Trading Block: U.S. stocks fluctuate on earnings a crude oil retreats with gold. CITI before the bell tomorrow. Stock = $45, ATM straddle - $1.40 / approx. 3%. CME traders say chances of April interest rate hike are zero. Earnings: Thursday (all before bell) - Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Delta Air Lines, PNC Financial Services, BlackRock. Odd Block: Calls trade in Kate Spade Inc (KATE), puts trade in Seagate Technology PLC (STX), and calls trade in Freeport-McMoran (FCX) Mail Block: Listener q...
Apr 15, 2016•59 min
Trading Block: The fear gauge just hit an all-time high. Turbulence for Delta Air Lines, Inc.: Two earnings trades for DAL stock. Under Armor selling off over 5% today, and over 50% since last week. Earnings today after the bell: Alcoa, Bank of the Ozarks Odd Block: Calls trade in SPDR GLD Gold Trust (GLD), puts trade Avon Products, Inc (AVP), and calls trade in Steel Dynamic, Inc (STLD) Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw selling a call spread against a stock you own vs. selling a covered call. Ma...
Apr 12, 2016•1 hr 1 min
Trading Block: Today we are joined by Nick Howard, Founder & CEO of Bantix Technologies, LLC, and creator of QuikStrike. Stocks tumble amid choppy start to April; Dow drops more than 150. OCC gratified by changes to DOL fiduciary rule that benefit users of listed options. Ally Financial jumps into brokerage business. Earnings: Thursday - Rite Aid, CarMax, ConAgra Foods (all before bell). Odd Block: Calls trade in Crown Castle Inter. (CCI), calls and puts trade in iPath S&P 500 VIX mid te...
Apr 08, 2016•1 hr 4 min
Trading Block: March Madness Poll - Winner: TradeKing, which (beat Interactive Brokers in the finals. Drawing winners will be announced on Thursday's Option Block. An update on March options activity from ISE. OCC cleared contract volume up 4% in March. CME Group notches record ADV in Q1, while FX volumes fall. Stocks to Watch: Apple, Tesla, Alaska Air, Intel, Brocade. Odd Block: Calls trade in Nike Inc. (NKE), calls trade in KKR & Co. (KKR), and calls trade in Reynolds American, Inc (RAI). ...
Apr 05, 2016•1 hr
Trading Block: March Madness Poll - Vote today for TradeKing or E*Trade to find out who will go to the finals against Interactive Brokers, who beat OptionsHouse to make the final round. Stocks higher as the end to a rocky quarter nears. Yellen killed the strong dollar rally. Stocks to watch: Tesla – new electric Model 3 unveiled today. A modest rally for Tesla – up only 5% intraday. Lululemon – earnings announced yesterday and stock looks good, trading up about 10% post-earnings. Odd Block: Call...
Apr 01, 2016•59 min
Trading Block: A bull market in the S&P 500 goes AWOL as history rewards patience. Could Jan. 1, 2018 become the next "Perfect Banking Storm"? Appeals court upholds determination that CBOE patents are invalid. Stocks to Watch: Pandora, Avon, GameStop, Cal-Maine Odd Block: Selling paper in The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), Aug call buyer in iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 20 ETF (FXI), and strange seller in Pinnacle Foods Inc. (PF) Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses diagonal call spreads. Ma...
Mar 29, 2016•1 hr
It may be a trading holiday, but you still need your Option Block fix, right? We dug through the archives to bring you some of the best of Option Block. This episode was posted in November, 2015.
Mar 25, 2016•45 min
Trading Block: The most up-to-date result of our March Madness Poll. Stocks to Watch: Valeant, Tesla, Starwood, Marriott, Markit, IHS. Stocks dip, dollar advances in wake of Fed comments. Odd Block: Bullish call action in iShares Dow Jones US Homebuilder ETF (ITB), upside call buyer in Kraft Heinz Co. (KHC), and christmas put tree in US Steel Corp (X). Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses out-of-the-money call buying. Mail Block: Listener questions and comments Question from Groose - Regar...
