The Options Insider Radio Network

In this episode of Volatility Views, hosts Mark Longo, Russell Rhoads, and Mark Sebastian discuss the unusual market behavior of a Friday sell-off after a week of bullish momentum. They analyze the reasons behind the market's sudden shift to the red, including a surprising reaction to recent Fed commentary and pre-holiday weekend risk management. The show delves into the VIX and VIX futures curve, highlighting unusual calendar spreads and a large-volume trade in out-of-the-money October calls. The hosts also review volatility ETPs like SVIX, UVIX, and UVXY, noting the "air pocket" between futures and cash that benefits inverse volatility products. The show concludes with their "Crystal Ball" predictions for the following week's VIX level. Timestamps 2:02: The Volatility Review 2:15: Market sell-off and VIX pop 3:50: Mark Sebastian's market commentary 7:46: Russell Rhoads market commentary 11:59: VIX futures curve analysis 13:58: Russell Rhoads analysis of the back end of the curve 16:30:

On this midday Friday, August 29th edition of the Hot Options Report, the hosts cover a day of market sell-offs across the major indices. The VIX is up, reflecting increased volatility, with significant activity in its October 31 calls. The show breaks down the top tickers seeing explosive options action, with a notable theme being the aggressive buying of out-of-the-money calls in major tech names like TSLA and NVDA, despite the overall market downtrend. The top 10 single-name stocks are dominated by companies with recent earnings reports, including Marvell (MRVL) and Baba (BABA). The episode wraps up by noting the need for a significant market reversal in the second half of the day for many of these bullish bets to pay off. Time Stamp 2:30: VIX  3:46: SPY  4:57: SPX  6:05: IWM  7:12: Q's (QQQ)  8:20: Top 10 Single Names 8:55: Marvell (MRVL) - #10  10:00: Weebull (BULL) - #9  11:27: MicroStrategy (MSTR) - #8  12:52: Palantir (PLTR) - #7  14:14: AMD - #6  15:15: Apple (AAPL) - #5  1

This episode of "This Week in Futures Options" (TWIFO) focuses on the week's top movers in the futures options market. Mark Longo breaks down the Movers and Shakers report, highlighting a week with a slight bias toward green, but with the largest percentage moves on the dark side. The show also takes a deep dive into the volatility of various markets and discusses the trading activity in natural gas, nicknamed "the widowmaker." The episode concludes with a discussion about the future of crypto derivatives and the debate between cash-settled and physically settled contracts. Time Stamps 4:16 Movers & Shakers this Week 10:37 Volatility Report (CVOL) 14:38 Featured Segment: Nat Gas - "The Widowmaker" 22:38 Listener Question: Is Physical Settlement Dead

A respectable, but not explosive day in the options market, with volumes generally a bit below their average daily volume (ADV). The market is still in the "dog days of summer," which can often lead to lighter trading. Today's action was influenced by NVIDIA's earnings report, a known market-moving event. Time Stamps 0:00 - Welcome and Introduction 1:46 - VIX 2:50 - SPY 3:32 - SPX 4:22 - Small Caps (IWM) 5:08 - The Qs (QQQ) 6:07 - Single Names 6:50 - #10 - Amazon (AMZN) 7:57 - #9 - Alphabet (GOOGL) 8:48 - #8 - Barrick Gold (B) 10:33 - #7 - Snowflake (SNOW) 11:51 - #6 - AMD 12:50 - #5 - SoFi (OPEN) 13:58 - #4 - Palantir (PLTR) 14:49 - #3 - Apple (AAPL) 15:43 - #2 - Tesla (TSLA) 16:51 - #1 - NVIDIA (NVDA) 18:18 - Conclusion -------------------------------------------------------------------- All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Open to the Public Investing Inc, member

