Featured Contributors
Mark S. Longo
The Options Insider (http://www.theoptionsinsider.com)
Mark S. Longo is the founder of The Options Insider.com. An options trader and former member of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, he is also the creator of The Options Observer, a monthly examination of the options industry that appears in Traders Magazine. Over the years, Mr. Longo's analysis of the options market has appeared in a wide variety of domestic and international publications. As one of the few industry commentators with practical options experience, he has developed a substantial following among industry veterans and newcomers looking for insight into this complicated marketplace.
View articles by Mark S. Longo
The Options Industry Council
The Options Industry Council (OIC) was created in 1992 to educate investors and their financial advisors about the benefits and risks of exchange-traded equity options. Today, its sponsors include the American Stock Exchange, the Boston Options Exchange, the Chicago Board Options Exchange, the International Securities Exchange, NYSE Arca, the Philadelphia Stock Exchange and The Options Clearing Corporation. Our experienced options seminar instructors provide valuable insight on the challenges and successes that individual investors encounter when trading options. In addition, options industry professionals have created the content in our software, brochures and Web site. Appropriate compliance and legal staff ensure that all OIC-produced information includes a balance of the benefits and risks of options.
View articles by The Options Industry Council
The Options Institute
The Options Institute provides training on how to manage risk in an increasingly complex marketplace through the use of effective options strategies. It has become a widely used industry resource, conducting seminars worldwide that both answer continuing education requirements and stimulate the effective use of options among diverse segments of the investing community. Courses are designed to teach participants how to meet their investment goals and include topics ranging from the basics of options to uses of advanced strategies.
View articles by The Options Institute
Lawrence D. Cavanagh
Value Line Daily Options Survey (https://www.ec-server.valueline.com/products/elect6.html)
Lawrence D. Cavanagh is Editor (and Senior Analyst) of The Value Line Daily Options Survey. The Value Line Daily Options Survey offers evaluations and rankings on virtually the entire universe of regularly listed equity and ETF options, using the Value Line common stock ranks and proprietary volatility forecasting methodology. Before joining Value Line in 1991, Mr. Cavanagh was an options strategist for Capital Market Technologies (subsidiary of Elders Finance), helping design long-term synthetic foreign currency and gold option hedges. Before that, he was Director of Foreign Currency Options for the Chicago Board Options Exchange. Other work experience includes Dean Witter Reynolds (VP, Senior Currency Analyst), European American Bank (Director of Currency Forecasting) and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (Assistant Economist).
View articles by Lawrence D. Cavanagh
Susquehanna Financial Group
Susquehanna Financial Group is an affiliate of Susquehanna International Group (SIG). SIG has evolved over the past twenty years into a leading financial institution focusing on trading, investment banking, private equity, venture capital, institutional sales and research. SIG makes markets in more than 6,000 stocks, is among the nation's largest option market makers, is the leading sector index options trading firm and is one of the largest liquidity providers in ETFs. SIG has more than 12 offices across North America, Europe and Asia.
View articles by Susquehanna Financial Group
Thomas Cathey
Thomas Capital Management, LLC (http://www.ThomasCapitalManagement.com)
Thomas Cathey is a 27-year trading veteran and the CEO of Thomas Capital Management, LLC. Mr. Cathey heads the CTA managed futures division and also advises brokers. He directs three managed programs that include; writing diversified commodity options, writing S&P 500 options and day trading the e-mini futures contract.When time permits, he also mentors his fellow traders as a trading coach.
View articles by Thomas Cathey
Henry Schwartz
Trade Alert LLC (http://www.trade-alert.com/)
Henry Schwartz has traded derivatives on US and European exchanges for nearly 20 years. His experience includes market-making and institutional trading at the Hull Group, Salomon Brothers, Bear Stearns and most recently Banc of America Securities, where he led the electronic market-making project coincident with the launch of the ISE. His current work involves real-time stream analysis of options market activity for a number of leading institutional sell-side firms.
