In this special midday edition of the Hot Options Report, host Mark Longo from the Options Insider Network covers the most active options trades of the day. Key highlights include high volumes and significant movements in options for Core Weave, Nike, AMD, Amazon, Oracle, Palantir, Apple, Beyond Meat, Tesla, and Nvidia. The episode emphasizes tracking the top 10 movers in the options market, with detailed insights into the notable contracts driving the day's trading activity.

For more options data, go to TheHotOptionsReport.com.

Is the energy market ready for a supply shock? On the final TWIFO of 2025, Mark Longo breaks down the surge in Energy CVOL as the U.S. intensifies pressure on Venezuela. With a crude oil embargo ratcheting up, we examine how WTI Crude is reacting and what the "Smart Money" is pricing into the February options skew.

We also shift our focus to the Ag complex, specifically Chicago Wheat (SRW), where we're seeing a surprising "Precious Metals-style" skew. From zero-cost collars in March Wheat to the massive 15% explosion in Palladium, we break down the movers and shakers at CME Group to close out the year.

• The Dark Side: Natural Gas leads the decline (off 7.04%), followed by BTC Crypto (off 6%) and S&P Tech (off 4.5%).

• The Light Side: Palladium is the standout winner (up 15.1%), with Platinum (up 5.6%) and Silver (up 2.2%) following the shiny metal trend.

• WTI Crude Oil: Analyzing the shift to a 5% put bid in February. Is the market fading the Venezuela rally?

• Chicago Wheat: Breaking down the 550 call vs. 500 put volume. Why are traders loading up on March upside?

• CVOL Update: Energy Volatility roars to the high of the week (63.68) while Treasury Yield Volatility hits multi-month lows.

Date: December 18, 2025

Host: Mark Longo

Can Tesla actually hit $500? In this episode, Mark Longo breaks down a high-volume Thursday where Tesla (TSLA) reclaiming the top spot was just the beginning. We dive into the massive retail and institutional interest in the Tesla 500 par calls and why traders are shelling out big premiums despite the strike being out of the money.

We also analyze the tech recovery sparked by Micron (MU) earnings and a cooler-than-expected CPI report. From Palantir's (PLTR) roaring return to life to the funky in-the-money put action in Netflix (NFLX) and Oracle (ORCL), we track the smart money moving through the tape.

• #1 Tesla (TSLA): 2.97M contracts. Breaking down the 179,000 contracts at the 500 strike.

• #2 Nvidia (NVDA): 2.86M contracts. Tracking the 180 calls as AI sentiment shifts.

• #3 Netflix (NFLX): 973K contracts. Analyzing the bizarre $114 puts and Jan-26 positioning.

• #4 Apple (AAPL): 953K contracts. Can the fruit company cross the 275 threshold by tomorrow?

• #5 Amazon (AMZN): 791K contracts. Bullish sentiment holds at the 230 strike.

• #6 Micron (MU): 785K contracts. Earnings reaction: 10% pop and 260 strike dominance.

• #7 Palantir (PLTR): 777K contracts. Drawing a line in the sand at the 190 calls.

• #8 Broadcom (AVGO): 758K contracts. Funky flow as AVGO goes Ex-Dividend.

• #9 The Monster (MSTR): 756K contracts. Breaking down the 200 par puts.

• #10 Oracle (ORCL): 673K contracts. High-parity put action at the 220 strike.

• Live Data: TheHotOptionsReport.com

• Join the Pro Community: TheOptionsInsider.com/Pro

• Follow Mark on X: @OptionsInsider

The All-Star Panel convenes for the final Thursday of 2025! Host Mark Longo is joined by Henry "The Flowmaster" Schwartz (Cboe) and "Uncle" Mike Tosaw (St. Charles Wealth Management) to break down a wild year-end session.

• The 15 Billion Milestone: Henry Schwartz predicts when the 15,000,000,000th options contract of 2025 will trade.

• Silver's Historic Run: Mike Tosaw discusses the "thief in the night" move in SLV as it hits new highs, and why he's finally fading the metal.

