The Option Block

Trading Block: China meltdown. Chinese equities have suffered the sharpest one-day crash in eight years. Earnings: Bidu, Facebook, Twitter, Exxon Mobil. Will option traders ‘pin’ gold to $1,100/oz?

Odd Block: Call buyers in EXCO Resources Inc. (XCO), calls trade in Knowles Corp (KN), and calls trade in Pfizer Inc. (PFE)

Strategy Block: What is going on in the S&P 500?

Mail Block: Listener questions and comments.

• Question from Jose - Avengers, JPW, Minions, so many big summer movies. What is a good way to play big movie releases with options? I have got about 10k in my trade account to use for fun spec stuff like this. Ideas?
• Question from Brian Collamer - Hi. Last week Uncle Mike was talking about a customer who had a call calendar on in Netflix. The customer got assigned on the short call. Does that mean the strikes went in the money? If so, would not you exercise the back month long call to cover the assignment? Thanks for the great content you folks make available!

Around the Block: Earnings!

Trading Block: Earnings!

• MSFT: $47.28 on earnings. Straddle: $2.40 / 5%. Opens down approx. $2. Microsoft lost 3.7 percent after posting its largest-ever quarterly loss.
• AAPL: Closed near $131 on earnings. Straddle: $6.15 / approx. 4.7%. Opened $122 - down $8.75. Apple fell 4.2 percent after iPhone sales and revenue forecast missed estimates.
• Nasdaq retreats amid tech selloff after Apple, Microsoft results
• Odd Block: Calls trade in Chevron Corp. (CVX), calls trade in Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X ETF (FAZ), and calls and puts trade in Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc (PTEN)

Mail Block: Listener questions and comments

• Question from Sam A, Houston, TX - Is it a good idea to sell credit spreads in leveraged ETFs to benefit from the con tango?
• Question from 999 - How do you spec on the market falling out of bed using options?

Around the Block: Earnings: Apple earnings not the only huge story this week. Watch GM, Boeing, Coke, Amazon, Microsoft & others. Friday: Johnson Controls, Xerox

Trading Block: In which we feature special guest co-host: Fred Ruffy from Trade Alert

Earnings Today: Before the Bell: Morgan Stanley, Haliburton, Hasbro; After the Bell: IBM. Tech names blowing through their straddles: NFLX: 8%, GOOG: 3.5%. Stocks slightly higher as NASDAQ hits new record.

Odd Block: Puts trade in Ford Motor Company (F), puts trade in Windstream Holdings Inc. (WIN), and calls trade in ONEOK, Inc. (OKE).

Mail Block: Listener questions and comments:

• Question from Adam Sam - ‏How come no one saw GOOG jump coming. Do you ever share where you get your info from? I would love to know. Thanks.
• Question from big George: Hola options amigos. Fun program. Just found it on Stitcher and now it’s on the top of my business playlist. You guys make options fun. I would like to know if there’s any way that I can enter after hours orders for options. I can access afterhours books for my stocks but I don’t see that choice for options. Do I need to use a special broker or platform? This would really help me with my earnings season trading. Thanks, George.

Around the Block: What to watch for in Apple earnings. Also watching GM, Boeing, Coke, Amazon, Microsoft & others.

Trading Block: GOOG after the bell. ATM Straddle: Approx. $21 - a 3.5% move. Last earnings: 19 handle move from close to open, approx. 3.5%. Volume: Approx. 3x ADV. Calls nearly 3 to 1 over puts. Bank of England urges longer jail terms for market manipulators. On July 16th, 2004 - Martha Stewart was sentenced for insider trading, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice in the ImClone trading scandal.

Odd Block: Calls trade in C&J Energy Services Ltd (CJES), calls trade in Regions Financial Corp (RF), and calls roll in US Bancorp (USB)

Mail Block: Listener questions and comments

• Comment from Anonymous - I listened to your talk on Options Insider Radio. (That is a very good program!) It seems that there are a lot of misunderstandings about the cracking down on short sales in China.

In fact, there is no limit on short short sales in China as long as you can borrow shares. Very similar to the US shorting stocks. But the main problem in China is the leverages with loans from outside financial companies.

