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The Hot Options Report: 02-03-26 Feb 04, 2026

Show notes

Kick the tires and light the fires! In this Tuesday edition of The Hot Options Report, host Mark Longo breaks down an "average" day on the tape where it still took over 540,000 contracts just to crack the Top 10. We are officially one day into the new 0DTE equity era, and the impact on volume and volatility is already showing up in the Wednesday weeklies.

On today's report, we analyze the unusual options activity in:

Nvidia (NVDA): Still the undisputed king of volume, but facing pressure as the battle with OpenAI heats up.
PayPal (PYPL): A massive 20% sell-off following a brutal earnings reaction. Is it time to "abandon the sinking ship"?
AMD: Heading into earnings with heavy put activity—did the "paper" get it right ahead of the after-hours slide?
Tesla (TSLA) & Apple (AAPL): How the new Wednesday expirations are changing the way traders play the "Mag 7."
Netflix (NFLX) & Palantir (PLTR): Tracking new 52-week lows and the volatility premium being baked into the puts.

Whether you're looking for the most active strikes in Microsoft or tracking the flow in Amazon, we have the data you need to stay ahead of the options tape.

Check out the full data reports at: TheHotOptionsReport.com

The Crypto Rundown 307: Is it Time to Hedge your Crypto? Feb 03, 2026

Show notes

As Bitcoin slides back toward the $78,000 level and Ethereum feels the pressure, the "H" word is back on everyone's mind: Hedging. Is the crypto market finally cooling off, or is this the ultimate "blood in the water" opportunity for savvy institutional players?

In this episode, Mark Longo is joined by Pat Wood, President and CEO of Delphix Capital Markets, to discuss the shift from all-time highs to a 37% correction. They dive deep into the mechanics of downside protection, the rise of institutional-grade hedging products, and why traditional finance (TradFi) structures are becoming the new "platinum standard" for digital assets.

Inside this Episode:

The Bitcoin Breakdown: Analyzing the drop from $88K to $78K. What does the surge in weekly volatility (from 39 to 49) tell us about the next move?
Institutional Hedging 101: Why no one wants to buy a hedge at $126K, and why everyone is scrambling for it now.
Collars & Put Obligations: Exploring bespoke structures for treasuries and funds that protect capital without cannibalizing yield.
The Altcoin Universe: Ethereum breaks below the psychological $2,500 level—is it time for ETH holders to look at downside protection? Plus, updates on Solana, XRP, and the "Circle" sell-off.
The Digital Showdown: A flash poll result: Which asset hits par ($100) first—Bitcoin or Silver?

Power Your Trading with Amberdata:

Looking for granular on-chain and market data? Access the tools the pros use at Amberdata.io .

Join the Options Insider Pro Community:

Get access to live Q&A sessions, exclusive rallies, and the "Vol Death Match" at TheOptionsInsider.com/Pro .

The Hot Options Report: 02-02-26 Feb 03, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to the Hot Options Report for Monday, February 2, 2026. Today marks a historic "game changer" in the derivatives market as we witness the official kick-off of zero-day (0DTE) single-name equity options trading for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday expirations.

In this episode, we break down the Top 10 most active options chains on the tape, tracking the massive volume shifts in retail favorites and tech giants alike. From the "zero-day dance" in Meta to the post-earnings volatility in Palantir, we dive into the strikes, premiums, and unusual activity impacting your trading account today.

Inside This Episode:

The 0DTE Phenomenon: How zero-day paper dominated the tape in Meta (META), Amazon (AMZN), and Microsoft (MSFT).
Big Tech Movers: A deep dive into Apple's (AAPL) massive 4% pop and why the 265 calls were a "home run" for zero-day traders.
Earnings Watch: Analyzing Palantir (PLTR) heading into their announcement and the heavy action on the 160 strike.
Market Laggards: Why Tesla (TSLA) and Nvidia (NVDA) felt the pressure despite the broader tech bid.
Retail Hits: Updates on GameStop (GME) and the ongoing "drubbing" of Robinhood (HOOD) as it slips toward the $90 mark.