On this episode of The Option Block, Mark Longo is joined by Uncle Mike Tosaw from St. Charles Wealth Management and Henry "The Flowmaster" Schwartz from Cboe. They discuss the unexpected and muted reaction to Nvidia's earnings, the current state of the market, and the ideal trading conditions for investors. The panel also breaks down unusual options activity in a few unique single names and dives into a lively Mail Block discussion about the VIX and crypto derivatives. Time Stamps (04:54) - The Trading Block The panel discusses the surprising lack of volatility following Nvidia's earnings, despite high expectations and a large straddle pricing. The S&P 500 is up over 10% year-to-date, but the market feels subdued with low volatility and a steady, upward "trudge". Uncle Mike notes this is his "ideal market": boring and making new all-time highs. Technology and energy are the only sectors showing significant movement, with many others "taking the day off." The VIX is "hunching" at 14.25, w

On this episode, Mark is joined by  Abhishek Fatehpuria, VP of Product Management - Robinhood They discuss Robinhood's new offerings for active options traders and explore whether the firm is ready to take on high-end options clients?

Welcome to The Futures Rundown, the show where we break down all the action in the futures markets. In this episode, we're giving you a special early edition to catch up on all the week's biggest moves. We’ll analyze the top movers to the upside and downside, reveal the most actively traded contracts, and dive deep into a crypto futures product that surprised even our hosts. Timestamps 2:05 The Trading Pit: A rundown of this week's top movers. 2:26 Winners of the week 3:27 Losers of the week 4:28 Most Active Contracts 7:22 Year-to-Date trends: The biggest losers of the year 8:20 Year-to-Date trends: The biggest winners of the year 10:18 Answering a listener question about XRP futures.

In this episode, our hosts Mark Longo and Dan Passarelli dive into listener questions and hot topics shaping the options market. They break down a recent VIX trade, discuss the fascinating and volatile world of a popular new options stock, and answer a question about the increasing prevalence of exotic "event markets" on brokerage platforms. Timestamps 4:21 Mailbag: A review of a recent VIX flash poll.  5:34 The final outcome of the VIX 25 calls. 7:18 OPEN stock volatility and listener trades. 9:53 Results of a flash poll on trading OPEN. 11:00 The question of the week: Are you comfortable buying and holding the SPX right now? 13:41 Market Taker Question of the Week: How special cash dividends can lead to strike price adjustments, using an example from Pilgrim's Pride. 16:47 Listener question on the possibility of exotic options on major brokerage platforms. 21:48 Listener question about the rise of "event markets" (football binaries) on brokerage platforms.

Brian Overby is back with a great NVDA options play.

Welcome to the Hot Options Report for Wednesday, August 27th. In this special midday report, we dive into the day's most active options, analyzing the top tickers and notable trends. The broad market is in a modest rally, but volatility and specific stocks are showing interesting activity. Today's show covers the highlights in VIX, SPY, SPX, and the top 10 most active stocks, including the highly anticipated action in Nvidia ahead of its earnings report. Timestamps 1:17 VIX Market Activity 2:07 SPY Market Activity 2:54 SPX Market Activity 3:35 Small Caps Market Activity 4:15 QQQ Market Activity 5:10 Top 10 Options Overview 5:50 SoFi (#10) 6:45 Robinhood (#9) 7:42 Intel (#8) 8:20 AMD (#7) 9:03 Apple (#6) 10:04 Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) (#5) 11:06 Open (#4) 11:58 Palantir (#3) 12:51 Tesla (#2) 13:38 Nvidia (#1) ------------------------------------------------------------ All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are of

Host: Mark Longo from The Options Insider Radio Network Guest: Shawn Creighton from FTSE Russell In this episode of The Crypto Rundown, Mark Longo welcomes Shawn Creighton from FTSE Russell to the Crypto Hot Seat. They discuss FTSE Russell's recent crypto derivatives launches, including bite-sized Bitcoin and Ethereum futures with Cboe and Eurex. The conversation explores the pros and cons of cash-settled versus physically-delivered products and the growing institutional interest in crypto. Mark then dive into a market rundown, analyzing Bitcoin's slight dip and the explosive rally in Ethereum, which is now a top performer for the year. The episode concludes with a look at other altcoins, including Solana, and a discussion on a potential crypto "yield curve." Time Stamps 3:52 - The Crypto Hot Seat with Shawn Creighton from FTSE Russell 26:59 - The Bitcoin Breakdown (including IBIT and MARA) 35:36 - The Altcoin Universe (including Ethereum, Solana, XRP, Litecoin, and others) 44:26 - Crypto Questions (disc

