 2013•1 hr 12 min
Option Block 252: The Dangers of Covered Straddles Trading Block: Market rallies ahead of the Fed, but lost steam in the late session. Gold selloff ahead of the Fed. Odd Block: Puts trade in PVR Partners, LP (PVR), calls trade in Insmed Incorp. (INSM), and puts trade in UltraShort Real Estate Proshares (SRS) Xpress Block: Netflix moves over $15, but otherwise, not a very exciting trading day Listener Mail: The floor belongs to the listeners. Question from Dalton Hicks - I’ve just discovered this...
Jun 18, 2013•1 hr 4 min
Option Block 251: Insider Trading, Options-Style Trading Block: Is the VIX going backwards? The rally has returned. Jobless claims fall by 12,000, sparking the rally. An insider trading case involving options. “For the first time since its inception, high-frequency trading, the bogey machine of the markets, is in retreat.” VXX options hit record open interest. Exchanges finally subject to fines for misconduct. Odd Block: Unwinding in Dole Food Company, Inc. (DOLE), calls trade in Monster Worldwi...
Jun 14, 2013•1 hr 8 min
Option Block 250: Goldilocks Non-Farms Numbers Trading Block: It was a quiet day on the market. Non-farms announcement came out last Friday. What are some trading ideas following a large event like this? Odd Block: Calls trade in Linhas Aereas Inteligent (GOL), puts trade in Celldex Therapeutics Inc. (CLDX), and put spreads trade in Southern Copper Co. (SCCO). Xpress Block: S&P changed the outlook on U.S. debt from negative to stable. How could this have an effect on the 10-year? Around the ...
Jun 11, 2013•44 min
