Summary: Issue: SpotGamma believes that current markets reflect a great amount of risk and face the prospect of a violent drawdown. This is due to the following: Hedging: Low levels of options-based hedging. Short-Selling: Low levels of stock shorting. Speculation: High levels of margin used to buy stocks. Remedies: SpotGamma levels continue to be […]
Market Analysis
Call Walls & SG Combo Strikes
Lets all Sell Puts?
Investors have turned to put options as a way to generate income. Strategically this can be a great strategy, but what does it mean when the MAJORITY of put options are SOLD instead of BOUGHT? In other words: the majority of traders are now using put options as income as opposed to insurance. The circled […]
1/20/20 Nomura Update
From ZH: Earlier today we discussed last week’s “very large” options expiration, which as SpotGamma calculated sparked a ~50% reduction in single stock gamma, which on one hand has left markets vulnerable to short-term volatility but on the other – as Nomura’s Charlie McElligott poetically put it – sparked a “gamma unchlenching” as evidenced by […]
WM Rally Due?
Waste Management (WM) may get a bid with an infrastructure package, and we note that the 120 strike is concentrating in size. The stock is currently at $115, and has held that level more or less since October. We think hedging around options positions may give it a boost up into $120. You can see […]
SpotGamma 1/18/21
We noted to subscribers on Thursday & Friday that we thought markets were entering a period with the potential for high volatility. This was due to Friday’s very large 1/15 options expiration which resulted in a ~50% reduction in single stock gamma as seen below. This creates volatility because as large options positions expired, are […]
TEVA $12 Pin & Release?
TEVA is up about 10% the last several days, with a lot of gamma concentrated at the $12 strike. Most of this (~60%) expires Friday, 1/15. We therefore have compression under the key level of $12 as out of the money calls decay and keep a lid on TEVA prices into 1/15 expiration. Our EquityHub […]
GME Ran Out of Options Strikes
GME stock closed at 31.58 today, +57%. This was a bit off its high of $38.38, or 90%. This stock traded 589k calls today, >375k of which expires in 2 days. Amazingly the stock “ran out” of call strikes, with the highest strikes being $40. Traders used that 1/15 expiration, $40 strike call to trade […]
TSLA Options For Sale
The week ending 1/8/21 saw a record high in TSLA options volume, with the stock surging nearly 20%. Traders have been flooding into weekly options as the way to express their views on the stock which was just recently added to the S&P500 Index. We view increased buying of call options as a driver for […]
“Full-Tilt Insanity Mode” – Nomura Warns This Week’s OpEx Is “Absolutely Going To Matter” For ‘Weaponized Gamma’ Crowd
Via ZeroHedge The world appears to be stock in what Nomura’s Charlie McElligott calls “Robinhood / YOLO / ‘weaponized gamma’” nonsense as the equity buy-to-open premium is soaring in individual stocks (and indices)… Source: SpotGamma Specifically, the Nomura MD notes that it is Op-Ex week, and the options positioning is absolutely going to matter, particularly off the back of […]
