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The Crypto Rundown 304: A Hot Start to The New Year Jan 05, 2026

Show notes

Bitcoin is back north of $90k and the crypto markets are firing on all cylinders to kick off 2026! Mark Longo returns for the first Bitcoin Breakdown of the year to analyze the massive "love fest" in digital assets and what the data tells us about the months ahead.

In This Episode:

The Bitcoin Breakdown: Bitcoin surges nearly $7,000 in a single week. We compare the current $94k levels to the start of 2025 and discuss whether BTC is truly acting as "digital gold".
Volatility & Skew Analysis: Using Amberdata metrics, we look at the spike in weekly and monthly vol, and the shifting skew that suggests the "yield-seekers" are changing the derivatives landscape.
The IBIT Story: BlackRock's IBIT continues its dominance. We break down the massive open interest in the Jan 43 puts and what it means for institutional sentiment.
Altcoin Universe: A resurgence across the board! From ETH regaining the $3,200 level to double-digit pops in Solana and XRP, we rank the Top 10 by market cap.
Yield Generation in Circle: Analyzing a massive stock repair/ratio spread in Circle options and what it reveals about current risk-reward profiles.
Crypto Question of the Week: Will the major crypto assets end 2026 higher or lower? We reveal the early poll results.

Resources Mentioned:

Amberdata: Granular on-chain and market data for institutions. amberdata.io
Options Insider Pro: Get access to exclusive Q&A sessions and Vol Deathmatch 2.0. theoptionsinsider.com/pro

The Option Block 1434: 2026 Kickoff Plus a New Champ is Crowned Jan 05, 2026

Show notes

The 2026 trading year is officially underway! Mark Longo, Uncle Mike Tosaw, and Andrew "The Rock Lobster" Giovinazzi gather for the first full trading week of the year to break down a massive 2025 and look ahead to the new market landscape.

In This Episode:

The 2025 Trivia Champion Revealed: After a grueling year of 1980s Trivial Pursuit, we finally crown the winner of the 2025 Trivia Challenge. Who took home the title between Uncle Mike, The Rock Lobster, and previous guest Dan Passarelli?
The Trading Block: A robust start to 2026! The team analyzes the S&P 500's push toward all-time highs, the sudden surge in Financials (XLF) and Energy (XLE), and why Big Tech (Apple and Nvidia) is showing some early-year weakness.
Record-Breaking Volume: We dive into the final 2025 numbers from the OCC. With over 15.26 billion contracts traded last year, we discuss what this explosive growth means for retail traders.
The Odd Block: Unusual activity returns with a deep dive into Peloton (PTON) and a massive January 2027 call trade, plus some aggressive short-term upside speculation in Enovix Corp (ENVX).
Strategy Block: Uncle Mike explains the "Time Non-Linear Time Decay Differential" and why calendar or diagonal spreads might be your best bet if you expect volatility to rise from these lows.
Around the Block: Predictions for the year ahead, the impact of geopolitical headlines on the energy sector, and a look at the upcoming VIX expiration.

Get More Options Insider:

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TastyTrade: Visit tastytrade.com/podcasts to see why they were named the Best Broker for Options in 2024.

Volatility Views 662: Looking Back on a Wild Year in Volatility Jan 03, 2026

Show notes

Happy New Year, Vol Maniacs! Mark Longo kicks off 2026 by welcoming Jim Carroll (The Vixologist) to the first Volatility Views of the year. Jim helps us close the books on 2025. From the "Tariff Tantrum" to the birth of the proprietary "VIX Mix," we break down the trends, trades, and traps that defined the volatility landscape over the last 12 months.

Volatility Review: The 2025 Autopsy

The Tariff Tantrum: Why April 2025 became the apex of volatility for the year, sending VIX cash to an intraday high near 60.
VIX Cash Highlights: A look back at the 17.93 start in January and the contentiousness of the year-end 14.95 close.
The "VIX Mix" Debrief: Jim Carroll breaks down the first full year of his 17-component composite indicator.
Realized Volatility: Why 2025 saw a wider range of realized vol than 2024, yet remained "well-behaved" compared to 2022 or 2020.
Credit Market Canaries: Why the Move Index and corporate bond behavior were the secret drummers for equity volatility this year.

Trades & Trends: Where Money Lived (And Died)

The 15 Put Trap: Why the VIX 15 put strike was the ultimate "scratch-off ticket" that never paid off for retail traders.
The 47.5 Call Mystery: Analyzing the massive, recurring upside rolls that dominated the tape all year.
Capital Efficiency: A look at the bizarre VIX 200 put spreads and the shifting of institutional volume from futures into options.
The Vol Fade Game: Performance reviews of SVXY, VXX, and the opportunity to scoop SVX during the April dip.

The Crystal Ball: Predictions for 2026

The team kicks off the new year's prediction game. Will 2026 be the year of the 23.00 VIX?