A subsidiary of BABA is enabler of such outsider loans. That subsidiary company in Hangzhou (where I am from) has software called HOMS, which expand the single brokerage account into a multiple user account with or without brokerage firms knowledge. The original intended users are fund management firms. But the loan companies use the software to provide loans and control the account for margin risk management. They provide margin loans up to 1:10 ratio.

When the market initially dropped 15~20%, many accounts will have margin problem. Later on, the loan companies started manipulation operation: They purposely push down the index futures at certain hours, trigger the market sales, and then they forcefully close customer accounts.

Finally the Chinese police department stepped in. That really scared those loan operators.

Overall, I think it is great idea to forceful interrupt the vicious feedback loop, and return the market to more normal operations.

In China, the communist part[y] has to take responsibilities for the wellbeing of the general population, instead of "following the rules" to allow or protect a few successful guys who figured out how to take advantage of the system shortcomings.

So I think it is a good. In the US, no one was charged and put into jail for 2008 crisis. Here, we think that following rules is more important than the results. But the rules have been set up the guys who purposely keep holes they can exploit.

In this case, I totally support the Chinese government. It demonstrates that Chinese government can correct the problem much more effectively and efficiently.

For a society, it is better to protect 1,000,000 people from losing $1,000 each than to allow a guy to make $1B through "successful" trading.

• Question from SB94 - What’s up with Chinese stock options? Are options going to be listed in China anytime soon?
• Question from Sean - I like to follow an indicator that determines the strength of a trend going in a certain direction. How do these typically reflect in the options market?

Around the Block: Earnings! Citigroup, Google, eBay, UnitedHealth Group, America Movil, Blackstone, Goldman Sachs, Philip Morris International, Schlumberger, Advanced Micro Devices, Mattel, General Electric, Honeywell

Trading Block: July and the VIX weigh heavily on the S&P. U.S. stocks rise after Greece reaches an agreement with creditors. Netflix hits new high price in advance of stock split, earnings. Fitbit shares are in uncharted territory as analysts initiate coverage.

Odd Block: Puts trade in IAMGOLD Corp. (IAG), calls trade in Marathon Petroleum Corp. (MPC), calls trade in Market Vectors Oil Services (OIH).

Strategy Block: Tosaw discusses synthetics and his most recent trading strategies.

Mail Block: Listener questions and comments

• Question from Fred - I heard options traders like to have multiple positions in their trading accounts. How many should I have?

Around the Block: Earnings: Google, Netflix and big banks highlight earnings expectations this week.

• Tuesday - JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, Johnson & Johnson, Yum! Brands.
• Wednesday - Intel, Netflix, Bank of America, Delta Airlines, US BankCorp, BlackRock, Kinder Morgan, PNC Financial Services.
• Thursday - Citigroup, Google, eBay, UnitedHealth Group, America Movil, Blackstone, Goldman Sachs, Philip Morris International, Schlumberger, Advanced Micro Devices, Mattel.
• Friday - General Electric, Honeywell

Trading Block: What glitch? Competition eases NYSE shut-down. Fed increase are little more than a coin flip for derivative traders. Apple stock chart points to more downside ahead. Earnings today: Before the bell: PepsiCo, Walgreens

Odd Block: Calls trade in CBS Inc. (CBS), calls trade WisdomTree EuropeHedged ETF (HEDJ), and calls trade in JCPenney Co. (JCP).

Mail Block: Listener questions and comments

• Question from N198UA - I'm a big fan of all your radio shows - especially Options Oddities. I've always had an interest in unusual activity and even attended your forum in Chicago a couple of years ago. My question: if a retail trader makes an options trade based on unusual activity that is later deemed "insider" (or something not legal); could the retail trader - and anyone who copied the "insider" trade be in trouble? What are the possible outcomes?

• Question from 999 - Brokers typically charge more to short stocks that are hard to borrow. What are examples of the extra fees or commissions that you pay when you trade options in hard to borrow stocks?
• Question from Jose Aprile - Any quirks with interest rates options that show the Fed might act soon?

Around the Block: Greece is the word.

Trading Block: CBOE and C2 Options Exchange total trading volume up 16% in June. Surge in Europe stock options volume shows race to hedge Greece. A few dozen Chicago traders will don their multicolored jackets to trade soybean and forex futures the old-fashioned way one last time on Monday, marking the end of 167 years of open-outcry trading in the city where it was born. Oil at 3-months low as outlook darkens again.