Mar 23, 2016•1 hr
Trading Block: U.S. crude options volatility sinks as prices bounce off Feb lows. CBOE to list options on FTSE 100 and China 50. Options traders prepare for "worst of all worlds".Fed scales back rate-rise forecasts as global risks remain. Earnings after the bell: Adobe Systems Inc., Aeropostale Odd Block: Calls trade in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM), calls trade in Genesis Energy LP (GEL), and calls trade in Technology SPDR (XLK) Mail Block: Listener questions and comments Question fro...
Mar 18, 2016•43 min
Trading Block: ICE would keep London Stock Exchange if it bought LSE Group. Fed to sit tight on rates at March meet, hint at hikes to come. Earnings today before the bell: 3D Systems Corp. Odd Block: Put buying in Banco Bradesco SA (BBD), 1-by-2 put spread in CarMax Inc. (KMX), and calls trade in Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL). Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses short put spreads. Listener Mail: Listener questions and comments Question from Bob - I have heard pros say that when too many retai...
Mar 15, 2016•45 min
Trading Block: Big news today from an options exchange perspective: Nasdaq announced it has agreed to acquire International Securities Exchange (ISE), an operator of three electronic options exchanges, from Deutsche Borse Group. Investors greeted the Nasdaq deal to buy International Securities Exchange, the US options business of Deutsche Borse, with some skepticism on Thursday, sending Nasdaq shares down as much as 3.5 per cent. Earnings: Dollar General Odd Block: Calls trade in Club Corp. Hold...
Mar 11, 2016•1 hr
Trading Block: Goldman Sachs sees best time in two decades to buy S&P 500 calls. Traders are betting the Federal Reserve will next raise U.S. short-term interest rates about six weeks earlier than previously thought, after the government reported U.S. employers added many more jobs than expected in February. Earnings today after the bell: Shake Shack. Odd Block: Calls trade in Alcoa Inc. (AA), puts trade in Linn Energy LLC (LINE), and calls trade in VALE SA (VALE). Strategy Block: Uncle Mike...
Mar 08, 2016•1 hr 2 min
Trading Block: Continued relief rally. VIX now has a 16-handle. Huge contango in the VIX. Who blew the all-clear signal? Cage match in junk stocks. CBOE reported that total trading volume in February was 92.9 million contracts. OCC announces cleared contract volume increased in February. OCC announced that total cleared contract volume in February was 338,300,969 contracts. . Why CME would want to buy the London Stock Exchange? Why buy when you can make your own? What is Europe going to do? Odd ...
Mar 04, 2016•36 min
Trading Block: Traders are now taking the possibility of a Trump presidency seriously. What was once thought to be a flight of fancy is moving ever closer to becoming reality, with one of the real estate moguls rivals, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, declaring that Trump may be "unstoppable" if he dominates the upcoming Super Tuesday contests. Gold allure burnished by Fed outlook as treasuries lag: analysis - U.S. Treasury 10-year futures may continue to underperform gold over the medium-term in a globa...
Mar 01, 2016•57 min
Trading Block: Gold goes for a ride. SeaWorld earnings today after the bell and taking it on the chin. Off approx. 9%. Odd Block: Calls and puts go up in Restoration Hardware Inc. (RH), call spreads go up in Marathon Petroleum Corp. (MPC), and puts go up in Cypress Semiconductors (CY). Mail Block: Listener questions and comments Question from Matt M1000 - Hello Mr. Longo and All Star Cast. I have been enjoying The Option Block and Volatility Views shows for years. You guys are the best! Keep up ...