Whether you're looking to "kick the tires and light the fires" on your own data or just stay ahead of the daily tape, the Hot Options Report has you covered.

Get the Data: Visit TheHotOptionsReport.com to crunch the numbers yourself and see the full top 10 list.

The Option Block 1441: The Super Sexy Worlds of Silver and Substrates Feb 02, 2026

Show notes

The silver market just faced a massive "annihilation," and the Option Block panel is here to pick up the pieces. Join Mark Longo, Andrew "The Rock Lobster" Giovinazzi (Option Pit), and "Uncle" Mike Tosaw (St. Charles Wealth Management) as they break down a wild start to February. From a 30% single-day drop in Silver (SLV) to unusual activity in "non-woven substrates," this episode covers the high-stakes world of volatility and metal meltdowns.

In this episode, the panel dives into:

The Trading Block: A look at the market rally toward all-time highs despite the "metals apocalypse." The team discusses whether the silver squeeze is finally unwinding and what the new Fed Chair means for interest rate stabilization.
The Odd Block: Unusual activity in some truly unique names, including Magna Corp (MAGN)—a leader in the "sexy" world of substrates—and defensive put buying in Hercules Capital (HTGC).
Strategy Block: Uncle Mike breaks down the power of diversification in covered call strategies. Learn why individual stock selection often yields better premiums than broad index ETFs like SPY.
Around the Block: Predictions for the upcoming earnings gauntlet, featuring Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Disney, and the "AI bellwether" movement.

The Hot Options Report: 01-30-26 Jan 31, 2026

Show notes

The markets are closing out the week with a massive "banger," but not for the reasons bulls were hoping for. Between a historic "Metals Apocalypse" and the naming of a new, potentially hawkish Fed Chair nominee, the options tape is lighting up with aggressive defensive plays and institutional shifts.

In this episode of The Hot Options Report, Mark Longo breaks down a day where it took a staggering 750,000 contracts just to break into the Top 10. From Meta's $21 slide to Tesla's massive volume surge, we track the names dominating the tape on this high-velocity Friday.

📊 The Hot Options Countdown:

#10: Meta (META) - Selling off nearly 3% despite earlier weekly gains. Heavy action on the 720 calls as the stock pulled back to $716.
#9: MicroStrategy (MSTR) - A rare green shoot in a red forest. The "Monster" climbed 4.5% with traders eyeing the March 160 strike.
#8: Palantir (PLTR) - A tough end for 150-strike bulls as the stock faded late to close near $146.
#7: Micron (MU) - Giving back some of its recent massive gains, dropping 5% with heavy volume at the 450 strike.
#6: SoFi (SOFI) - Post-earnings pain continues. Despite hitting 30 recently, dilution and sentiment have dragged it back to the $22 level.
#5: Intel (INTC) - Volatility remains the name of the game for Intel, with traders blasting away at the 50 strike.
#4: Microsoft (MSFT) - A rough week for MSFT capped off with a million-contract day and big action on long-term upside verticals.
#3: Apple (AAPL) - Earnings weren't enough to save Apple from the "general sucking sound" of the market, though it managed a slight gain to finish near $259.
#2: Nvidia (NVDA) - 2.9 million contracts traded—usually enough for #1, but today it takes the silver medal.
#1: Tesla (TSLA) - The undisputed king of the tape today with 3.67 million contracts. As the narrative shifts toward AI and robotics, traders piled into the 435 calls.

🔍 Key Market Themes:

The Metals Apocalypse: Gold and silver are getting "annihilated," leading to massive liquidation and a spike in volatility.
The Warsh Factor: The nomination of Kevin Warsh as the next Fed Chair has the Street on edge. Is he the hawkish "regime change" the market fears?
Tesla's Narrative Shift: Why Elon Musk is successfully pivoting the stock away from EVs and toward AI, robots, and SpaceX.

