Trading Block: Is the VIX "Whistleblower" just more noise or it there some teeth this time? Volatility's awakening spurs record long position in VIX futures. Strategy Block: Discusses legging into OTM vertical call spreads Odd Block: More JAN 2019 50 "Catastrophe" puts in Tesla Motors (TSLA), long-term put love in Community Health Systems (CYH), and calls trade in Radian Group Inc. (RDN). Mail Block: Options question of the week It's been a rocky week for the markets. People are understandably s...
Feb 16, 2018•1 hr 1 min
Trading Block: One week later, how is everyone doing? SPY is back in rally mode. VIX back in the mid-20s. It's been a wild week for CBOE. Stock took a hit, threatened $100, now rallying up 4%. Earnings this week include APRN, before the bell tomorrow. ATM straddle $0.65, approx. 20%. Volatility's awakening spurs a record long position in VIX Futures Odd Block: Review from 2/8: Someone unloading calls in (UNP), Pre earnings action in Under Armor (UAA). Mail Block: Options question of the week VIX...
Feb 13, 2018•1 hr 2 min
Trading Block: A review of the week to date. VIX back up over 30 S&P is back in selloff mode despite decent earnings. We are all now living in a post VIX/Monday selloff world. Everyone is attacking the "Frankenproducts" like XIV and SVXY. VXX was briefly back above its post-split levels. Earnings are getting lost in the macro maelstrom - TSLA, CMG, TWTR, SNAP, ETC Earnings Highlights: NVDA: ATM Straddle - $18, approx. 8% ATVI: ATM Straddle - $5.50, approx. 8% CBOE stock is getting crushed. O...
Feb 09, 2018•1 hr 1 min
Trading Block: Dow loses over 1,000 points on the day. SPX opened at 2,683 on Jan 2. VIX cash now threatening 35! XBT below $7000; good thing for "uncorrelated assets." Earnings Highlights this Week: Tuesday - GM, Snap Inc., Walt Disney Company Wednesday - Tesla, ICE Thursday - Twitter, Nvidia, Activision/Blizzard Friday - CBOE Odd Block: From last Monday: Near-term call paper in (CL) Mail Block: Question of the week Holy Crap! $VIX is threatening 23! Is this the beginning of the #ZombieApocalyp...
Feb 06, 2018•1 hr 6 min
Trading Block: Earnings! Wednesday's big names: FB, MSFT. Thursday's big names: AAPL, GOOGL, AMZN, BABA. OCC cleared contract volume increased 42% in January; highest January for cleared volume, highest month ever for index options. Odd Block: TSLA options tracker. Review from Monday's near-term call paper in CL. Strategy Block: Uncle Mike takes us to strategy school. Mail Block: Options question of the week, plus listener questions and comments EarningsSeason is upon us once again! It's time fo...
Feb 02, 2018•1 hr
Trading Block: VIX is back into the 13 handle. Earnings this week: Wednesday - FB, Microsoft Thursday - Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Alibaba The ORATS earnings report for 1/29/2018 Odd Block: More Jan 2019 50 "Catastrophe" puts in Tesla Motors (TSLA). Size call diagonal in Anheuser Busch Inbev NV (BUD). Near-term call paper in Colgate-Palmolive Company (CL). Mail Block: Options question of the week Earnings Season is upon us once again! It's time for #Tech to put its best foot forward. Which big #te...
Jan 30, 2018•1 hr 2 min
Trading Block: Earnings! Monday: Netflix Tuesday: Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Travelers, Verizon Wednesday: GE, United Technologies Thursday: Caterpillar, 3M, Intel (Caterpillar doing crazy volume today - over 130k contracts on the tape.) Netflix, Intel and Starbucks. Odd Block: Size near-term put sales in (NWL). Crazy move sparks crazy volume in (MNKD). Size short call roll in (SAN). Strategy Block: Mike Tosaw discusses his most recent SPY trades Mail Block: Options questions o...
