Option Block 165: I Make Liquidity

Trading Block: Another day, another mild selloff. VIX getting the weekend/holiday back, plus a little more. Oil/Commodity rundown – the hot, dry weather has had a big impact of the ags, especially corn. Activision on the block. Odd Block: An unusual activity review for Materials Select Sector SPDR (XLB), Research in Motion, Ltd. (RIMM), and Horizon Pharma, Inc. HZNP (HZNP).Xpress Block: John Grigus gets the floor over at the OX desk and discuss the recent grain market and what to remember if you want to start trading ag futures and options.Mail Block: How do you explain what you do?Around the Block: Earnings season is back! Google on July 12, Citi on the 16th. Apple running pre pre-earnings. Keeping an eye on Activision and EA.

read more

Option Block 164: Independence Day Slowdown

Trading Block: Apple lurking near $600 again before earnings. RIMM in the toilet and ended up blowing past weekly ATM straddle after all. Ford also taking a beating. June numbers are out and options volume down 13% overall from last year. Avg. daily volume down 8.47%, equity option volume down 13%, and overall equity options ADV down 9%. OCC announced that cleared contract volume reached 329,891,797 in June, dividend trades made up 3.8% of industry volume in June 2012, almost 15% of PHLX's options volume came from dividend trades, about 7% for NYSE ARCA. New exchanges in the mix – NASDAQ launched OMX BX options. ISE files for second exchange license. Floor traders suing CME.Odd Block: Interesting and unusual activity in Material Select Spider (XLB) and McMoran Exploration Co. (MMR).Xpress Block: John Grigus holds down the OX seat and talks about this slow week. Watching the move in crude oil. Tomorrow starts the website release training courses. A walking limit and other new features to the site coming out soon. Around the Block: A slow holiday week. Be careful on the short gamma in the next four days. Chinese internet stock is very cheap. Non-farm payroll on the horizon

read more

Option Block 163: Supreme Court Takes the Vol Out

Trading Block: Supreme Court decision roils the market. Are we taking the weekend out of the VIX already? 30 year mort. at 3.66%. JP Morgan hedge loss expected to be $5B, perhaps up to $9B. RIMM, Nike, and Family Dollar reporting numbers after the bell. Odd Block: Interesting and unusual activity in Universal Health Services (UHS) and O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (ORLY).Xpress Block: Sean Fitzgerald discusses some of the activity at OX today that wasn't about healthcare. The Google IO, announces a iPad-like product, the Nexus 7. Strategy Block: Andrew discusses short term theta plays, like iron flies in Apple.Around the Block: Mid-week holiday playing into weekend decay? Keeping an eye on crude oil. Personal spending and Michigan sentiment on the horizon.

read more

Option Block 162: Risk Reversal Hour

Trading Block: Midday selloff continues following post-weekend/selloff vol pop. EU summit concerns with Spain requesting EU aid for their banks, and Cyprus requesting an EU bailout. Last week most active ever for VIX futures. New home sales hit a two-year high last month – 369,000 new homes vs, 346,000 expected. Oil continues to fall, right into the teeth of summer driving season. Everyone waiting on Supreme Court healthcare vote. Odd Block: Unusual and interesting activity in Men's Warehouse (MW) and Motorola Solutions (MSI). Xpress Block: John Grigus sits down and discusses the news that Amex will be bringing back their binary options. Higher corn and grain prices due to a lack of rain in the midwest. Listener Mail: Email from George KAround the Block: Keeping an eye on the Supreme Court healthcare vote and the EU meeting later this week.

read more

Option Block 161: Now With 75% More Ranting

Trading Block: A bit of a blood bath today after Goldman recommended shorting the S&P. A lack of VIX movement compared to a big 30-handle selloff. Moody's to downgrade up to 15 banks after the close just piled on the bad news for today.Odd Block: Interesting and unusual activity in Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(IDIX).Xpress Block: Returning panelist Alex Jacobson takes the OX hot seat and discusses the "non-reaction" to today's down market. Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses contract selection and how it important it is have the correct contracts. Around the Block: Maybe the weekend effect will play with the VIX and we may see the beginning of a rally. Short the VIX, long SPX. Keeping an eye on the Ford Dec 11's and bond yields.

read more

Option Block 160: Blue Horeshoe Loves Option Block

Trading Block: Greek pro-bailout ruling was not exactly the boon the markets expected. Spanish load concerns still weighing on the market. Almost like a post-earnings throughout the market with vol coming in across the board. NAHB housing index of homebuilder sentiment highest in five years, but still below 50. The Supreme Court may rule whether Congress has the power to require people to buy health insurance. According to the bets, there’s a 68 percent probability that the law’s individual mandate will be ruled unconstitutional in 2012. Facebook reversed the trend of past week and finally closed upsize. Microsoft's secret Window 8 tablet – the new iPad killer? Odd Block: Interesting and unusual activity in Harman International Industries (HAR), Molina Healthcare Inc. (MOH), and W.R Grace (GRA).Listener Question: The dying breed of floor traders.Around the Block: With Greece in the rear view window, and Facebook rallying, we're watching S&P and gold. The VIX may be headed to 17 or lower.