🔗 Resources:

Daily Flow: Check out TheHotOptionsReport.com for the flow we couldn't fit into the show.
Follow Mark on X: @Options.

Volatility Views 666: Metals Apocalypse Jan 30, 2026

Show notes

A historic rout in the precious metals markets steals the spotlight this week on Volatility Views. From silver's massive 25% intraday drop to the naming of a new (and hawkish) Fed Chair nominee, the panel breaks down why the "Metals Apocalypse" might be a canary in the coal mine for the broader equity markets.

Join Mark Longo, Dr. Russell Rhoads, and Mark Sebastian as they navigate a high-velocity week of volatility, earnings, and unusual institutional positioning in the VIX.

Episode Highlights The Silver Slump

The "Meme-ification" of silver reached a breaking point this week. After months of triple-digit volatility levels, silver prices cratered 25% in a single session. The panel discusses whether this 46-year historic event suggests a broader 20% retracement for the S&P 500 is on the horizon.

Fed Chair Shakeup

The market reacted negatively to the news of Kevin Warsh potentially taking the helm at the Fed. While he has campaigned for lower rates, his history as an inflation hawk has traders worried about a return to a strict "dual mandate" focus that might not be as market-friendly as the Powell era.

Unusual VIX Activity

Despite the market sell-off, we aren't seeing "panic" buying in near-term VIX options. Instead, institutional paper is flowing into March and April, including a massive 80,000-contract diagonal spread involving June 47.5 calls. Is it a hedge, or just a sophisticated carry trade?

Notable Quotes

"When gold and silver catch a cold, the miners catch every single disease you could possibly catch from the Oregon Trail. They're getting dysentery, typhoid, and malaria all at once." — Mark Sebastian

"If you blink, you miss a move up in VIX futures. That's the only opportunity to make money being long them, and it leads to massive upside fatigue." — Dr. Russell Rhoads

Resources Mentioned

Brokerage: https://Tastytrade.com/podcasts
Social Media: Follow the crew on X: @Options, @OptionPit , @Rhoads_Russell .

TWIFO 482: Riding the Storm in Small Caps, Crude, Silver and...Rough Rice? Jan 30, 2026

Show notes

This episode of This Week in Futures Options (TWIFO) captures a market in transition. As we move through January 2026, the "All-In" equity trade is facing a rotation, silver is behaving like a high-octane meme stock, and even the most obscure products like Rough Rice are seeing double-digit vol spikes.

Whether you are hedging a portfolio against an earnings-season sell-off or looking to harvest high premiums in the metals, this episode provides the professional analysis you need to separate the wheat from the Lean Hogs.

Episode Highlights The Movers & Shakers: A Tale of Two Tapes

The Jedi (Light Side) are winning this week, but the Sith (Dark Side) struck the hardest blows in percentage terms.

The Dark Side: Natural Gas plummeted 23.9%, Bitcoin dropped 6.3%, and the Russell 2000 took a breather after a massive YTD run.
The Light Side: Silver stole the show, rallying over 20% on the week. WTI Crude and Brent both surged ~10%, while Palladium saw a double-digit rebound.

Equities: The Great Rotation of 2026

Uncle Mike Tosaw reveals a major strategic shift, moving away from Large Caps and into Mid-Caps and Small Caps.

Large Cap Fatigue: The S&P 500 is up 72% over three years, while Mid-Caps are up only 33%. Is the gap finally closing?
Zero-Day Obsession: Despite the 0DTE craze, the "Big Dog" trade this week was the 6,600 Puts in the E-mini S&P, expiring in 22 days—a massive hedge against upcoming tech earnings.

Energy: Crude is Back on the Menu

WTI Crude hit a rare 1-million contract week.

The Conflict Trade: With Middle East tensions rising, traders are aggressive in the March 70 and 75 calls, betting on an $80 handle by summer.
Volatility Alert: Crude vol in March is currently sitting at 56.7, up nearly 14 points on the week.