View articles by Henry Schwartz
Ellen Spiro
Trade Alert LLC (http://www.trade-alert.com)
Ellen Spiro brings nearly 20 years market experience to her position as Vice President of Sales & Marketing of Trade Alert, LLC. Her background includes Fixed Income Derivatives trading at Deutsche Bank and starting up a similar desk at West Deutsche Landesbank as well as securities industry consulting for Coopers & Lybrand. Her current role puts her in direct contact with many of the largest participants in the equity derivatives field.
View articles by Ellen Spiro
Condor Options
Condor Options.com (http://www.condoroptions.com)
Condor Options is a research and trading firm specializing in market neutral options strategies. In addition to the free periodic reports published on their website, Condor Options provides a members-only trading newsletter focused on iron condor options spreads.
View articles by Condor Options
The Options Insider
The Options Insider (http://www.TheOptionsInsider.com)
Compiled by The Options Insider staff.
View articles by The Options Insider
Paul Foster
Paul Foster is a former member of the Chicago Board Options Exchange with 21-years of professional experience in the capital markets, investments, trading, corporate finance, arbitrage, options and mergers & acquisitions. His writing about the options market has appeared in a wide variety of publications.View articles by Paul Foster
Frederic Ruffy
What's Trading.com (http://whatstrading.com)
Frederic Ruffy is a Freelance Writer and Options Trading Strategist. In addition to writing market commentary and trading-related books and articles, Fred has also worked as an instructor, educating investors on advanced topics like measuring volatility, the benefits of sector rotation and the risks and potential profits from trading around earnings. His market observations are mentioned frequently in the financial press and he currently trades stocks, futures, and options in Salt Lake City, Utah.
View articles by Frederic Ruffy
Stan Freifeld
Online Trading Academy (http://www.tradingacademy.com)
Stan Freifeld comes to us from the Floor of the American Stock Exchange where he traded options for his own account from 1994-2001. He was a Market Maker for the options on several popular equities including Dupont, Schering Plough, Walgreen's, CBS, U.S. Surgical and Biovail. Stan, a long time MENSA member, is an engaging teacher with an extraordinary background in options trading and risk management. He is helpful and patient by nature and equally at ease with all levels of traders, from complete novices to advanced pros and academics.
View articles by Stan Freifeld
Brian Overby
Brian has worked in the financial industry since 1992. Prior to joining TradeKing he founded Financial Coaching, Ltd., an investor education company. He also served as an option trading specialist for Charles Schwab, a senior staff instructor for The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and managed the training department for one of the world's largest market makers, Knight Trading Group. Over the span of his career Mr. Overby has performed more than 1000 seminars worldwide on option trading and composed numerous articles for investor trade publications.
View articles by Brian Overby
Craig Weil
Online Trading Academy (http://www.tradingacademy.com)
Craig Weil is a 34 year veteran of the Chicago trading floors and can be heard weekly on Traders Talk Live AM560 WIND Chicago
View articles by Craig Weil
Kevin Cook
Options News Network (http://www.onn.tv)
Kevin Cook was an institutional foreign exchange trader for 9 years before joining The Options News Network to create dynamic options education for self-directed investors and traders. He learned about options trading on the floors of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and soon after began his passionate interest in building a library of instructional content and tools to make options education highly relevant, extremely useful, and endlessly fascinating. As the primary instructor for OptionsPhysics Basic Level, he tries to give beginning options traders the knowledge and tools they need to start on their own path towards options trading skills and success.
View articles by Kevin Cook
One Chicago
OneChicago is an electronic exchange committed to becoming the global leader in futures on individual stocks, narrow-based indexes and ETFs. We are a joint venture of IB Exchange Corporation and the world's premier options and futures exchanges: Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) and CME Group (CME). Current members of CBOE and CME are automatically members of OneChicago and can trade through existing memberships and accounts. No new membership fees or applications are required.