Jan 26, 2018•58 min
Trading Block: The Dow sets all-time intraday record as Senate votes to end government shutdown Earnings This Week: Monday: Netflix Tuesday: Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Travelers, Verizon Wednesday: GE, United Technologies Thursday: Caterpillar, 3M, Intel Odd Block: Calls and puts trade in Patterson UTI Energy (PTEN). Puts trade in Harley Davidson Inc (HOG). Puts roll in HCA Healthcare Inc (HCA). Strategy Block: Mike Tosaw discusses buying OTM calls in this current market Mail B...
Jan 23, 2018•58 min
Trading Block: VIX at 12.40! In the double digits for the first time in a long while. Earnings season ahead. IBM - $168.70, ATM straddle - $7.20, approx. 4%. A rough start to the year for Bitcoin. Tuesday selloff hits crypto hard. Odd Block: Yet more Jan 2019 50 "catastrophe" puts in Tesla Motors (TSLA). Massive call party in Guggenheim CurrencyShares Euro Trust (FXE). Size bullish strangle in Kinder Morgan Inc. (KMI). Size put roll in MBIA Inc. (MBI). Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses ...
Jan 19, 2018•1 hr
Trading Block: Crude is hitting new near-term highs. Brent breaks above 70 for the first time since 2014. Kodak is now a crypto company!? Odd Block: Massive call party in (FXE); Options-palooza in (XOP); Call frenzy in (XLE). Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses risk reversals. Mail Block: Options question of the week Another "easy" one to help kick off the New Year. Which name are you looking forward to trading options on during the upcoming earnings season? Your fav not here? Choose "Oth...
Jan 12, 2018•59 min
Trading Block: Nvidia stocks rises on new of chips being used in handle processing of driverless cars. Intel was aware of the chip vulnerability when its CEO sold off $24 million in company stock & options. Odd Block: More Jan 2019 50 "Catastrophe" puts in Tesla Motors (TSLA). Massive call party in Guggenheim CurrencyShares Euro Trust (FXE). Buying more time in Johnson Controls International PLC (JCI) Mail Block: Options question of the week 2017 was the "Year that Volatility Died." So our 1...
Jan 09, 2018•1 hr 5 min
Trading Block: The numbers are in for 2017 OCC announced 2017 volume reached the third highest total cleared contract volume ever with 4,327,576,930 contracts, a 4% increase from 2016. December cleared volume was 346,006,092 contracts, up 3% from December 2016. OCC also reported record-breaking 2017 volume for cleared futures with 138,029,762 cleared contracts; a 32% increase from 2016. What were our top 5 Option Block episodes for 2017? Odd Block: Call spreads trade in (EWJ); Funky ratio call s...
Jan 05, 2018•1 hr 3 min
Trading Block: Review of the last trading day of the year. VIX barely holding on to double digits. Big meh into the end of the year. Silver is on a tear. The highs and lows of Bitcoin. Cboe announces six Bitcoin ETFs. Uncle Mike creates a new product...Fitcoin. 2017 Year-in Review: The good, the bad, and the unexplicable. Final Options Question of the Week for 2017: What is your enduring market memory/event/trend/etc of 2017? Have a suggestion of your own? We encourage you to choose "Other" and ...
Dec 29, 2017•1 hr
Trading Block: NKE after hours. ATM straddle - $3.40, approx. 5%. Looking back on 2017: The year without volatility. Odd Block: More Jan 2019 50 "Catastrophe" puts in (TSLA). Size roll/diagonal in Autodesk Inc. (ADSK). Size call party in First Data Corp. (FDC). Closing call party in Blackstone Group LP (BX). Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses his most recent trading strategy in SPY. Mail Block: Options question of the week. Now it's a party! Bitcoin futures are live on both CME Group and...
Dec 22, 2017•1 hr 3 min
Trading Block: JPMorgan is lighting up Twitter. It's one of the bank's best ideas for 2018. A lot of div plays lighting up the tape today. Now it's a party! CME Bitcoin futures are live! Volume a little lighter in XBT now. Taleb is not a fan of Bitcoin - at least not without options. Petterrfy also hates Bitcoin - but it didn't stop him from buying ads on the futures. Odd Block: More Jan 2019 50 "Catastrophe" puts in Tesla Motors (TSLA). Size call party in Regions Financial Corp (RF). Ratio call...