Odd Block: Rolling calls in Office Depot (ODP), calls trade in Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (HLT), puts trade in Chevron Corp. (CVX), and calls trade in Blackstone Group LP (BX).

Strategy Block: Tosaw discusses how he prepared for the holiday weekend.

Mail Block: Listener questions and comments

• Question from Fred - Been having problems finding an options paper trading account that does not require me to fund an account. Any suggestions?

Around the Block: Earnings - New earnings season kicks off with Alcoa, PepsiCo, and Walgreens.

Today we have Special Guest Star Henry Schwartz from Trade Alert

Trading Block: Jobs data disappoints. OCC cleared contract volume grew 4% in June. Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA) shares gain momentum after record quarterly deliveries.

Odd Block: Calls trade in Targa Resources Partners LP (NGLS), calls trade in Market Vectors Gold Miners (GDX), and puts trade in ARM Holdings plc (ARMH)

Mail Block: Listener questions and comments:

• Question from Steamboat Willie - What would you say is the best buy and hold strategy using options? I am interested in using some options in my retirement account but I do not have the time to manage them on a daily basis. I would like to put something on and only check on it every few weeks or months. I am mostly interested in large cap stocks, although I am not averse to dipping my toes into alternative assets such as oil.
• Question from LeanMean: Is it possible for retail to capture dividends using options? Do you have any good dividend capture strats for me?

Around the Block: Will the U.S. be a safe haven? August earnings fireworks? Will U.S. bonds rally?

Trading Block: Dow falls 225 points, in the red for the year amid Greece; VIX spikes 24%. Biggest one-day loss since 2011 for European stocks as Greek crisis deepens. FitBit options listed on 6/26: 1st day volume = 4,600 contracts. 2,500 on Friday, 2,500 so far today. Oil falls to three-week low amid risk of Greek exit from Euro.

Odd Block: Calls trade in US Silica Holdings (SLCA), calls trade in Yandex NV (YNDX), and puts trade in NorthStar Realty Finance Corp (NRF).

Strategy Block: Uncle Mike Tosaw discusses his trading, or lack thereof, on this particular day.

Mail Block: Listener questions and comments

• Question from Malki k. - I was surprised to see that FIT options are trading already, listed a little quicker than I thought. I like the stock but not at these levels, so I am looking at some downside strats. One that caught my eye was Aug 30-26 1x2 put spread - looks like I can buy the spread for somewhere around $.60 - $.90 depending on current prices. What is your opinion of that strategy? Not married to that time frame so I could also go longer term to November for $.10 - $.70. Seems like Nov puts are a little bit pricier. Before you say it, I know that this strategy can potentially get me long the stock from $26, but I am more comfortable with that price level than $33.50. And I would have all of the profits from my spread to reduce the effective purchase price of the stock to the low-20s range.
• Question from Andrew J. - FIT Nov 25/40 bullish risk reversal for even money - thoughts?

Around the Block: Earnings! Tuesday - ConAgra Foods Inc. Wednesday - Constellation Brands, Inc., General Mills, Paychex, Inc.

Trading Block: A Greek deal drives the rally ho! Dow briefly adds 150 points, NASDAQ sets intraday high on Greece hopes. Crude and gold both drop - gold off 1.5%. Hilton: Why are so many traders betting on this hotel giant? Amberella getting crushed.

Odd Block: Puts trade in Ford Motor Company (F), calls trade in Owens Corning (OC), and calls trade in Green Plains Inc. (GPRE).

Strategy Block: Uncle Mike discusses selling calls to hedge, post rally.

Mail Block: Listener questions and comments

• Question from Kevin Duggan: to info Hi Mark, I love your shows! Question - What happens to my options if the underlying gets halted permanently? Would I ever be able to close them? I am remembering Sino Forest from a few years ago in Canada- stock got halted pending a fraud investigation and never came back. I am worried that I will not be able to cash in on my BABA Puts! Thanks, Kevin

Around the Block: Are there still earnings left? Evidently, with Blackberry reporting later. Will there be new all-time highs? Greece default date: 6/30.