All ETFs
SPY: Unusual Put Activity Continues
SPDR 500 Trust (SPY) May 163 puts are again the most actives. Almost 300K contracts traded yesterday and the flow created 207K in open interest. OI at that strike is now 291K and the 9th largest among all listed options contracts. Another 32,900 already traded today. Early trades looked like buyers paying 21 cents per [...]
SPDR S&P 500 [JUMBO] (SPY/1K) $163.31 +0.26%
May-13 160.5 C (Jumbo).. Boston Options exchange is rolling out the jumbos no SPY today. this is only a test…
Gold, Miners (GDX) Back Under Pressure
Rough day for the miners, as the Market Vectors Gold Miner ETF (GDX) drops 3 percent to $28.80. Gold is back under pressure and recently down $25 to $1443. Options on GDX are busy as well. 52,000 puts and 12,000 calls so far. One player bought 12,000 Jun 27 puts on the fund for an [...]
EEM: Wow, Really Big!
Massive block of puts bought on the Emerging Markets ETF this morning on the PHLX, possibly hedging a billion dollar notional position in the fund that holds names like Samsung, Taiwan Semi, China Mobil and Petrobras. Initiator paid 43cents for 240,000 May 42.5 puts, outright, as shares traded near 42.97. Premium paid exceeds $10million and [...]
Sizing Up the Qs (QQQ)
PowerShares QQQ (QQQ) adds 45 cents to $70.66, new multi-year highs, and Jun 71 calls on the ETF are today’s most active options contract (outside of Ford ex-div activity). More than 126K traded against 36K in open interest. The contract is now .5 percent OTM and expiring in 52 days. Noteworthy trades in the contract [...]
IShares MSCI Japan Index (EWJ) $11.36 +0.26%
iShares Japan Fund (EWJ) is up 2 cents to $11.35 and interest in 12 calls on the ETF continues today. 25,400 Sep 12 calls traded on EWJ yesterday and the flow created 25,036 in new open interest. ISEE data indicate that a firm was buying to open. The largest open interest positions in the Japan [...]
Bulls Bet on Tech (XLK) $29.64 +1.01%
SPDR Technology Fund (XLK) is up 29 cents to $29.64 and May 30 calls on the ETF traded this morning for 22 cents per contract, then for 23 cents heading into the afternoon, and recent trades have printed for 24 cents. 26,650 XLK May 30 calls have now traded, possibly a play on Apple’s earnings [...]
PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bullish Fund (UUP) $22.50 +0.01%
PowerShares Dollar Fund (UUP) is flat at $22.50 and a 11,000-lot of May 23 calls is bought on the ETF for 6 cents per contract, to open. 12,425 now traded and, if combined with the 5,306 in open interest, will create the largest block of open interest in UUP. Bullish trading in the dollar ETF [...]
Bold Trade on Gold
Bold trade on SPDR Gold Fund ($GLD) as an invetor sold 20,000 Aug 120 puts on the ETF at $1.165 to buy 10,000 Aug 160 calls for 53 cents each. Shares are up $2.31 to $137.78 and this ratio risk-reversal is taking advantage of the considerable skew that exists in GLD options after the big [...]
Big Put Buyer in Financial Select Sector (XLF)
Big print in the SPDR Financials (XLF) as 81,000 Jan $15 puts are bought on the ETF for 39 cents per contract, to open. The hefty block of puts might replace some of the April contracts that are set to expire. Apr 16, 17 and 18 puts are the largest open interest positions in XLF [...]