Dec 19, 2017•1 hr 4 min
Trading Block: Volume is a little lighter in XBT now. Taleb is not a fan of Bitcoin, at least not without options. Apparently Bitcoin is destroying the world . Question of the week: Everyone's caught Bitcoin fever these days. The first "real" futures launched at CBOE. Our question is simple - are you going to trade them this week? Heck Yes! Hell No! I already traded them Sticking w/Coinbase et al Odd Block: Closing vertical w/ puts in Time Warner Inc. (TWX). Closing upside calls in Symantec Corp...
Dec 15, 2017•57 min
Trading Block: We are living in the Bitcoin futures world. At 5:00 pm CT on Sunday, XBT futures opened at $15,000 and 890 contracts were traded by 7:15 pm. Total volume Sunday overnight was a reported 3,001 contracts, with nearly 20 trading firms actively participating. Apparently Bitcoin is destroying the world . Options Question of the Week: Everyone's caught Bitcoin fever these days. The first "real" futures launched today on CBOE. Our question is simple - are you going to trade them this wee...
Dec 12, 2017•1 hr 2 min
Trading Block: Someone has the gall to downgrade Tesla, but the stock still rallies. OCC Cleared contract volume increased 1% in November. It was the highest November ever for options volume. Odd Block: Jan 2019 50 "Catastrophe" puts in Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA) Paper doubling down in (JBLU). Calls trade in Union Pacific Corp (UNP). Puts trade in Amgen, Inc. (AMGN). Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses how to trade skew. Mail Block: Options question of the week. The war for Bitcoin Derivati...
Dec 08, 2017•1 hr 1 min
Trading Block: GOP tax plan passes the Senate. CBOE Plans December 10 Launch of Bitcoin Futures Trading Odd Block: Size OTM call paper in Plains GP Holdings LP (PAGP). Funky ratio verticals/stupid in Him Technologies Inc. (HIMX). Weird backwards post-earnings roll in L Brands Inc. (LB). Mail Block: Options question of the week The war for Bitcoin Derivatives is heating up w/ both CME Group and CBOE jumping into the fray. How do you think you'll be trading Bitcoin in 2018? CME BRR Futures CBOE Ge...
Dec 05, 2017•1 hr 3 min
Trading Block: Dow sets new record by hitting 24,000 and SPX hits 2,657. This was the fifth 1,000-point milestone for the Dow this year, first hitting 20,000 on Jan. 25. The market is still in rally mode, awaiting tax deal. North Korea unable to spook the market. Question from Henry Gannett - Is $VIX way up today due to call buying/pricing? It's at 11.70 right now, instead of maybe 9.0 at other, recent SPX all-time highs. The VIX is umbrage-ing me right now! Odd Block: More Jan 2019 50 "Catastro...
Dec 01, 2017•1 hr 2 min
The Trading Block: SQ and QCOM dominating the options charts today. Looks like QCOM activity is actually a dividend play. Light on earnings this week. Goldman execs cash out decade-old options just days before they expire. The Odd Block: TSLA tracker; Weird house-money put roll in WDC; Tons of Dec 26 puts in DKS; Size near-term call love in NEM. The Mail Block: Options question of the week SPY always dominates the #options volume charts. But what do you think people are actually trading in SPY? ...
Nov 27, 2017•1 hr 2 min•Season 6Ep. 672
We are not letting the Thanksgiving holiday get in the way of you getting your Option Block fix on.
Nov 24, 2017•59 min
Mail Block: It's all listener questions and comments today Options question of the week: The war for Bitcoin Derivatives is heating up w/ both CME Group and CBOE jumping into the fray. How do you think you'll be trading Bitcoin in 2018? CME BRR Futures CBOE Gemini Futures Stick w/ Regular Bitcoin Still don't trust Crypto Questions and Comments: Question from Nikbak - When do you think we'll have #bitcoin options? Question from Scott Somer - Another question I would like to see is - Do you think ...