Host: Mark Longo - The Options Insider Cohosts: Uncle Mike Tosaw - St. Charles Wealth Management and Andrew "The Rock Lobster" Giovinazzi - The Option Pit On today's episode, during The Trading Block segment, we analyze a trading day marked by low volatility and a pause in major indexes after a "drunken rally" last Friday. We discuss the top options activity in VIX, SPY, and other major indexes, and break down the top 10 most active single-name stocks, including surprising movements in Tesla, Open, and Nvidia. We also look at earnings volatility for the week. The Odd Block segment features unusual options activity in Bentley Systems (BSY) and Transocean (RIG). Finally, in The Strategy Block, Uncle Mike explains a unique collar strategy. We end by sharing what we are watching for the week ahead, including key earnings reports from Nvidia, Dollar General, and more in The Around the Block segment. Time Stamps 5:59: The Trading Block 33:57: The Odd Block - Bentley Systems (BSY) & Transocean (RIG) 43:55: The

In this episode of The Hot Options Report, host Mark Longo breaks down the most active options contracts for Monday, August 25, 2025. He notes that volume was generally light across the board, as many traders are waiting for Nvidia's earnings later in the week. The report covers the top index and single-name tickers, highlighting the most traded options and their average prices. Time Stamps Index Products 3:51 - VIX 4:46 - SPY 6:14 - SPX 7:22 - IWM (Small Caps) 8:44 - QQQ (NASDAQ) Single-Name Most Actives (Top 10) 10:43 - AMD (#10) 11:42 - Alphabet (GOOGL, #9) 13:00 - NIO (#8) 14:14 - Apple (AAPL, #7) 15:38 - Intel (INTC, #6) 17:15 - SoFi (SOFI, #5) 18:24 - Palantir (PLTR, #4) 20:20 - Nvidia (NVDA, #3) 21:49 - Open (OPEN, #2) 23:05 - Tesla (TSLA, #1) ----------------------------------------------- All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Open to the Public Investing Inc, mem

This is a special birthday holiday edition of Volatility Views, providing a rundown of the VIX options market from the past week. The episode breaks down the most active VIX options, open for size positions, and day-by-day highlights of trading activity. Time Stamps 0:00 Welcome to Volatility Views 2:16 Top 10 VIX Open for Size 5:14 Thursday's VIX Activity 6:58 Wednesday's VIX Activity 8:00 Tuesday's VIX Activity 9:05 Monday's VIX Activity 10:07 Conclusion

In this episode of "This Week in Futures Options" (TWIFO), host Mark Longo and guest Kevin Green from Schwab Network break down the week's trading action in the futures options market. They cover the top movers, analyze volatility across different sectors, and dive deep into agricultural products. The main discussion focuses on the soybean complex, including soybeans, soybean oil, and soybean meal, as well as the live and feeder cattle markets. The hosts examine recent market-moving events and options trading activity, highlighting notable trends and specific trades. The episode concludes with a look at the energy sector and a final wrap-up. Time Stamps 0:00 Welcome  3:55 Movers and Shakers Report 6:35 Volatility Breakdown 11:45 The World of Ags 20:30 Cattle Analysis 28:09 Energy Discussion 35:25 Wrap-up 

The panel discusses the current state of the market, including a week of "red" for the major indices and a corresponding increase in volatility. The episode features a deep dive into unusual options activity, including a mysterious buyer in Unity Software and a vertical call spread in Select Quote. A conspiracy theory about AI engineers making a fortune in the options market is also debated by the hosts. The show wraps up with a look at upcoming earnings reports and a discussion on whether listeners are comfortable buying and holding the S&P 500 in the current market environment. Host: Mark Longo from The Options Insider Media Group Co-hosts: "Uncle" Mike Tosaw from St. Charles Wealth Management and Henry "The Flowmaster" Schwartz from Cboe Time Stamps 0:00 Welcome  3:02 The Trading Block: The panel discusses the overall market sentiment, a week of "red" for major indices, and a slight uptick in volatility. They analyze volume in VIX, SPY, SPX, and NASDAQ and discuss top-performing single-name s