Feb 26, 2016•1 hr
Trading Block: Options market sees 50% chance of massive S&P plunge. Stocks may have rebounded from their recent lows, but the option market still implies a big chance that stocks plummet anew before the year is out. Earnings today after the bell: Fitbit, Inc., ATM Straddle: $2.90 - 18.3%, calls 2/1 over puts; stock nearly hit $52 last summer: Now a pale shadow of what it used to be. Earnings today before the bell: Dean Foods. Odd Block: Puts trade in Zoetis Inc. (ZTS), puts trade in Rio Tin...
Feb 23, 2016•1 hr 1 min
Trading Block: Welcome to our 500th episode. Today's special panel includes: Mark Sebastian, Mike Tosaw, Andrew Giovanazzi, and our must beloved former panelist Alex "The Viceroy" Jacobson. They discuss: How many exchanges are too many exchanges? Options Insider question of the week The SEC Citadel Transaction fees Talking free of compliance issues And so much more... Odd Block: Rolling calls in Coca-Cola Company (KO), calendar spreads trade in Time Warner Cable (TWX), and put sellingHess (HES) ...
Feb 19, 2016•1 hr 20 min
Trading Block: TSLA: Options traders are betting on a 16% move in Tesla shares in either direction through the end of the week. Four of the five most traded Tesla options on Wednesday were put options, but it was not clear whether investors were buying or selling them. It has been a rough year for Elon Musk - off $3.3B between TSLA and SCTY. Earnings today: Before the bell: Nokia, PepsiCo, After the bell: Activision Blizzard, Groupon, Pandora Media Group. Odd Block: Calls trade in SPDR Gold Trus...
Feb 12, 2016•1 hr
Trading Block: Stocks take another beating: Dow down 400. Gold tops $1,200 for first time since June on economic woes. Earnings today after the bell: Yelp - $16.17, down nearly $2 - over 10%; Before the bell: Hasbro, Loews Odd Block: Calls trade in Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX), calls trade in Goldcorp Inc. (GG), calls trade in iShares MSCI EAFE Index fund (EFA), and calls and puts trades in Paypal Holdings Inc. (PYPL) Strategy Block: Tosaw discusses when he is going to get back into this...
Feb 09, 2016•58 min
Trading Block: Today we have guest co-host Dan Cook from NADEX. LNKD after the bell. ATM straddle: $22, approx. 11.5%. Wall St. fluctuates as equities track oil prices. Is oil driving the stock market - and should traders care? As energy rout deepens, CME, ICE reap benefit from record volumes. Earnings today - Before the bell: ConocoPhillips, Intercontinental Exchange. Odd Block: Calls trade in SPDR S&P Metal and Mining ETF (XME), calls trade in Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX), and call...
Feb 05, 2016•1 hr 3 min
Trading Block: OCC announced total cleared contract volume for the month of January was up four percent from January 2015 with 371,870,087 contracts, marking the third highest January on record. CBOE announced that it plans to list S&P 500 Index (SPX) Wednesday - expiring Weeklys options beginning February 23, 2016. ISE Mercury to launch on February 16, 2016. Earnings today after the bell: Options on Google parent Alphabet Inc were busy on Monday ahead of the its quarterly results that could...
Feb 02, 2016•54 min
Trading Block: Earnings! Ford Alibaba Amazon - rocking and rolling! Odd Block: Calls trade in ICICI Bank Ltd (IBN), calls trade in Abbott Laboratories (ABT), and call buyers in JA Solar Holding Co. (JASO) Mail Block: Listener questions and comments Question from BillyMo - Hey, any new updates with after hours options trading on earnings stocks? Question from NVid - The junk bond market is melting down and interest rates are hovering around zero. Is the best place to find income these days via op...
Jan 29, 2016•1 hr
Trading Block: Earnings today before the bell Hess Corp. ConocoPhillips fell at least 6.1 percent. Banks retraced their best rally in more than a month Friday, with Bank of America Corp. down 3.1 percent. McDonalds Corp. gained after the fast-food giant earnings beat analysts forecasts as all-day breakfast helped fuel U.S. sales. The Fed begins a two-day meeting tomorrow. The probability of a rate increase this week has stayed low after the December liftoff, and chances of a March boost have fal...