Nov 21, 2017•1 hr 2 min
Trading Block: Featuring special guest Dan Cook from NADEX. What are the uses for binary options? Binaries as a way to trade options. VIX coming back to life. House passes tax reform, will congress unify behind a single plan? Uncle Mike speculates on winter weather and resulting oil demand. There is still earnings on the horizon, including: AMAT, GAP and WMT after the bell today. Odd Block: More TSLA 50 "Catastrophe" puts. Put-palooza in Time Warner Inc. (TWX). Funky far OTM outs in Restoration ...
Nov 17, 2017•1 hr 2 min
Trading Block: Earnings! Are we heading for more carnage? Putin says he didn't do anything to the election. GE gets smoked. Amazon up over 1% thanks to Lord of the Rings. Odd Block: Catastrophe puts in Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA). Size put roll in (SEAS). Put-palooza in Square. Mail Block: Options question of the week The war for Bitcoin derivatives is heating up w/ both CMEGroup and CBOE jumping into the fray. How do you think you'll be trading #Bitcoin in 2018? CME BRR Futures CBOE Gemini Futures...
Nov 14, 2017•1 hr 3 min
Trading Block: The Return of the Viceroy! OCC cleared contract volume up 20% in October. Earnings! Disney - ATM straddle $5, approx. 4.5% NVDA - ATM straddle $16, approx. 8% Odd Block: Put roll in Time Warner Inc. (TWX). Size call love ENSCO PLC (ESV). Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses the pulse of the market. Mail Block: Options question of the week Trading #Options during #Earnings is a coin flip. But you know you love to do it. What's your #Earnings #Options MO? 28% - Buy Calls/Call ...
Nov 10, 2017•1 hr 9 min
Trading Block: Earnings! Monday - Weight Watchers Tuesday - CBOE, Valeant, Snap Inc. Thursday - Nvidia, Macys, Kohl’s Friday - JCPenney Odd Block: Size call love in MRO. Opening calendar/stupid in RSX. Call 1x3 in RCX. Mail Block: So many questions! Options question of the week: Bitcoin just blew past $100B in "market cap." If #Options were available how would you trade them? 52% - Buy Calls/Call Spreads 18% - Buy Puts/Put Spreads 13% - Sell Covered Calls 17% - Other/Hate #Crypto Listener questi...
Nov 07, 2017•1 hr 1 min
Trading Block: Earnings season review: Apple after the bell. ATM straddle - $7.25, approx. 4.3% Facebook and Tesla Odd Block: Options tracker in Tesla Inc. (TSLA), call-palooza ahead of earnings in Pandora Media Inc (P), and size upside buywrite in Marathon Oil Corporation (MRO). Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses tax savings. Mail Block: Options question of the week Bitcoin just blew past $100B in "market cap." If #Options were available how would you trade them? 52% - Buy Calls/Call Sp...
Nov 03, 2017•1 hr 3 min
Trading Block: Earnings Season Review. This season's theme "Buy Premium"! Under Armor before the bell tomorrow. Review of: Chipotle, Twitter, Amazon, Google & Microsoft. Odd Block: Size OTM call paper in Plains GP Holdings LP (PAGP). Pre-earnings put-palooza in Under Armor Inc. (UAA). Rolling puts in ENSCO PLC (ESV). Mail Block: Options question of the week. Bitcoin just blew past $100B in "market cap." If #Options were available how would you trade them. Buy Calls/Call Spreads Buy Puts/Put ...
Oct 31, 2017•1 hr 4 min
Trading Block: Earnings! Chipotle (CMG) - ATM straddle: $20, approx. 6.25% Twitter (TWTR) - ATM straddle: $1.50, nearly 9% Amazon (AMZN) - ATM straddle: $39, approx. 4% Google (GOOGL) - ATM straddle: $41, approx. 4% Microsoft (MSFT) - ATM straddle: $1.75, approx. 2.2% Odd Block: Review from 8/7: Call frenzy in Procter & Gamble (PG) Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses SPY and risk reversals. Mail Block: Listener questions and comments Question from Hawkeye - To ye merry band of Magical...
Oct 27, 2017•1 hr 3 min
