Trading Block: Apple continues to rally. NASDAQ touches fresh intra-day record, but stocks fight for traction. CBOE Skew Index trending higher. It's about time. Odd Block: Puts trade in GameStop Inc. (GME), call spreads trade in FireEye Inc. (FEYE) and puts trade in Grupo Televisa SAB (TV). Mail Block: Polls, upsets, questions, and more. Options #BrokerMadness tournament going on now. Tough battle today in #options #BrokerMadness as @optionsXpress takes on @IBKR, Who will emerge to take on @Trad...
Mar 21, 2017•1 hr 1 min
Trading Block: The stock market slipped following Fed rate-hike rally, declining in oil prices. The U.S. equity benchmarks slipped Thursday as investors reconsidered the Wednesday rally. Odd Block: Calls trade in GoPro Inc (GPRO), calls trade in Hecla Mining Co. (HL) and calls trade in Momo Inc (MOMO) Strategy Block: Andrew Giovinazzi discusses closing trades in his strategy block debut. Mail Block: Options #QuestionoftheWeek $VIX = 11.50, $SNAP IV30 =56, $AAPL IV30 = 14, $OIV= 33. If you had to...
Mar 17, 2017•49 min
Trading Block: Are SNAP options set for strong demand on their market debut? Fed kicks off tomorrow. Odd Block: Puts trade in Encana Corp. (ECA), calls trade in Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN) and calls trade in Rio Tinto PLC (RIO) Mail Block: Options #QuestionOfTheWeek - $VIX = 11.50, $SNAP IV30 = 56, $AAPL IV30 = 14, $OIV = 33. If you had to buy #Volatility, which is the best value? $SNAP - aka Tween Vol $AAPL - aka #iPhone Vol $VIX - aka $VIX $OIV - aka #Crude $VIX Listener questions and comment...
Mar 14, 2017•1 hr 4 min
Trading Block: What's going on in the market? The BBI explained. What would drive the VIX up? Interactive Brokers to Stop Options Market-Making Activities . Snap options set for strong demand on market debut . Crude oil prices fall below $50 as US stockpiles rise . Odd Block: Puts trade in ILG Inc (ILG), puts trade in SPDR S&P Oil and Gas (XES) and puts call and puts trade in SPDR S&P Oil and Gas (XOP). Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses credit spreads. Mail Block: Listener quest...
Mar 10, 2017•59 min
Trading Block: OCC announced that total cleared contract volume in February was 333,411,251 contracts, 1% from February 2016 volume. Index options volume was up 11% with 39,247,030 contracts in February. An escalating broker price war has begun. Odd Block: Puts trade in iShares Iboxx $High Yield Corp (HYG), calls trade in NRG Energy, Inc. (NRG) and calls trade in Dicks Sporting Goods (DKS). Mail Block: Options #QuestionOfTheWeek #Oscars Edition. #WarrenBeatty screwed up Best Picture. What's your...
Mar 07, 2017•1 hr 1 min
Trading Block featuring special guest Ophir Gottlieb, CEO of Capital Market Laboratories, Editor in Chief @CMLviz SNAP: The first big IPO of the year is off to the races. Supposed to list at $17, opened at $24 and traded up to nearly $26, up over 50% from the listing price. Earnings earlier in the week: Tuesday - Target Wednesday - Best Buy Earnings today: After the bell - Costco Odd Block: Puts trade in Shake Shack Inc (SHAK), calls trade in Sirius XM Holdings (SIRI) and calls trade in Dollar T...
Mar 03, 2017•1 hr 4 min
Trading Block: Dow sets sights on 12th straight record close. PCLN - $1631.25, ATM straddle approx. $69, approx. 4.2%. Odd Block: Calls trade in CurrencyShares Euro Trust (FXE), calls trade in SPDR Euro Stoxx 50 (FEZ) and calls trade in Square Inc. (SQ). Mail Block: Questions, polls, and more. Options #QuestionOfTheWeek - #Oscars Edition. #WarrenBeatty screwed up Best Picture. What is your biggest #Options screwup? Held onto shorts too long Time decay killed me Gamma exploded in my face Vega snu...
