Articles from the Experts

Our experts offer free thoughts on the market almost every day. Follow the links to the articles on their sites to learn more about how they trade and what brokerage firms they use.

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Option Block 243: The Viceroy Trade

Trading Block: Another unchanged day. Netflix up due in part to the return of Arrested Development. Take Two earnings after the bell. Zynga gets a big pop in the day. First live day of jumbo SPX on Friday.  ISE lost its Supreme Court lawsuit and refuses to list contract. Ironic?

Odd Block: Calls trade in Zynga, Inc. (ZNGA), puts trade in VIX short-term Futures ETN (VXX), and puts trade in Solarcity Corp (SCTY).

Xpress Block: Alex Jacobson discusses his thoughts on the big OX event this weekend.

Strategy Block: Mike Tosaw dispenses yet another legendary rant of the topic of annuities. He also talks about the ratio spread.

Around the Block: Cisco earnings on 5/15, Cosi on 5/16 post 4/1 reverse stock split.

Option Block 242: Dollar vs. Yen - The Eternal Battle

INTERVIEW BLOCK: Today's guest is: Kevin Davitt, futures broker at RCM. He comes to the Option Block today to discuss ags, commodities and metals - as well as the record set by the dollar and the yen.

TRADING BLOCK: Only a bit of movement on the market today - S&P sitting at the 16 handle. Priceline earnings, Shatner might be disappointed with the results. Tesla exploded to hit $70 in the after hours. 

ODD BLOCK: Combos Trade in Vera Bradley Inc. (VRA)

Calls Trade in Digital Realty Trust Inc. (DLR)

XPRESS BLOCK: All the big option names: Tesla, Green Mountain, Apple, Lululemon and Priceline. Yen and Aussie Dollar light up the currencies. 

AROUND THE BLOCK: Don't forget about the Options Insider Unusual Activity forum coming up next week, Wednesday May 15!

Option Block 241: "Legalized Front-Running"

Trading Block: The market trading much more modestly than recent rallies. ZNGA leaning on Farmville 2 - slashing 5% of workforce. Apple rallies up 11 handles, after they announced buybacks. VIX Cash well south of 200 day moving avg. of 15.26. VXX ranks as #3 exchange traded product by volume - avg. 53 million shares/day. Buffet's right hand man, Charlie Munger, calls high-frequency trading "legalized front-running" and "basically evil". EA earnings after the close.

Odd Block: Calls trade in Nationstar Mortgage Holdings. Inc (NSM), calls trade in Network Appliance Inc. (NTAP), and calls trade in Gran Tierra Energy Inc (GTE)

Xpress Block: Tesla lighting up the tape at OX. A lot of stocks trading through their strikes. Lululemon traded back below 75. 

Mail Block: Question from BillyMo (@b1llmoo): Do you guys think the Jumbo SPY will be listed on all exchanges and will it be penny wide.

Around the Block: The Jumbo SPY launches! EA update. Earnings: Activision - 5/8 after, Disney - 5/7 (The force is strong with them), Groupon - 5/8 after, Nvidia - 5/9, Tesla - 5/8.

Option Block 240: Questions Linger After CBOE Shutdown

TRADING BLOCK: The yo-yo markets continue - down 1%, up 1%. Facebook misses but still feels the love. LinkedIn down after hours. Earnings...Earnings...Earnings!

ODD BLOCK: Calls trade in Neutral Tandem Inc (IQNT) and calls trade in Monster Worldwide Inc. (MWW)

XPRESS BLOCK: OX unveils a new quick trade function for iPad users, as well as other new front ends. 

LISTENER MAIL: Question from TBD6: The CBOE outage made me wonder - what do I do if I can't access those products again?  Question from Nick Milligan, Toronto, ON: Do you think the CBOE crash will spell the end of proprietary products like SPX and VIX?

AROUND THE BLOCK: Non-farm payrolls. Earnings: CBOE 5/3 - before the open, Tesla 5/8.

Option Block 239: Rally Ho!

Interview Block: Today's guest is Erik Long from Quant Trade, a CTA who primarily day trades futures. His method of looking at the markets can be associated with any time frame and he has some interesting insight for our listeners.

Trading Block: Rally Ho! Again. There was some serious tech love on the street with Google, Apple, Intel, and IBM up 2% or more today. Overall earnings season is still not living up to the hype.