Metals: Silver's "Meme Stock" Era

Silver is up over 400% in three years, leading Uncle Mike to label it the new meme stock of the commodities world.

Historic Volatility: Silver vol is currently at a staggering 107.2.
The Upside Play: Massive flow in the March 120 calls (only 7 handles away!) as traders chase the vertical spike.

The Curveball: Rough Rice?

In a TWIFO first, the panel explores the esoteric world of Rough Rice options.

Market Dynamics: Despite low liquidity, Rough Rice saw a 4.6% move this week with a metal-like skew where calls are catching a heavy bid.

The All-Star Panel

Mark Longo: Founder, Options Insider Media Group
"Uncle" Mike Tosaw: Wealth Manager, St. Charles Wealth Management

The Option Block 1440: MSFT vs META vs TSLA vs The WULF!!!! Jan 29, 2026

Show notes

The markets are seeing red as a wild earnings week takes center stage. From the "Tale of Two Techs" (Microsoft vs. Meta) to a massive volatility spike, the All-Star Panel breaks down the trades, the trends, and the unusual activity lighting up the tape. Plus, we dive into the "other" Wolf and an Argentinian oil play.

The All-Star Panel

Mark Longo: CEO and Founder of the Options Insider Media Group.
Henry "The Flowmaster" Schwartz: Vice President of Institutional Derivatives at Cboe Global Markets.
"Uncle" Mike Tosaw: Wealth Manager at St. Charles Wealth Management.

Trading Block: A Sea of Red and Earnings Chaos

The panel discusses a volatile Thursday session with the S&P 500 seeing a 100-handle range. While tech takes a hit, other sectors like energy and financials are showing resilience.

The Tale of Two Ms: Comparing the diametrically opposite reactions to Meta (META) and Microsoft (MSFT) earnings.
- META: Stock up ~10%; those who bought the 700-strike calls for $11 are seeing massive wins.
- MSFT: Stock down ~12% (a $58 drop); the same call-buying strategy was a total wipeout.
Tesla (TSLA) Tumbles: Down over 2% as the market reacts to a shift in focus toward robotics and AI over traditional EV growth.
Small Cap Update: Henry Schwartz notes that while the Russell 2000 (IWM) is outperforming YTD (up 6%), historically, this "value over growth" rotation rarely sticks.
VIX Volatility: VIX flirting with an 18 handle. Notable paper includes a massive 50,000 lot of the April 80 calls trading for $0.36.

The Odd Block: Unusual Activity in WULF and YPF

The Flowmaster identifies massive directional bets in two very different names.

1. TeraWulf (WULF) A Bitcoin-related name seeing a $3 million directional bet.

The Trade: Buyer of 36,000 Feb 16 Calls (Average price: $0.82).
Context: This is a massive sweep that creates the largest regular listed position in the name, likely betting on M&A rumors or a Bitcoin rebound.

2. YPF Sociedad Anonima (YPF) An Argentinian energy ADR seeing unusual size.

The Trade: Buyer of 9,999 April 43 Calls.
The "Conspiracy": Why 9,999 instead of 10,000? Henry suggests it might be to dodge block scanners set for five-digit minimums.

Mail Block: Listener Perspectives

Question of the Week: How are you trading this earnings week?
- Current Results: 44% are selling premium to "live the dream," while the rest are split between buying "juice," trading 0DTE, or staying on the sidelines.
VIX Poll: 75% of listeners would rather sell the April 80 calls for $0.36 than buy them.

Around the Block: What to Watch

Apple (AAPL) Earnings: Reporting after the bell. The market is pricing in a 4% move—roughly double its historical average.
Sector Rotations: Watching if the energy (XLE) and industrial (CAT) strength can offset the tech drag.
Silver (SLV): Uncle Mike highlights silver's insane run, outperforming the S&P by 8x last year and up 60% this year.