In this episode, host Mark Longo provides a daily recap of the most active options in the market. He begins with an overview of the broader market, including volatility and key indices, before moving into a countdown of the top ten single-name stocks with the most options activity. Time Stamps 0:00 Welcome to the Hot Options Report 1:49 Volatility (VIX) 3:02 SPY 3:45 SPX 4:25 Small Caps 5:20 The Qs (NASDAQ) 6:20 Single Names 6:57 #10 - Amazon (AMZN) 8:05  #9 - Walmart (WMT) 9:05  #8 - Intel (INTC) 10:35  #7 - AMD (AMD) 11:58  #6 - Nio Inc. (NIO) 13:00  #5 - Open (OPEN) 14:02  #4 - Apple (AAPL) 15:20  #3 - Palantir (PLTR) 16:29  #2 - Tesla (TSLA) 17:28  #1 - Nvidia (NVDA) 18:16 Conclusion ------------------------------------------------------------ All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Open to the Public Investing Inc, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Op

In this episode of The Futures Rundown, host Mark Longo is joined by guest Carley Garner from DeCarley Trading to discuss the latest action in the futures markets. They begin by exploring an unexpected commodity that has caught Carley's attention: feeder cattle, and the challenges producers face in a record-high market. The conversation then shifts to a detailed breakdown of the week's top movers, both to the upside and downside, in agricultural, energy, and crypto futures. Mark and Carley analyze surprising trends, including a deflationary narrative in commodities and the extreme volatility of crypto products like Ether. The episode concludes with a deep dive into the contract specifications for the newer Solana futures, including a discussion on contract sizing and the pros and cons of cash settlement for crypto futures. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome 04:08 The Trading Pit: Feeder Cattle and Grain Markets 06:50 The Week's Top 5 Upside Movers 10:35 The Week's Top 5 Downside Movers 15:05 Host and Guest D

In this episode of the Options Boot Camp, "Let's Get Exotic With Knock-out And Knock-In Options," hosts Mark Longo and Dan Passarelli dive into the world of exotic options, specifically barrier options. These are contracts that activate or deactivate when the underlying asset hits a predetermined price level. The discussion is broken into two main types: Knock-out options and Knock-in options.   Timestamps  00:00 - Welcome to Options Bootcamp 04:20 - Explaining Barrier Options (Knock-outs and Knock-ins) 06:05 - Diving into Knock-out Options 10:25 - The Limited Use Case and Cheaper Price Tag 13:40 - Exploring Knock-in Options 18:25 - The Cons of Exotic Options 22:50 - Final Thoughts  

Episode Summary: This episode of The Hot Options Report covers the key options activity dominating the market on Wednesday, August 20th. Mark Longo breaks down the high volume in major indices and then counts down the top 10 most-traded single-name stocks for the day. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro to the Network & Show 01:05 Sponsor: Public.com 02:00 Wednesday Market Overview 02:40 Volatility Report: VIX Options 04:00 SPY Options Trading Activity 04:55 SPX Options Volume and Hot Contracts 05:40 Small Caps (IWM) Review 06:40 The QQQ Report 08:00 Top 10 Most Active Single-Name Stocks 08:35 #10: MicroStrategy (MSTR) - Wild OTM Calls 09:50 #9: Amazon (AMZN) - Upside Bets 10:35 #8: Robinhood (HOOD) - Distant Calls 11:35 #7: Open (OPEN) - The Volatility Story 12:45 #6: Apple (AAPL) - Puts Emerge 13:50 #5: Intel (INTC) - The SoftBank Buzz 15:10 #4: AMD (AMD) - Another Put on the List 16:05 #3: Tesla (TSLA) - Puts Dominate 17:00 #2: Palantir (PLTR) - A 14-Handle Day 18:30 #1: Nvid