Resources & Links

Follow Jim Carroll: Twitter/X: @vixologist
Brokerage Spotlight: tastytrade.com/podcasts

Connect with the Network

Twitter/X: @Options
Web: TheOptionsInsider.com
Questions: questions@theoptionsinsider.com

The Hot Options Report: 01-02-2026 Jan 03, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to the first Hot Options Report of 2026! Mark Longo kicks off the new trading year by breaking down a high-volume session where "opening paper" dominated the tape. Despite a respectable 678,000 contracts needed to break the Top 10, the action was concentrated in zero-day expirations (0DTE) and a major shakeup in the EV sector.

Market Highlights & The Top 10 Countdown

The year started with a bang for semiconductors like Intel and Micron, while Tesla faced a rocky road following disappointing Q4 delivery numbers. We dive deep into the most active options contracts for the following movers:

Tesla (TSLA): The undisputed #1. Following soft Q4 delivery data, the stock slipped 2.6%. The tape was lit up by 179,000 of the $440 Puts expiring today.
Nvidia (NVDA): Claiming the #2 spot with 2.85M contracts. Investors focused heavily on the $190 Calls, with 347,000 contracts trading as the stock gained 1.25%.
Palantir (PLTR): A rough start for PLTR, dropping 5.5%. Unlike the rest of the 0DTE crowd, the hot action here was in the $180 Calls expiring next week.
The Semi Surge (INTC, MU, AMD): Intel rallied 6.75%, Micron gained a massive 10.5%, and AMD climbed 4.3%. We break down the heavy call activity in all three.
Big Tech (AAPL, AMZN, NFLX): A mixed bag for the giants. Netflix saw a 3% sell-off, while Amazon and Apple both struggled to stay green.

Data: TheHotOptionsReport.com
Twitter/X: @Options

The Options Insider 2025 Year-End Spectacular Jan 01, 2026

Show notes

It's time for our 2025 Year-End Spectacular! Join us as we look back on everything that lit up our tape in 2025 including: Wild options trades, spicy VIX prints, Metals madness, tariff tantrums and crypto craziness plus we take your pulse on hot topics like Prediction Markets, Strategic Crypto Reserves and...cranberry sauce?

Wide World of Options: Out With the Old, In With the New: A Look at Options for the New Year Jan 01, 2026

Show notes

It is said that "history repeats itself," but does that go for the options markets as well? Join show host Mark Benzaquen as he welcomes Jessica Inskip of StockBrokers.com to recap 2025, discuss 2026 predictions and the best ways to get started on your New Year's resolutions (assuming they entail learning about options!).

Options Boot Camp 371: 2025 Top 10 Options Extravaganza Dec 31, 2025

Show notes

What a year it was for the options market! From the "unprecedented" volatility of April to a record-breaking 15 billion contracts traded, 2025 was anything but boring. In this special year-end extravaganza, your drill instructors Mark Longo and Dan Passarelli (Market Taker Mentoring) look back at the Top 10 Episodes of 2025 to see what resonated most with traders during this historic year.

Mark and Dan dive into the data to reveal the most downloaded topics of the year, spanning everything from high-intensity hedging strategies to the surprising winner of the #1 spot. Whether you are a veteran of "Liberation Day" or a newcomer looking to get into peak options trading shape, this countdown is the ultimate refresher on the strategies that defined the market this year.

In this episode, the "Dynamic Duo" discusses:

The Top 10 Countdown: Which episodes took the crown? (Hint: Leaps and Covered Calls were heavy hitters).
Volatility Redefined: Revisiting the historic spikes of April and the role of inverse volatility products like SVXY.
Retail Power: How the 15-billion-contract milestone changed the landscape for retail traders.
Strategy Deep Dives: Reflections on Gamma Scalping, Iron Condors, and the enduring popularity of "The Poor Man's Covered Call."
The VIX Average: Dan breaks down the long-term average of the VIX and how anomalies skew the data.
Holiday Fun: The definitive (and divisive) ranking of the best Christmas movies.

Support for this Episode

Special thanks to Tastytrade—named the best broker for options in 2024 by Investopedia. See why at tastytrade.com/podcasts .

The Hot Options Report: 12-30-2025 Dec 30, 2025

Show notes

Welcome to the final full trading day of 2025! On this episode of the Hot Options Report, host Mark Longo breaks down a surprisingly active market for a holiday week. From massive dividend capture plays in the REIT sector to "hope springs eternal" bullish bets in the Magnificent Seven, we cover everything lighting up the tape as we head into the new year.