Feb 28, 2017•1 hr 1 min
Trading Block: Earnings! Earlier this week: Tuesday - Home Depot, Macy's, Wal-Mart; Wednesday - Tesla, Fitbit TSLA: Close - $273.51, ATM straddle - $17.16, approx. 6%, Open - $264.08, down 3.4% FITBIT: Close - $5.88, ATM straddle - $.76, approx. 13%, Open - $5.92, effectively unchanged Earnings today: Before the bell - Kohls; After the bell - Nordstrom, BIDU, Herbalife NYSE plans a trial run for Snap IPO. Odd Block: Calls trade in Carmax Inc (KMX), calls trade in Scientific Games Corp (SGMS) and...
Feb 24, 2017•1 hr 3 min
Trading Block: Earnings earlier this week. Tuesday - Potbelly, T-Mobile Wednesday - PepsiCo, Inc., Cisco Systems, Inc., Groupon, Marriott International Earnings today. AVP - Crush, stock down 17% intraday. Odd Block: Calls trade in Himax Technologies, Inc (HIMX), Calls trade in Health Care SPDR (XLV), Calls and puts trade in Mondelez International Inc (MDLZ). Mail Block: #Options #QuestionOfTheWeek - Trading single #Calls and #Puts is fine, but smart #Options traders use spreads. What is your go...
Feb 17, 2017•57 min
Trading Block: Earnings! Apple did not reach all time highs, but its close price is an all time highs. All time highs happened on April 28, 2015 @ 134.54. MIAX launches 15th options exchange with MIAX-Pearl. ICE Cool on Options : Speaking at the Credit Suisse Financial Services Forum in Miami Beach, Fla., Jeff Sprecher, founder, CEO, and chairman of ICE, painted a less than rosy picture of the options market. Odd Block: Calls trade in True Car Inc (TRUE), calls trade in Union Pacific Corp (UNP) ...
Feb 14, 2017•1 hr 3 min
Trading Block: Oil prices prop up Wall Street; NASDAQ hits record high. MIAX launches 15th options exchange with MIAX-Pearl. Earnings Today: Before the bell: Coca-Cola, Dunkin Brands Group, Twitter, Viacom After the bell: Activision, Nvidia, Zinga DIS (earnings on Tuesday): Close: $109 - ATM straddle: $3.50, approx. 3.2%; Open: $109.52 - traded as high as $11.42, up 2.2% Other earnings earlier this week: Tuesday:General Motors, Walt Disney Company, Take Two Interactive Wednesday: GrubHub, Time W...
Feb 10, 2017•1 hr 2 min
Trading Block: Earnings Today Before the bell - Hasbro After the bell - CBOE Holdings, Twenty-First Century Fox But there is more than just earnings. OCC announces Total Cleared Contract Volume was down 9% in January. The Snapchat IPO looms ahead. Odd Block: Calls trade in S&P 500 VIX Short Term (VXX), puts trade in T-Mobile Inc (TMUS), alls trade in TrueCar Inc (TRUE). Mail Block: Options #QuestionOfTheWeek Time for another Earnings #StraddleBattle : Which stock will outperform its straddle...
Feb 07, 2017•1 hr 2 min
Trading Block: Earnings edition AAPL: Closed: $121.35, ATM Straddle: $4.25 approx. 3.5%. Opened: $127.09 - up 4.7%, traded as high as $130.49 - up 7.5%. iPhone 7 sales blew away estimates. Apple still sitting on over a quarter of a trillion in cash - excluding debt. FB: Closed: $133.23, ATM Straddle: $6.70 approx. 5%. traded as high as $135.29 - up 1.5%, today down to $130.70, approx. 2% After the bell: Amazon, Chipotle, Visa, GoPro AMZN: $839.75, ATM Straddle: $41.50 - approx. 5% CMG: $424.1, A...
Feb 03, 2017•1 hr 6 min
Trading Block: Earnings today include Apple, Under Armour. Odd Bock: Call writer in Coach Inc. (COH), call spreads trade in Constellation Brands, Inc. (STZ) and calls trade in Pfizer Inc. (PFE) Mail Block: Questions, comments, and more. Options #QuestionOfTheWeek - Time for another earnings straddle battle. Which company will outperform their earnings straddle by the largest margin? Apple - $AAPL Facebook - $FB Amazon - $AMZN Chipotle - $CMG Listner questions: Question from Michael Gavriel - Hey...
