Option Block 279: OTM Fly Breakdown

Trading Block: There was a mild rally today. All Facebook all day at OX.

Odd Block: Calls trade in Juniper Networks, Inc. (JNPR), puts trade in iShares MSCI Australia Index (EWA), calls trade in Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. (HTZ), and risk reversal trades in St. Jude Medical (STJ).

Xpress Block: Biotech, mobile, and hedging activity pouring in. What are the GLD traders trading?  Let’s take a look: 1-SPY, 2-SLV, 3-APPL, 4-FB, 5-DUST (daily gold miners bear 3X ETF), 6- JCP, 7- USO, 8- GDX (market vectors gold miners), 9 - GE, 10 – TSLA.  What about SLV? 1-SDS, 2- GDX, 3-USO, 4-VXX, 5-SSO, 6-FB, 7-TZA, 8-SCO, 9-TNA, 10-AAPL.

Mail Block: What do you want to know?

·         Question from Nocturne: trying to understand OTM butterflies. What’s a use case for an OTM fly vs. a simple vertical or ratio? Very confused.

·         Question from “Joe”: I haven’t been trading options for very long so forgive me if I’m out of line. I’ve been listening to your show for the past six months and find it very informative. But I also wonder if many of the concepts you discuss are simply over the heads of the typical retail trader such as gamma, vega, implied volatility, etc. I know I’m frequently confused by some of these topics. Does retail really need to know all of this stuff or is a more straightforward approach (like if you sell this option, your max loss is x, your max gain is y, you have z days until your trade expires, etc.) a better way to reach the masses without scaring them or putting them off options? I hope you read my question but, if you do, to avoid embarrassment please just refer to me as “Joe”.

Around the Block: Debt debate and earnings approaching