In this episode, we analyze the top 10 most active names on the options tape, including:

The Big Two: Tesla (TSLA) and Nvidia (NVDA) dominate the volume again. We look at the heavy paper in the NVDA 190 calls and why Tesla traders are sweating the $460 strike.
Dividend Plays: Why did Agency Investment Corp (AGNC) and Annaly Capital Management (NLY) suddenly crash the top 10? We break down the ex-dividend activity driving massive volume in the Jan 10 and Jan 22 calls.
The AI Ecosystem: Analyzing the "coin flip" sentiment in Palantir (PLTR) puts and the "opening paper" selling 40 calls in Intel (INTC).
The "Monster" Moves: MicroStrategy (MSTR) continues its wild ride—is the $160 call a trap or a breakout play for the week?
Big Tech Highlights: A look at the "Number of the Beast" close for Meta and the last-minute lottery tickets in Apple (AAPL) and Netflix (NFLX).

Check the Data for Free: TheHotOptionsReport.com.

The Hot Options Report: 12-29-2025 Dec 30, 2025

Show notes

As we enter the final trading week of 2025, Mark Longo breaks down a high-stakes, holiday-shortened Monday session. While the broader markets saw thin liquidity and red screens, several heavy hitters lit up the tape with unusual activity—including a rare top-tier appearance from British American Tobacco.

Inside This Episode:

The Holiday Volume Slump: Why it only took 265,000 contracts to break into the Top 10 today—the lightest volume since the "dog days of summer."
Tesla's Bearish Shift? Tesla takes the #1 spot, but for once, it's the $465 puts dominating the tape as the stock slides over 3%.
The "Monster" Monthly Spread: A massive $350/$300 put spread in MicroStrategy (MSTR) captured the attention of volatility hunters.
The BTI Dividend Play: Why a sleepy tobacco name saw nearly 200x its average daily volume and what the Jan $50 in-the-money calls tell us about the ex-dividend date.
NVDA & Near-Term Upside: Analyzing the heavy retail interest in the Nvidia $190 calls expiring this week.

Today's Hot Options Top 10 Countdown: Rank Symbol Last Price Volume Hot Option Contract #1 TSLA $459.64 1.77M **$465 Puts** (Jan 2 Exp) #2 NVDA $188.22 1.63M **$190 Calls** (Jan 2 Exp) #3 BTI $52.00 609K **$50 Calls** (Jan Monthly) #4 PLTR $184.18 478K **$195 Calls** (Jan 2 Exp) #5 AAPL $273.76 370K **$275 Calls** (Jan 2 Exp) #6 MSTR $155.38 338K **$350/$300 Put Spread** #7 AMZN $232.07 282K **$232.5 Calls** (Jan 2 Exp) #8 AMD $215.61 276K **$215 Calls** (Jan 2 Exp) #9 META $658.69 272K **$660 Calls** (Jan 2 Exp) #10 VALE $12.92 265K Jan 2027 $8 Puts Resources & Links:

QuikOptions / The Hot Options Report: Access professional-grade data at TheHotOptionsReport.com .
Options Insider Pro: Join the community and prepare for the upcoming Vol Death Match 2.0 at TheOptionsInsider.com/Pro .
Mobile App: Access the full Radio Network on iTunes and Google Play.

The Crypto Rundown 303: Looking Back on a Wild Year in Crypto Dec 29, 2025

Show notes

The 2025 Crypto Year in Review | Bitcoin Breakdown & The IBIT Revolution

As we close the books on an insane 2025, Mark Longo and Greg Magadini from Amberdata sit down for the final episode of The Crypto Rundown of the year. It has been a year of massive adoption, regulatory shifts, and the definitive "IPO moment" for Bitcoin. From the explosion of IBIT options to the wild rollercoaster of Ethereum and the rise of digital asset treasuries, we break down the data that defined the last 12 months.

Inside This Episode:

The 2025 Bitcoin Retrospective: Bitcoin started the year in the mid-90s, hit an all-time high of $126,000 in October, and weathered the "Tariff Tantrum" lows of $76,000.
The IBIT Story: Why the IBIT ETF was the story of the year, bringing traditional US investors into the crypto vol space and shifting the vol surface from the offshore "whales" to Wall Street.
Ethereum's Multiple Lives: ETH went from being "dead" in Q1 to hitting nearly $5,000 in August, before finishing the year back under $3,000.
The Changing Vol Landscape: A deep dive into why crypto skew has turned negative, looking more like traditional equity markets than the "call-heavy" markets of years past.
Altcoin Universe Wrap-up: Analyzing the 2025 performance of Solana, XRP, Doge, and the "Netflix of stablecoins," Circle.
Digital Asset Treasuries: The struggle of MicroStrategy (MSTR) and MSTU as momentum shifted at the tail end of the year.

Notable Quotes:

"The spot ETF was the IPO moment for Bitcoin. It was the time for big-time whales to finally get liquidity and distribute shares like a corporate listing." — Greg Magadini

Resources & Links:

Amberdata: Access granular on-chain and market data at Amberdata.io .
Options Insider Pro: Join the community and get the Pro Trading Crate at TheOptionsInsider.com/Pro .
Follow the Network: Stay updated on Twitter @Options and @Amberdataio.

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