Jan 31, 2017•1 hr
Trading Block: Earnings! Before the bell: Southwest, Caterpillar After the bell: Alphabet, PayPal, E-Trade, Microsoft, Intel GOOGL - $852.70. ATM Straddle: $34, approx. 4% MSFT - $64.05. ATM Straddle: $2.75, approx. 4.3% INTC - $37.6. ATM Straddle: $1.25, approx. 3.3% PAYPAL - $41.52. ATM Straddle: $2.12, approx. 5% SBUX - $58.51. ATM Straddle: $2.20, approx. 3.7% Odd Block: Calls trade in Kate Spade Co. (KATE), calls trade in Technology SPDR (XLK) and puts trade in JPMorgan Alerian MLP index (A...
Jan 27, 2017•59 min
Trading Block: The Trump Effect: President Donald Trump is set to unleash a cascade of stock-market anxiety - The day of reckoning for the Wall Street is here. McDonalds (MCD) earnings today. Friday close - $122.26; ATM Straddle - $3.52, approx. 3%; Open down $.75, Traded as low as $2.44; No more love for all-day breakfast. Odd Block: Calls and puts trade in Morgan Stanley (MS), calls trade in Home Depot Inc (HD) and calls trade in Lending Club Corp (LC) Mail Block: Questions, Comments, Polls, a...
Jan 24, 2017•58 min
Trading Block: Stocks tumble ahead of Trump inauguration - Dow off 100. Netflix: Another crazy earnings for NFLX. Close = $133.26, straddle = $12.60 / 9.5%. Spiked to $145 in the after-hours, opened at $142 today. How a one-two, Trump-Yellen punch may move interest rates. Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses the importance of event risk Odd Block: Puts trade in 3D Systems Corp (DDD); Calls trade in Avon Products, Inc (AVP); Calls trade in Union Pacific Corp (UNP) Mail Block/Options Questio...
Jan 20, 2017•59 min
Trading Block: Stocks sharply lower: Dow drops about 150 points. Who can slow down the Amazon juggernaut? Odd Block: Calls trade in Cheasepeake Energy (CHK), puts trade in Fiat Chrysler Auto NV (FCAU) and puts trade in Ford Motor Co (F). Mail Block: #QuestionOfTheWeek $VIX hit a high of 28 last year. How high will $VIX get in 2017? About the same (27-29) Slightly Lower (24-26) Slightly Higher (30 - 33) Much Higher (Above 33) Listner questions and comments: Question from Ian Wagner: Overheard at ...
Jan 13, 2017•1 hr 2 min
Trading Block: Oil drop stymies the Dows march to 20,000. Tech stocks send Nasdaq to record, Apple is celebrating the tenth anniversary of the iPhone. Gold prices settle at highest level in nearly 6 weeks. The options market is not too worried about retail (XRT) woes, but should it be? Is Amazon.com the mall killer? Odd Block: Calls trade in 3D System Corp (DDD), calls trade in IAMGOLD Corp (IAG) and calls trade in Direxion Daily Junior Gold Minors (JNUG). Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discus...
Jan 10, 2017•1 hr
Trading Block: Looking back at 2016! The thrills of victory. The agonies of defeat. Odd Block: Andrew's favorite Odd Block trades from 2016 Big winner: Calls trade in Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX) . Size upside calls trade (buy Jun expiration $5 ITM) - 2/4/16 Favorite House Money Roll: Calls trade in Advanced Mico Devices Inc. (AMD) . Calls roll up in Jan 2017 - 8/23/16 Big Jury is still out: Calls trade in Financial Select SPDR (XLF) . Size calls trade - 11/17 Mail Block: Happy New Year!...
Jan 06, 2017•1 hr 6 min
Trading Block: A look back at the year 2016 in the options market. An overview of Lightspeed Trading with guest co-host Kevin Ott. Oil falls for the first time in nine days as U.S. crude supplies climb. Odd Block: Calls trade in Moblieye NV (MBLY), calls roll in Jetblue Corp (JBLU), puts trade in Kinross Gold (KGC). Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses 1256 contracts Mail Block: Listener questions and comments Question from Trader Taz1 - Do you have a broker recommendation for someone who ...
Dec 30, 2016•1 hr 5 min
We dug through the archives to bring you the very best of the Option Block.