read more

Option Block 160: Blue Horeshoe Loves Option Block

Trading Block: Greek pro-bailout ruling was not exactly the boon the markets expected. Spanish load concerns still weighing on the market. Almost like a post-earnings throughout the market with vol coming in across the board. NAHB housing index of homebuilder sentiment highest in five years, but still below 50. The Supreme Court may rule whether Congress has the power to require people to buy health insurance. According to the bets, there’s a 68 percent probability that the law’s individual mandate will be ruled unconstitutional in 2012. Facebook reversed the trend of past week and finally closed upsize. Microsoft's secret Window 8 tablet – the new iPad killer? Odd Block: Interesting and unusual activity in Harman International Industries (HAR), Molina Healthcare Inc. (MOH), and W.R Grace (GRA).Listener Question: The dying breed of floor traders.Around the Block: With Greece in the rear view window, and Facebook rallying, we're watching S&P and gold. The VIX may be headed to 17 or lower.

read more

Option Block 159: The 1-3.5-6 Ratio Condor Swap

Trading Block: News is out that the central banks are trying to make a coordinated effort to help out Greece after the elections. Commodity rundown – open quota unchanged. Fallout for Apple after WWDC. Nokia down 15% on news of slashing 10,000 more jobs – down 50% since April. Is this the beginning of the end for Nokia? Will Microsoft buy them? Is this another Motorola? Odd Block: Interesting and unusual activity in Tenet Healthcare Corp. (THC) and Safeway, Inc. (SWY). Xpress Block: John Grigus is back at sits down in the OX hot seat to discuss a Nasdaq/OMX memo about starting a Facebook member accommodation program. Tomorrow is expiration. Around the Block: Remember, this is expiration week! We'll have to see what happens to Nokia. Greece, Spain, Greece, etc.

read more

Option Block 159: The 1-3.5-6 Ratio Condor Swap

Trading Block: News is out that the central banks are trying to make a coordinated effort to help out Greece after the elections. Commodity rundown – open quota unchanged. Fallout for Apple after WWDC. Nokia down 15% on news of slashing 10,000 more jobs – down 50% since April. Is this the beginning of the end for Nokia? Will Microsoft buy them? Is this another Motorola? Odd Block: Interesting and unusual activity in Tenet Healthcare Corp. (THC) and Safeway, Inc. (SWY). Xpress Block: John Grigus is back at sits down in the OX hot seat to discuss a Nasdaq/OMX memo about starting a Facebook member accommodation program. Tomorrow is expiration. Around the Block: Remember, this is expiration week! We'll have to see what happens to Nokia. Greece, Spain, Greece, etc.

read more

Option Block 158: Mini Widowmaker

Trading Block: VIX provided most of the movement in the market. Spain concerns weigh on the market again. Analyst says JP Morgan could make an upside surprise as they disclose more about the $2 billion "hedge." Apple's WWDC doesn't budge the stock – announces new MacBooks, iOS 6, better voice, no new iPhone, and switching away from Google maps – a potential big hit for Google. Commodity/vol rundown. Odd Block: Interesting and unusual activity in Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (GMCR), Pitney Bowes, Inc. (PBI), and Focus Media Holding, Ltd. (FMCN). Xpress Block: Tim Navabi is back in the OX hot seat and goes over what was active over at optionsXpress. Apple, SPY, and more, a grain report coming out tomorrow. Helping a few customers with spreads. Mail Block: Taking on Listener QuestionsAround the Block: June 13: PPI & Retail Sales June 14: CPI & Jobless Claims June 15: Industrial Production, Consumer Sentiment & Triple Witching Expiration

read more

Option Block 158: Mini Widowmaker

Trading Block: VIX provided most of the movement in the market. Spain concerns weigh on the market again. Analyst says JP Morgan could make an upside surprise as they disclose more about the $2 billion "hedge." Apple's WWDC doesn't budge the stock – announces new MacBooks, iOS 6, better voice, no new iPhone, and switching away from Google maps – a potential big hit for Google. Commodity/vol rundown. Odd Block: Interesting and unusual activity in Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (GMCR), Pitney Bowes, Inc. (PBI), and Focus Media Holding, Ltd. (FMCN). Xpress Block: Tim Navabi is back in the OX hot seat and goes over what was active over at optionsXpress. Apple, SPY, and more, a grain report coming out tomorrow. Helping a few customers with spreads. Mail Block: Taking on Listener QuestionsAround the Block: June 13: PPI & Retail Sales June 14: CPI & Jobless Claims June 15: Industrial Production, Consumer Sentiment & Triple Witching Expiration

read more

Option Block 157: We Are in a Holding Pattern Until We Are Not

Trading Block: For the second show in a row, the S&P is literally closed unchanged at 0.0%, what are the odds? The Fed pretty much stymied most activity. Have to love the Feds – says end of tax cuts is the most important fiscal event on the horizon, yet refuses to comment on whether tax cuts should stay or go. China cut their benchmark lending rate for the first time in about 4 years. VIX drifting toward the lower end of its recent range. Commodity/Metals update. Odd Block: Interesting and unusual activity in Lululemon Athletica, Inc. (LULU), Market Vectors Gold Miners Index ETF (GDX), and SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB)Xpress Block: Sean Fitzgerald returns to the Xpress Block for the second time and discusses Facebook and its seemingly recent divorce from the public's love and attention. In other news, Starbucks will start producing for the "K-Cup" Green Mountain single cup coffee brewing system.Listener Mail: Taking on listener questions.Around the Block: Keeping an eye on Greece and The Fed.

read more