Jan 26, 2016•45 min
Trading Block: Stocks rebound as Dow up more than 200 points and oil jumps 5%. Wall Street pay takes a hit, braces for deeper cuts. Yellen to keep Fed rate options open amid turbulent markets. Earnings today (Thursday): Before the bell: Southwest Airlines, Verizon Communications After the bell: American Express Company, E-Trade Financial Corporation Odd Block: Calls trade in NewCastle Investment Corp. (NCT), puts trade in Anadarko Petroleum Corp (APC), and calls trade in United Parcel Service, I...
Jan 22, 2016•1 hr 1 min
Trading Block: U.S. stocks rally from 3-Month lows as energy, healthcare lead. Goldman plans to cut up to 10% of fixed-income traders, salespeople. Before the bell: JP Morgan Chase. What crisis? JPMorgan Chase reports $5.4 billion profit. After the bell: Intel Corporation. ATM Straddle - $1.45, ADV 72K contracts, today: 115K. Odd Block: Puts trade in Fiat Chrysler Auto NV (FCAU), calls trade in KKR and Co. LLP (KKR), and calls trade in Blackstone Group (BX) Mail Block: Listener questions and com...
Jan 15, 2016•59 min
Trading Block: Last week was the worst start to a trading year in history. An early rally lost steam later in the session. Intra day S&P high - 1935. Does the lack of IPOs signal a looming recession? Fear makes oil options increasingly expensive. Odd Block: 1-by-2 call spread in The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), buy to close short in Teva Pharmaceutical (TEVA), and bullish risk reversal in Powershares QQQ Trust (QQQ). Strategy Block: Tosaw discusses the importance of "drawing a line in the sa...
Jan 12, 2016•57 min
Trading Block: Hysterics are creeping back into the market in the New Year. This question seems to be popping up all over the place this week. Is this 2008 all over again? Chinas 29 minutes of chaos: stunned brokers and a race to sell. Apple Inc. said App Store billings topped a record $20 billion in 2015, but growth from the business appeared to slow even as the company introduced apps on new devices such as Apple TV and Apple Watch. The selloff continues - Apple broke $100 for the first time s...
Jan 08, 2016•1 hr 1 min
Trading Block: OCC 2015 cleared contract volume third highest ever at 4.2B. Options traders adding to bullish bets on Europe stocks for 2016. Stocks plunge as Dow tumbles about 420; S&P falls below 2,000. Odd Block “Best of” 2015: Weird trade of the year - 11/30/15 - Put rolls and calls going up in Ascena Retail Group Inc (ASNA) Loser of the year - 6/1/15 - Possible upside Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (APC) butterfly. Most ironic winner of the year - 10/26/15 - Mens Wearhouse (MW) buy call/sell ...
Jan 05, 2016•55 min
Originally posted on December 24th, 2014, we bring you "The Most Epic Strategy Block Ever" Trading Block: A shortened holiday week, so not much is moving on the street. Upside move in Taser. Facebook and Amazon. Odd Block: Calls trade in Cobalt International Energy (CIE), opening calls trade in U.S. Bancorp (USB), and calls going up in Alibaba Holding Group Ltd (BABA). Xpress Block: Another new tool is being rolled out by OX - IRIS. Strategy Block: In the spirit of the season, Uncle Mike present...
Dec 31, 2015•56 min
Trading Block: The S&P 500 surged 2.8 percent last week, buoyed by gains in oil and raw-material companies, some of the year’s least-loved stocks. VIX jumped 14 percent Monday to 17.91. Oil led an early retreat among commodities Monday, sliding more than 3 percent from a three-week high as Iran repeated its goal of boosting exports after sanctions on the country are lifted. Odd Block: Calls trading in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCL), calls trade in Franklin Resources Inc (BEN), puts trade ...
Dec 29, 2015•58 min