View articles by One Chicago
Edward Ponsi
Online Trading Academy (http://www.tradingacademy.com/optionsinsider/optionsclass_optionsinsider_banner.htm)
Ed Ponsi is a globally recognized name as a lecturer and teacher and is the former Chief Trading Instructor for Forex Capital Markets. An experienced professional trader and money manager, Ed has advised hedge funds, institutional traders, and individuals of all levels of skill and experience. Ed has appeared on CNBC, CNN International and TheStreet.com, and has recently written his first book for Wiley Finance, "Forex Patterns and Probabilities"
View articles by Edward Ponsi
Don Montanaro
Recognized as a pioneer in electronic trading, Don founded TradeKing in 2005. Don founded TradeKing based on his personal philosophy that online traders shouldn't have to pay high prices per trade, but yet should still be able to leverage the same best-in-class tools and support offered by the traditional online brokers. Prior to TradeKing, Don was Founder and President of SureTrade, Inc., an NASD member brokerage firm and a subsidiary of Quick & Reilly. As special consultant to the American Stock Exchange (2002 – 2005), Don also conceived an innovative option product, the Fixed Return Option (FROs), which began trading on the Amex in May of 2008.
View articles by Don Montanaro
Andrew Houghton & Nick Atkeson
Big Money Options (http://www.optionszone.com/learn-more/andrew-houghton-nick-atkeson/gallery/nine-winning-trades.html)
Andrew Houghton and Nick Atkeson work together to identify options trading opportunities on the institutional level. They are the editors of Big Money Options, an options trading service that provides one to two new opportunities each week based on their findings. Mr. Houghton is currently a Partner in a quantitative derivatives hedge fund called Delta Force Capital LLC. Between May 2003 and April 2005 he was a member of Susquehanna Group LLC, a leading derivatives trading firm. Mr. Atkeson is currently a Partner in a quantitative derivatives hedge fund called Delta Force Capital LLC. Prior to Delta Force Capital, Mr. Atkeson held senior institutional sales positions at Montgomery Securities LLC, NationsBanc Securities LLC, Banc of America Securities LLC, Susquehanna International Group and ThinkEquity Partners LLC. In 2003, he joined Susquehanna International Group LLC to build the West Coast institutional sales effort. Susquehanna is one of the premier options trading firms, with one of the largest options market making groups in the world.
View articles by Andrew Houghton & Nick Atkeson
Ken Trester
Ken Trester started trading options when the first exchanges opened in 1973. He also actively trades his own account. Ken has been a computer science professor at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, Calif., where he also taught a popular course on stock options trading. Ken is also widely quoted in publications such as Technical Analysis of Stocks & Commodities and Barron's. He has an MBA and has worked as a stock broker and an investment manager. Ken is the editor of Fast Options Profits and Maximum Options, both of which provide options trading recommendations for beginning to intermediate traders.
View articles by Ken Trester
Bryan Perry
Tactical Trader (http://www.optionszone.com/learn-more/bryan-perry/gallery/6-mistakes-options-traders-make.html)
Bryan Perry has more than two decades' experience inside Wall Street and is the editor of Tactical Trader, an options trading advisory newsletter. He has upward of 20 years' experience working as a financial adviser for major Wall Street firms including Bear Sterns, Paine Webber, and Lehman Brothers. In 1999, he started his own investment management company, Alexander Perry Corporation. Mr. Perry co-hosted a weekly financial news show on the Bloomberg affiliate radio network from 1997-1999 and continues to participate as a guest speaker on numerous investment forums and regional money shows around the nation. He is frequently quoted by Forbes, BusinessWeek and CBS MarketWatch, among other news services.
View articles by Bryan Perry
Josip Causic
Online Trading Academy (http://www.tradingacademy.com)
Josip is an options instructor with the Online Trading Academy.