• Market Rotation: A look at the aggressive move back into tech (XLK, Micron, Palantir) following cooler CPI data.

• DJT "Skullduggery": We analyze suspicious call buying in DJT (Trump Media) immediately preceding a 40% jump on fusion merger news.

• Leslie's Inc (LESL): Why is someone grabbing thousands of calls in a stock that has dropped 95% this year?

• Ticker Autopsy: A look back at the failed $210k bet on IPA (now HYFT).

In this episode of The Futures Rundown on The Options Insider Radio Network, host Mark Longo is joined by Jamal Chandler, Head of Options Strategy at Tastytrade. Together, they dissect the final trading weeks of 2025, providing a deep dive into the high-volatility moves across metals, energy, and digital assets.

• Precious Metals: Why Silver ($SI) has become the inescapable asset of 2025, hitting new highs near the $65 level, and the massive year-to-date runs in Gold ($GC), Platinum, and Palladium.

• The Energy Complex: Analyzing the "Bruhaha" in Crude Oil ($CL) following Venezuelan embargoes and the steep correction in Natural Gas ($NG).

• Crypto Trends: Is a "Crypto Winter" coming for Ether ($ETH)? We break down the 15% weekly drawdown and the maturity of the crypto ecosystem.

• Agricultural Movers: A look at the surprise rallies in Lithium and Cash Settled Cheese, alongside the underperformance of Coffee and Orange Juice.

• The Trading Pit: A review of the most active contracts, including the Nasdaq-100 Micro and 10-year notes.

• Year-to-Date Movers: Which assets took the "rocket ship to the moon" and which are ending 2025 as the biggest losers?

• Prediction Markets: The implications of binaries on everything from sports to the Oscars.

• Listener Polls: Is it time to buy the dip in Silver or get out before 2026?

In this episode of Options Boot Camp, hosts Mark Longo and Dan Passarelli (Market Taker Mentoring) dive deep into the mechanics of the Wheel Strategy—one of the most popular frameworks for generating consistent options income. Whether you are selling cash-secured puts or managing covered calls, the "Wheel" is a powerful tool for any trader's playbook, but what happens when the market moves against you?

Mark and Dan break down the specific scenarios traders face when a trade goes south, offering a masterclass in position management and cost basis reduction.

• Managing Losing Trades: What to do when your initial put sale goes in-the-money.

• Stock Repair Strategies: How to use the "Repair Manual" to recover from underwater positions without adding more capital.

• Averaging Down vs. Rolling: The pros and cons of lowering your entry price in a declining market.

• The Importance of Objectives: Why a clear "exit plan" is the most critical part of the Wheel Strategy.

• Advanced Covered Calls: Strategic strikes for when you've been assigned the underlying stock.

This episode of the Hot Options Report delivers an expert options market analysis of high-volume contracts across Amazon (AMZN), AMD, Netflix (NFLX), Alphabet (GOOGL), Oracle (ORCL), Palantir (PLTR), Broadcom (AVGO), Nvidia (NVDA), and Tesla (TSLA). As part of the Options Insider Radio Network's "Quintuple Mania" series, we provide insider insights into unusual options activity, specifically breaking down Amazon's 220 strikes, Oracle's deep in-the-money puts, and the heavy flow surrounding Tesla's 500 calls. Our traders analyze significant trade values and the broader market implications of December volatility, offering a detailed review of institutional sentiment and derivative strategies for retail traders. Join us for this special edition of back-to-back market coverage, focusing on the high-conviction trades and implied volatility shifts currently driving the tech and AI sectors as we head into year-end.

For traders looking to dive deeper into the numbers behind these moves, you can access more comprehensive options data at TheHotOptionsReport.com.

What defined European markets in 2025, and what trading trends will dominate 2026? In this year-end episode of the European Market Brief, host Mark Longo joins industry experts from Eurex, Advantage Futures, and Indiana University for a deep dive into market performance and future outlooks.

The panel moves beyond a simple review to analyze surprising shifts in market structure, from the explosion of prediction markets to the demand for 24-hour trading access.