Odd Block: Calls roll in Health Net Inc. (HNT), puts trade in Canadian Solar Inc. (CSIQ), calls trade in Energy Transfer Equity LP (ETE), and there was a steady put seller in Northern Oil and Gas Inc. (NOG).

Xpress Block: Herbal Life, Facebook, Apple, Google and IBM all kept traders at OX locked to their desks.

Around the Block: Substantial juice levels going into earnings on the 1st.

Option Block 238: Markets Have a Headache

 

Trading Block: Weekly expiration this Friday. Exxon sells off after a disappointing earnings announcement. CBOE was down for most of the day, causing a lot of headaches. Bundesbank came out and rejected the "outright monetary transaction" taking the wind out of the sails today.

Odd Block: Put spreads trade in Open Text Corp. (OTEX),calls trade in Supernus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (SUPN), giant combination trades in Talisman Energy Inc. (TLM), and crushing volume in Incredimail Ltd. (PERI).

Xpress Block: News just crossed the tape that George Soros just purchased an 8% stake in JC Penney.

Strategy Block: Uncle Mike, Andrew, and Alex each discuss their favorite war stories about some of the dumbest trades they've seen.

Around the Block: Upcoming earnings include Amazon, AIG, Pfizer, JC Penney. Could Europe end up back on the warning screens?

Option Block 237: Buy Juice, Be Happy

Trading Block: VIX cash turns to the dark side. CAT earnings were not overwhelming. Netflix earnings have yet to come out, but there’s a lot of love for the "widow maker." Microsoft is also feeling a lot of love.

Odd Block: Calls trade in General Motors Corp. (GM), calls roll on a Medivation Inc. (MDVN) spread, and big calls trade in Micron Technology Inc. (MU).

Xpress Block: Alex discusses how we're starting to see volume in big cap names again, like Proctor & Gamble, GE, Oracle, Intel, and Microsoft. Apple and Amazon earnings this week, please understand the risk if you're a premium seller.

Strategy Block: Uncle Mike talks about puts in GLD, including when and when you should not to roll a put. Long-term bullish, short-term cautious!

Around the Block: More earnings yet to come this week, including Facebook, Zynga, Apple, Ford, and Amazon.

Option Block 236: Riding the Earnings Rollercoaster

Trading Block: The market was down big time. Again. Earnings-palooza after the close with CMG, GOOG, MSFT, and IBM reporting.

Odd Block: Puts trade in Bally Technologies Inc. (BYI), put spreads trade in Banco Itau Holdings SA (ITUB), OTM puts trade in Auxilium Pharmaceuticals Inc. (AUXL), and Financial Select Sector (XLF) puts trading early.

Xpress Block: Alex Jacobson discusses pending legislation in Washington. New proposed tax laws: capping IRAs, and the elimination of 1256, which creates mark-to-market accounting for every contract.

Around the Block: More earnings fun.

Option Block 235: The Difference Between Risk Management & Market Timing

Trading Block: An aggressive selloff wipes out most gains on the street today. Precious metals take a bath on the news that China development is slowing down. Gold down 9%. Priceline, Apple, Google, everything down. It was a bloodbath.

Xpress Block: Alex Jacobson discusses what was up and what was down in this very prominent date on the market.

Mail Block: What do you want to know?

  • Question from Phil Bickers, Binghamton, NY: If I buy 10 regular contract with 5 Minis at OX, do they all count as a single trade, or am I going to pay the minimum plus the contract amount for each trade separately?
  • Question from Mr. T-Box: What do you guys think of the Minis so far? Commissions are high for contract size and the spreads are wide. Are they worth trading, or should we wait and see?

Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses reallocation, as well as working out the difference between risk management and market timing.

Around the Block: Earnings this week include: Google, IBM, and Intel.

Option Block 234: Debunking the Expiration Graph Myth

Trading Block: Ford was off to the races again, in a very mixed market.  Vol was mixed as well. Money is coming out of Asia into the U.S. market. Microsoft was down in a big way.

Odd Block: Calls trade in Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO), big puts trade in Cell Therapeutics (CTIC), calls trade in ImmunoCellular Therapeutics Ltd (IMUC), and calls trade in iShares MSCI Japan Index (EWJ).

Xpress Block: Activity in Chipotle, Priceline, and Facebook. Apple was all over the place today.

Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses his pet peeve, the expiration graph, and how it has dominated options education and retail trading.

Around the Block: Earnings-palooza on the horizon: Microsoft, Chipotle, Citi Group, Google, Bank of America, Intel, Nokia, IBM, Apple, JP Morgan.

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