View articles by Josip Causic
Jud Pyle
Options News Network (http://www.onn.tv)
Jud began as a derivative analyst with SBC Warburg and later joined PEAK6 Investments, L.P. as an equity options trader and chief risk officer. Jud managed the trading and risk management for PEAK6 Investments L.P.'s lead market-maker operation on the former PCX exchange. Jud writes the exclusive premium Options Alerts for TheStreet.com and is a regular contributor for Fox Business News, the Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg as an options expert. Jud is the ONN.tv Chief Market Strategist for Mad About Options, Sidewinder, Options News, Options Cocktail and Options Physics.
View articles by Jud Pyle
Sam Seiden
Online Trading Academy (http://www.tradingacademy.com/optionsinsider/optionsclass_optionsinsider_banner.htm)
Sam brings over 15 years experience of equities, forex, options and futures trading which began when he was on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange where he facilitated institutional orderflow.. He has traded equities, futures, interest rate markets, forex, options, and commodities for his personal interests for years and has educated hundreds of traders and investors through seminars and daily advisory services both domestically and internationally. Sam has been involved in the markets since 1991 both on and off the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. He has served as the Director of Technical Research for two trading firms and regularly contributes articles to industry publications. Sam is known for his trading, technical research, and educational guidance.
View articles by Sam Seiden
Michael Shulman
ChangeWave Shorts (http://www.optionszone.com/learn-more/michael-shulman/gallery/10-reasons-to-use-etfs.html)
Michael Shulman is the Editor of ChangeWave Shorts, a newsletter advisory service that helps individual investors make money on the short side of the stock market. He also served as Managing Director of Research for ChangeWave Research for four years where he produced technology and healthcare research for financial institutions.
View articles by Michael Shulman
Gabe Velazques
Online Trading Academy (http://www.tradingacademy.com/optionsinsider/optionsclass_optionsinsider_banner.htm)
Gabe got his start in the markets as a broker trainee for Paine Webber, a mere 3 months before the market crash of 1987. That experience brought to light the importance risk management plays in trading and investing. In fact, it's greatly influenced the way he trades today. He spent 15 years as a stock and commodities broker, conducting technical analysis seminars through-out Southern California. After many years of managing other people's money, Gabe now concentrates full time on trading his own portfolio and teaching. He currently holds a series 7, 63, 9 and 10 (securities and options principals license.)
View articles by Gabe Velazques
Chris Johnson
Johnson Research Group LLC (http://www.optionszone.com/trading-ideas/gallery/12-keys-to-trading-earnings.html)
Before starting Johnson Research Group LLC (JRG), Chris Johnson worked in the financial services industry as a broker for 11 years and eight years as Director of Quantitative Analysis and Market Strategist with a well-known newsletter publisher. Chris is a frequent commentator on financial markets and is regularly seen in national print media, such as Barron's, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Bloomberg, USA Today, and the A.P. Newswire.
View articles by Chris Johnson
Steve Meizinger
International Securities Exchange (http://ise.com)
Steve Meizinger, Director of Education at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), is a leading expert in Forex, equity, and index options trading. As a top rated instructor for ISE and the Options Industry Council, Steve has led thousands of seminars, helping investors navigate the market and identify the most appropriate trading strategies. Steve has over twenty years experience as an Options Specialist at several leading exchanges, including the NYSE, PHLX and AMEX.
View articles by Steve Meizinger
Jon Lewis
The Winning Edge (http://www.optionszone.com/order/?sid=EA2403)
Jon Lewis spent nine years as the managing editor of the nation's leading options newsletters. In addition, he has served as senior editor for various education products and services, primarily dealing with stock and option trading. Before founding JRG with Chris Johnson, Jon was the executive director of a leading options and financial research Web site. Jon has authored numerous articles for Bloomberg Personal Finance, Active Trader, CNBC.com, On Investing, Trader's Journal, Technically Speaking, and Stocks, Futures & Options. His expertise centers on option education and applying sentiment research to the analysis of stocks and sectors.
