TRADING BLOCK: Asian summit, economic stimulus, retail sales, gold & silver finally taking the turn, Euro down 1%, Ireland is not Greece, gold volatility skew. ODD BLOCK: NOK, MTG, CTXS, MSFT. STRATEGY BLOCK – How do div plays work? XPRESS/SPREAD BLOCK: Unsung commodities, china crushes cotton, copper. AROUND THE BLOCK: pricing out thanksgiving, gm IPO, ppi on tuesday, cpi on weds.
Live From FIA Chicago – Mark is joined by Dax Rodriguez, the new President of Livevol Inc. Mark and Dax discuss the many changes that have occurred at Livevol since the firm's last appearance on the program. Dax also hints at the upcoming Livevol X platform, which may, or may not, finally add the execution element that so many users want.
The gang debates the silver rally and plunging mortgage rates in the Trading Block. In the Interview Block, the panel is joined by special guest Tadas Viskanta from Abnormal Returns. CSCO dominates the Odd Block, except for a brief segue into size AMGN call spreads. John Grigus outlines some extremely interesting customer activity in the Xpress/Spread Block. * Finally, the gang debates the impact of retail sales reports going into Black Friday, as well as the amazing market power of Gamestop.
Live from FIA Chicago – Mark is joined by Biju Kulathakal and Steve Hoffman from Trading Block, the latest entrant to the options brokerage wars. What does Trading Block bring to the table? Can the retail market handle yet another options brokerage firm? Is Trading Block's focus on basic retail a smart strategy? Tune in to find out…
Live from the Futures Industry Expo in Chicago, Mark is joined by Eric Cott, Director of Financial Advisor Education and Phil Gocke, MD of Institutions for the Options Industry Council. Mark, Phil and Eric discuss a recent OIC survey that shows asset managers are embracing options at a fever pace. They also discuss the latest info from the OIC's groundbreaking collar study. Finally, Mark and Eric discuss the OIC's extensive efforts to bring financial advisors, aka the holy grail of the options market, into the options fold.
In this episode, the gang debates whether the VIX is oversold or fairly valued in the Trading Block. PFE, SLW, PCLN and LVS dominate The Odd Block. Mark Sebastian breaks down the vagaries of a VXX split in The Strategy Block. Finally, the gang debates whether IBM has lost its mojo in Around The Block.
This episode was recorded live at the Futures Industry Expo in Chicago. In the Trading Block, the panel discusses the impact of the election and the pullbacks in gold and silver. In the Odd Block, they break down unusual Activity in LM, EOG and GDXJ. In the Xpress/Spread Block, Tim runs through common customer inquiries at OX. In the Strategy Block, Mark and Mike review the latest OIC collar study and discuss the proper way to construct a collar. Finally, in Around The Block, the panel discusses the impact of QE2 and speculates on possible Apple acquisitions of Sony and Nintendo.
It's all about the election this week in the Trading Block and Around The Block as the panel discusses the impact of tomorrow's vote. In the Odd Block, Mark & Mark run through the quick hits of unusual activity, although don't hold out hope for any steak sauce. In the Xpress/Spread Block, Rob lays out some interesting names that are drawing the attention of OX's customers. Finally, Mike Tosaw discusses the pros and cons of stock pairs in The Strategy Block.
Trading Block: VIX term structure, the election and coal. Odd Block: F, M. Xpress/Spread Block: The panel embarks on a heated discussion of C2 and the potential for an electronic SPX contract. Around The Block: The election dominates everything next week. The panel also discusses 3M and asks the question – what the heck happened to Sony?
Trading Block: Ford is on the docket this week as is the explosion in new home sales. Odd Block: AMD, CHKP, FMCN, POT. Xpress/Spread Block: Tim breaks down the growing customer interest in cotton options as well as Baidu. Strategy Block: It's time to learn money management from Uncle Mike. Around The Block: MSFT dominates the crystal ball this week.
While Mark continues to dial in from poolside in Florida, The Option Block team is joined by special guest panelist Bill Luby from VIX and More. The panel discusses the vagaries of the VIX and debates the value of the VIX as a hedging tool. The panel also discusses unusual options activity in SKS, RSH, MOT and HRB. In the Xpress Block, John breaks down the growing customer interest in currency options, particularly World Currency Options. Finally, the panel looks ahead to next week's earnings and debates the impact of the penny pilot on retail options traders.
In The Trading Block, our panel discusses the growing battle between tech titans Apple, Microsoft and Google, as well as the current outlook for IBM. In The Odd Block, they explore unusual options activity in WHR, LNC, GE, AAPL and IBM. In The Xpress Block, OptionsXpress explores recent customer activity in GOOG, including a surge of selling activity in the 540 straddle. In the Strategy Block, Mike Tosaw explores the benefits of using a 1×2 ratio put spread to leg into an equity position. Finally, our panelists break down the coming wave of earnings in Around The Block.