Dec 27, 2016•58 min
Trading Block: Gold, the Fed and volatility on this last episode before the holiday weekend. Odd Block: Calls trade in Globalstar, Inc. (GSAT), calls roll in Michael Kors Holdings, Ltd (KORS) and call buyers in Eldorado Gold Corp (EGO) Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses the strategy of "boxing off" Mail Block: Options question of the week, listener questions and comments #QuestionOfTheWeek: Major market indices are pushing record highs. Everyone has protection on the brain. How do you pr...
Dec 23, 2016•54 min
Trading Block: The polar vortex might have snuck into the S&P, a narrow range of movement today. Vol off half a handle. How likely is the Fed to make an announcement before the end of the year? Odd Block: Calls trade in GlobalStar, Inc (GSAT), calls trade in Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) and calls trade in Energy Transfer Equity LP (ETE). Mail Block: Listener questions, comments, and opinions #QuestionOfTheWeek: Financial advisors represent the last options frontier. What level of options k...
Dec 20, 2016•59 min
Trading Block: The market and everything else rallied. Vol drops. Fed forecasting. What's the scoop with the shiny stuff? Odd Block: Call trade in Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF), call spreads trade in Michael Kors Holding LTD (KORS), calls trade in KEY Corp. (KEY) Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses how to choose a financial advisor. Around the Block: The Fed has spoken. Now what?
Dec 16, 2016•43 min
Trading Block: Stocks mixed as Dow hits another new record high, flirting with 20,000. Crude and XLE up too. Wealthy investors show a Trump bump in confidence, UBS Wealth Management Americas reported Thursday. Odd Block: Puts trade in Transocean ltd (RIG), calls and puts trade in SPDR S&P 500 trust (SPY) and calls trade in Hain Celestial Group (HAIN). Mail Block: Question of the week and listener questions #QuestionOfTheWeek: Financial advisors represent the last options frontier. What level...
Dec 13, 2016•1 hr 1 min
Trading Block: Stocks rise as NASDAQ joins Dow, S&P and notch new record highs. Understanding the minutiae of VIX. The Tao of Don: Sell or sell not. There is no buy. Odd Block: Calls trade in CBOE Holding Inc (CBOE), Massive calls trade in Financial Select SPDR (XLF), Calls trade in Bank of America Corp (BAC). Strategy Block: Uncle Tosaw discusses trading collars in Apple Mail Block/Options#QuestionOfTheWeek: #CrudeOil has been volatile lately. $OIV, aka Oil $VIX, is 37.33. Where will #Crude...
Dec 09, 2016•59 min
Trading Block: CBOE sets record volume with S&P 500 Index and CBOE Volatility Index in November. Apple still up on the year. What might next year look like? Lululemon on Wednesday closed $57.16. The ATM straddle is trading at $5.35, or approx. 9%. Odd Block: Puts trade in Barrick Gold Corp (ABX), Calls trade in Market Vectors Russia ETF (RSX), Calls trade in Pandora Media Inc (P) Mail Block/Options#QuestionOfTheWeek: #CrudeOil has been volatile lately. $OIV, aka Oil $VIX, is 37.33. Where wil...
Dec 06, 2016•1 hr 2 min
Trading Block: Earnings after the bell today: TD Ameritrade, Krogers, Lands End, Dollar General. OCC cleared contract volume increased 20% in November. Why was November such a massive month for markets around the world? XLE up 8% since Tuesday. Volume 1.5x ADV, calls slightly over puts.USO up over 10% since Tuesday - volume 2x ADV, calls over puts 2-to-1. VOLUME 2X ADV TODAY, CALLS OVER PUTS 2-TO-1. Trump plan to dismantle Dodd-Frank unlikely to be realized, says TABB Group. Odd Block: (Review f...
Dec 02, 2016•59 min
Trading Block: Jobs report and the Fed set the holiday table this week. Opinion: How the "Trump bump" to the U.S. economy could fall flat? Odd Block: Calls trade in VALE SA (VALE), calls and puts trade in SPDR S&P Oil and Gas Exp (XOP) and calls trade in ArcelorMittal SA (MT) Mail Block/Options#QuestionOfTheWeek: Commodities are capturing a lot of attention and generating a lot of #Volatility. What is your option of choice? $GLD / Comex Gold $USO / $WTI $TLT / ED / 10YR EUR/USD, GPB/USD List...
Nov 29, 2016•1 hr