View articles by Jon Lewis
Joseph Cusick
Joseph Cusick currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Education and a Senior Market Analyst for optionsXpress. Mr. Cusick seeks out common sense and technologically scalable educational pathways for self-directed investors of all experience levels. He is largely responsible for ramping up delivery of online and offline seminars to customers and potential clients worldwide. Prior to serving in his current role, Mr. Cusick immersed himself in the broker side of optionsXpress by managing his own book of business. Prior to joining optionsXpress, Mr. Cusick served as a market maker and portfolio manager at the Chicago Board of Options Exchange. Joseph is a graduate of Marquette University and holds his Series 4, 7 and 63 registrations with FINRA.
View articles by Joseph Cusick
Mike Zarembski
Born in the grain pits of the Mid-America Commodity Exchange (MidAm) in the early 1990s, Mike's futures career soon shifted to the offices of TD Waterhouse in 1999, followed by Xpresstrade in 2002 and eventually optionsXpress in 2007.
View articles by Mike Zarembski
Tom Busby
DTI TRADER (http://www.dtitrader.com)
Tom Busby is a pioneer in the trading industry as a world-recognized educator who emerged as one of the industry’s first trading professionals to TRADE LIVE in front of a crowd of his clients and peers at various venues around the country. He has served as an educator in weekly online webinars for the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, where he has been a member since 2002. Busby takes a complex subject, the global markets, and puts it into an easy-to-understand language for all levels of traders and investors. As the CEO of DTI, a virtual trader’s paradise of information and education, he spends his days teaching his students and trading his own private account in futures, options and equities. SFO Magazine has called Busby’s school DTI "One of the Top 10 Trading Schools in the Country". Busby’s lifelong career in the markets started as a money manager with some of the world’s largest wire houses. He then moved into the private sector and started training others about the global markets. With guest speaking spots on Bloomberg and CNBC, he is also the author of three books, "Winning the Day Trading Game" , "The Markets Never Sleep" and "Trade to Win". Busby hosts a daily online live trading room where traders from all over the globe join him as he covers the daily action in markets like the Emini, the Dow and Dax futures, as well as his personal stock and options picks.
View articles by Tom Busby
Steve Misic
Online Trading Academy (http://www.theoptionsinsider.com/redirect.asp?id=945)
Steve Misic has been trading for more than 15 years. His experience is broad based, actively trading equities, futures, forex, and options. Mr. Misic is licensed as a series 3 commodities broker, series 7 securities broker, and holds his NASDAQ series 63 license. He was the assistant head trader for the R&J Financial Hedge Fund. Mr. Misic also spent time at the Chicago Board of Trade where he was employed as a currency strategist for FX Chicago. Active Trader Magazine interviewed Mr. Misic in the October 2007 issue, "Face of Trading". He is known for his ability to take the complexities of markets and deliver them to students in simple and applicable terms.
View articles by Steve Misic
Scott Larison
Compass Point Research & Trading LLC (http://www.compasspointllc.com)
Scott Larison is on the options trading desk at Compass Point Research & Trading LLC. Compass Point Research & Trading, LLC, Member FINRA & SIPC is a financial advisory firm comprised of specialized professionals in the areas of research, sales, trading and investment banking.
View articles by Scott Larison
Dan Passarelli
Market Taker Mentoring LLC (http://www.markettaker.com)
Dan Passarelli, is the author of the book Trading Option Greeks and the president of Market Taker Mentoring LLC. Market Taker Mentoring provides personalized one-on-one mentoring for option traders. Dan started his trading career on the floor of the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) as an equity options market maker. He also traded agricultural options and futures on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). In 2005, Dan joined CBOE’s Options Institute and began teaching both basic and advanced trading concepts to retail traders, brokers, institutional traders, financial planners and advisors, money managers, employees of the SEC and Federal Reserve bank, and market makers. In addition to his work with the CBOE, he taught options strategies at the Options Industry Council (OIC). Dan has been featured on television and radio and has written numerous articles in the financial press. Dan can be reached at dan@markettaker.com. He can be followed on Twitter.
