The Option Block

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.

Option Block 233: Trickle Down SPX

Trading Block: The market is gaining back some ground after a skittish week. Here we go again with Alcoa earnings after the bell. Uncle Mike updates us on Ford, GLD, SLV and Apple. Is there any love for Facebook at these levels? The market is not loving FB Home apparently. Caribou Coffee pulling out of Chicago. BOX files with the SEC for a jumbo SPDR - 1000 multiplier.

Odd Block: Calls trade in Wisdom Tree India Earnings Fund (EPI), calls trade in Lufkin Industries Inc. (LUFK), puts and stock trade in Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), and calls trade in Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. (GT).

Xpress Block: A mini volume and customer interest update from Alex.

Around the Block: A whole lot of nothing coming out of Alcoa, which kicks off earnings week.

Option Block 232: Crushing Inflation

Trading Block: Facebook goes after Google. Bank of Japan moving a lot today. S&P opened lower than gold for the first time since the flash crash. How high can the interest rate go?

Odd Block: Big calls trade in the S&P 500 VIX Short Term Futures ETN (VXX), more puts trade in Alerian MLP ETF (AMLP), and out month put buy in Bank of America Corp. (BAC)

Xpress Block: Rates, Yen and other Asian markets lit up the OX desk today. Citadel is petitioning the supreme court over the CBOE/ICE/SXP case.

Strategy Block: Tosaw clarifies the difference between market timing and risk management.

Around the Block: Non-Farm payrolls come out in the morning. Rates will be a main focus.

Option Block 231: April Fool Joke from Tesla?

Interview Block: RCM’s Matt Bradbard talks about interest rates. When might they reverse course and head upwards? What is the Eurodollar?

Trading Block: We actually saw a rise in VIX today. Tesla was today's big news: they made a profit for the first time this quarter! Apple bouncing off the lows.

Odd Block: Calls trade in North American Palladium Ltd. (PAL), large put block trades in Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV), and calls trade in Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO).

Xpress Block: Tesla and Apple were both lighting up the desk at OX today. The first returns on the weeklies on futures options show that they are a resounding success. How are the Minis doing?

Around the Block: Looking forward to a somewhat quiet week ahead.

Option Block 230: The Psychology of Options Trading

Interview Block: Today's guest is Benjamin Lee, founder of Think|Trade|Think. He talks about the psychology of trading, and gives us a preview of his upcoming RCM webinar.

Trading Block: There was a bit of a selloff, as concerns about Cyprus crept back into the market. Which way are we heading from here?

Odd Block: Puts trade in DaVita Healthcare Partners Inc. (DVA), more calls make news in Thomson Reuters Corp. USA (TRI), and Globe Specialty Metal (GSM) trading puts.

Xpress Block: OX customers give feedback on the Minis.

Around the Block: Keeping an eye on the TLT and iron condors. Blackberry earnings are on 3/28 before the bell.