The Hot Options Report: 01-29-26 Jan 29, 2026

Show notes

Episode Summary

Earnings season is in full swing, and the options tape is absolutely on fire. Host Mark Longo breaks down a massive day of paper, where it took over 671,000 contracts just to crack the Top 10. From Meta's massive post-earnings "lottery ticket" winners to Microsoft's tumble into the "dark side," we examine the strikes and flows defining the market on this action-packed Thursday. Plus, a look at Apple's after-hours movement following its Q1 revenue beat and why Tesla is back in the #1 spot despite a rough day for shareholders.

Inside the Hot Options Tape

Tesla (TSLA): Reclaims the #1 spot with 2.79M contracts. We dive into the $420 puts as the stock slips nearly 3.5% post-earnings.
Nvidia (NVDA): A rare drop to #2 despite 2.54M contracts. Is the $192.50 call paper looking for a Friday payday?
Microsoft (MSFT): The "dark side" prevails after earnings, with a 10% sell-off. We track a massive 100,000-lot butterfly spread targeting December.
Meta (META): A spectacular win for the bulls. Those $700 "lottery ticket" calls paid off big as the stock surged toward $740.
Apple (AAPL): Breaking down the $260 calls as the stock trends higher in the after-hours following a $143.8B revenue report.
Palantir (PLTR): Returning to levels not seen since last summer. Are the $150 puts signaling more pain ahead?
MicroStrategy (MSTR): Taking it on the chin with a 10% drop. Was the $167.50 call flow a brave rebound play or just lighting money on fire?

Market Breakdown by the Numbers Rank Symbol Volume The "Hot" Option Price/Context 1 TSLA 2.79M $420 Puts Nearly 100k contracts; price ~$4.93 2 NVDA 2.54M $192.50 Calls 211k contracts; eyes on tomorrow's close 3 MSFT 2.34M $575 Calls Part of a massive Dec. butterfly spread 4 META 1.42M $750.50 Calls Bulls sweating as stock hits $744 high 5 PLTR 1.14M $150 Puts 53k contracts; stock hit low of $147.12 Resources & Links

Generate Your Own Reports: TheHotOptionsReport.com
Go Pro: Get exclusive insights at TheOptionsInsider.com/Pro

The European Market Brief 17: Taking The Leap: Mastering European Derivatives Jan 29, 2026

Show notes

Is it time to diversify beyond the U.S. and take the "Leap" into European markets? 📍 In this episode, host Mark Longo is joined by Russell Rhoads (IU Kelley School of Business), Cornelius Trenz (EUREX), and Helena Jarabakova (TradingView) to explore how retail and professional traders can access the high-liquidity European derivatives landscape. We dive deep into "The Leap"—a massive new paper trading competition with over $20,000 in prizes designed to help you master EUREX products without risk.

Continental Conversations:

TradingView 101: How Helena Jarabakova and the TradingView team are democratizing access to European data for just $2/month.
The "Mid-Morning" Edge: Why the European market close (around 11:30 AM ET) offers a second daily window for volatility and swing trading.
VDAX vs. VIX: Analyzing the "Greenland Dust-up" and how European volatility is currently correlating with the U.S.
Hidden Gems: Cornelius Trenz highlights why Euro STOXX Banks and STOXX Europe 600 futures are the preferred tools for institutional-grade diversification.
Correlation Breakdown: Russell Rhoads explains why the decoupling of DAX and S&P 500 correlation is a green light for portfolio diversification.

Timestamps:

0:00 – Introduction to European Volatility
5:20 – TradingView: Charting and Education for 100M+ Users
12:45 – Deep Dive: "The Leap" Paper Trading Competition
22:15 – The "Mid-Morning" Opportunity for U.S. Traders
31:40 – VDAX, VIX, and the Impact of Global Tariffs
45:10 – Mail Call: European Financials & Sector Rotation

Brought to you by EUREX. Take the Leap today at EUREX.com/competition

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