View articles by Dan Passarelli
Andrew Wilkinson
Interactive Brokers (http://www.interactivebrokers.com/)
Andrew Wilkinson is the senior market analyst at Interactive Brokers Group, where he provides daily commentary and analysis on U.S. equity options trading throughout the trading day. Andrew provides webinars designed to explain option-related trading scenarios covering futures, fixed income, forex and equities.
View articles by Andrew Wilkinson
Sam Evans
Online Trading Academy (http://www.tradingacademy.com/optionsinsider/optionsclass_optionsinsider_banner.htm)Sam Evans is a Forex, E-mini, and Power Trading Workshop Instructor for Online Trading Academy UK.View articles by Sam Evans
Sungard Brokerage & Clearance Solutions
SunGard is a global leader in software and processing solutions for financial services. SunGard is dedicated to the efficient processing of global securities and derivatives. SunGard Brokerage & Clearance solutions support the middle- and back-office functions for trade processing, clearance and settlement, data management, tax reporting, and accounting, helping broker dealers, banks, futures commission merchants, asset managers and hedge funds streamline operations, control risk and manage cost. SunGard provides centralized transactional databases, supports cross-asset business functions and offers consolidated views of accounts and risk management to help customers more efficiently and effectively manage risk and support decision making across the enterprise.
SunGard Brokerage & Clearance solutions support listed derivative transactions on 90 exchanges worldwide.
View articles by Sungard Brokerage & Clearance Solutions
BT Radianz
BT Radianz Risk and Compliance Management Professional Services (http://www.globalservices.bt.com/HubAction.do?col1Id=4294964569,4294964562&col2Id=&col3Id=&searchterm=&N=4294967294&sortPageName=&StartsWith=&T=&prevCols=1)
BT has long been a specialist in operational risk management, systems integration and compliance regulations. We have won numerous industry awards, including twice being named Best Compliance Company in the Telecoms Sector at the Compliance Register Awards (2005 and 2006). Our impressive service pedigree is also matched by our extensive global presence. We have forged alliances and created networks covering over 170 countries across 5 continents. As a result, we are able to meet the varying needs and regulations that dispersed geographies can often present.
View articles by BT Radianz
CBOE
Chicago Board Options Exchange (http://www.cboe.com)
The Chicago Board Options Exchange is the largest u.s. options exchange and the creator of listed options. CBOE offers equity, index and ETF options, including proprietary products such as S&P 500 options (SPX), the most active U.S. index option, and options on the CBOE volatility index (VIX). Other products created by CBOE include equity options, security index options, LEAPS, FLeX options and benchmark products, such as the CBOE Buywrite Index (BXM).
View articles by CBOE
Ophir Gottlieb
LiveVol (http://livevol.blogspot.com/)
Ophir has worked as an equity option market maker and prop trader on the NYSE ARCA exchange floor since Feb. 2008. Prior to working on the exchange floor, he worked as a structurer on the Countrywide trading desk and before that as the Director of Client Services and Research for the quant modeling firm Audit Integrity. He has a Masters degree in Financial Mathematics from Stanford University. He also has an MBA in finance and an undergraduate degree in quantitative economics with an area of focus in mathematics.
View articles by Ophir Gottlieb
ISE
International Securities Exchange (http://www.ise.com)
The International Securities Exchange (ISE) operates the US’s leading options exchange and offers options trading on over 2,000 underlying equity, ETF, index, and FX products. As the first all-electronic options exchange in the U.S., ISE transformed the options industry by creating efficient markets through innovative market structure and technology. Regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and a member-owner of The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), ISE provides investors with a transparent marketplace for price and liquidity discovery on centrally cleared options products. ISE continues to expand its marketplace through the ongoing development of enhanced trading functionality, new products, and market data services. As a complement to its options business, ISE has expanded its reach into multiple asset classes through strategic investments in financial marketplaces that foster technology innovation and market efficiency. Through minority investments, ISE participates in the securities lending and equities markets.
View articles by ISE