Tune in to hear the panel discuss:

• 2026 Market Predictions: Where the experts see European opportunities next year.

• Volatility Strategies: Why interest in trading volatility remained high in 2025.

• Futures Debates: The evolving roles of cash vs. physically settled futures.

• New Frontiers: Opportunities in credit indices and round-the-clock trading.

Featured Guests:

• Russell Rhoads, Indiana University Kelley School of Business

• Mike O'Malley, Advantage Futures

• Lee Bartholomew, Eurex

Join Mark Longo from The Options Insider for the essential breakdown of options volume and market momentum.

• Tesla (TSLA) Dominates: Tesla recaptures the #1 spot with nearly 3 million contracts traded (2.89M), rallying over 3%. The hottest trade? A huge volume spike in the expiring $500 Calls, signaling major bullish bets on further upside this week.

• Nvidia (NVDA) Volume Cools: The typical options volume king falls to #2 with 1.43 million contracts traded—less than half its recent average. The focus remains on the near-term $180 Calls.

• Contrarian Flow in Palantir (PLTR): Despite rallying 2.5%, Palantir saw significant defensive action with nearly 37,000 contracts traded in the near-term $180 Puts.

• Pfizer (PFE) Sells Off: PFE drops 3.4%, landing on the most active list with notable volume in the February $23 Puts, suggesting a line in the sand may have been drawn by put sellers.

• Tech Sector Rally: Both Oracle (ORCL) and Netflix (NFLX) showed small rallies, accompanied by high volume in short-dated calls, including Oracle's expiring $190 Calls and Netflix's out-of-the-money $100 Calls.

• MicroStrategy (MSTR) Upside Bets: The monster stock sees a pop and a focus on next week's $175 Calls, signaling traders are looking for continued momentum into the end of the year.

• Amazon (AMZN) & Apple (AAPL) Volume: Both tech stalwarts remained highly active with large call volume trades, including Amazon's $225 Calls and Apple's $275 Calls.

• Options Data Source: Today's data is powered by QuikOptions. Go to TheHotOptionsReport.com for more options data.

• Join The PRO Network: Don't miss out on Pro Q&As, giveaways, live streams, and the upcoming Vol Death Match 2.0! Learn more and subscribe: TheOptionsInsider.com/PRO

Mark Longo welcomes Greg Magadini of Amberdata for The Crypto Rundown to dissect the crypto market's weakness following the latest Fed meeting. As Bitcoin (BTC) drops back below the $90,000 level and altcoins like Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL) pull back, the hosts analyze critical volatility indicators and options flow to determine if a full "crypto winter" is approaching, or if it's time to buy the dip.

• Is Winter Coming? Bitcoin has pulled back $4,000 post-FOMC, leading to a highly divided audience poll on whether to buy the dip or prepare for more downside.

• Vol Skew Analysis: The volatility surface has fundamentally reshaped since the summer, with long-dated Put Skew (puts more expensive than calls) priced in all the way out to 180 days. Greg explains how this positioning suggests IBIT holders are well-hedged.

• Critical Inflection Point: Analysis of Gamma Exposure profiles pinpoints the $85,000 strike as the key downside level for dealers, separating consolidation from a major crash risk.

• Understanding Shadow Term Structure: Greg explains this cool Amberdata tool, which acts as a time-lapse for volatility, allowing traders to compare current term structure to historical trends.

• Hottest Crypto Options: Dissection of trades in IBIT (Bitcoin ETF) and the highly speculative MSTU (leveraged MicroStrategy). Learn why the MSTU upside is a favorite sell for premium collectors.

• Altcoin Universe: Analysis of Ethereum (ETH) falling below $3,000, Solana (SOL) (SOL) at $125, and their relative volatility against each other.

• Trading Strategy: Greg explains why he prefers to sell long-term puts on assets like Circle (C) to finance long-term call spreads, capturing high Vega exposure before expected volatility repricing.

• BTC, ETH Volatility (7-Day, 30-Day, 180-Day)

• BTC, ETH Vol Skew & Risk Reversal

• IBIT Options Flow (Dec 52/54 Vertical)