US CPI Set to Jump as Oil Prices Surge Amid Iran Conflict
The Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the March Consumer Price Index at 8:30 a.m. ET, with analysts warning of a sharp rise driven by a 1% jump in oil prices to $98.6 per barrel amid fragile US‑Iran ceasefire talks. Futures markets are already reflecting the risk, while the Fed’s policy range stays at 3.50‑3.75%. The data could shape monetary policy and market sentiment this week.
Traders Place $950 Million Bet on Oil Falling Hours Before US‑Iran Ceasefire
Investors sold roughly 8,600 Brent and U.S. crude futures contracts – a $950 million short position – just hours before President Trump announced a two‑week US‑Iran ceasefire. The trade helped drive crude prices down about 15%, sparking debate over market manipulation...
Linkers Industries Announces Full Exercise of Cashless Warrants
Linkers Industries Limited (NASDAQ:LNKS) announced that all Series B cashless warrants issued in its March 2026 public offering have been fully exercised. The warrants, which carried a zero‑exercise price, allowed investors to acquire Class A ordinary shares without additional cash...
GPIQ: Goldman Sachs Built The Income ETF I Wish Existed 5 Years Ago
Goldman Sachs launched the Nasdaq‑100 Premium Income ETF (GPIQ), employing a dynamic covered‑call overwrite strategy that has generated a 10.42% distribution yield since inception. The fund actively adjusts call coverage to capture higher option premiums during market volatility while preserving...
New York Stock Exchange Celebrates 50 Years of NYSE Arca Options Trading
The New York Stock Exchange’s Arca Options division marked 50 years of trading with a Closing Bell ceremony featuring San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie. Founded in 1976 as the Pacific Stock Exchange’s options arm, NYSE Arca Options has grown from half‑a‑million contracts in...
Embrace Volatility: Zoom Out and Grow Wealth
Volatility is the cost of admission to grow your wealth. At the end of this video, I share three practical tips on how to help deal with (or ignore) the volatility. ‘If in doubt, zoom out’ Comment ‘Guide’ for my...
ULTY: Broken Then, Better Now, Misread Always
The YieldMax Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF (ULTY) has remedied the structural weaknesses that hampered its performance throughout 2025. Since December, the fund introduced long‑put hedges and rebalanced toward a mix of growth, high‑beta, and cyclical holdings, bolstering downside protection...
Investors Misread VIX: Fear Indicator vs Trade Asset
i think there are a lot of people now conflating VIX as a fear indicator vs VIX/volatility as an asset class and the idea that "don't people get whats going on?" im sure they do its just not today's problem...
Institutions' Bitcoin Positioning Lacks Conviction; CPI, Iran Talks Might Help
Bitcoin is hovering around $72,000 as institutional investors hedge their bets with both $80,000 call options and protective puts. Options tied to BlackRock’s spot bitcoin ETF show strong open interest in the May $45 call, while skew remains negative, indicating...
VIX Breaks Trendline, Market Fear Cooling, Bullish Outlook
Interesting setup on the VIX today, it just broke that rising trendline we've been watching since January. Market fear is clearly cooling off, pointing to a solid trend reversal for US equities. Let's see if the bulls can actually hold...
Enhanced Labs Secures $1 Million Pre‑Seed to Launch On‑Chain Structured Options
Enhanced Labs Inc. closed a $1 million strategic pre‑seed round led by Maximum Frequency Ventures, with participation from GSR, Selini, Flowdesk and angels. The funding will back a multi‑chain platform that packages sophisticated options and derivatives strategies into retail‑friendly products, expanding...
India’s Currency Clampdown Triggers Sharp Sell‑off in Offshore Bond Holdings
The Reserve Bank of India’s abrupt limits on banks’ daily currency positions have forced a $30 billion unwind of arbitrage trades, sending foreign investors fleeing Indian sovereign bonds. The rupee rallied more than 2% to 92.66 per dollar, but banks face...
Buy Siemens Exchangeables for Yield, Hedge Risk
Macro: demand for equity‑linked supply. JPMorgan offers €375m (+€50m) 2031 cash‑settled exchangeables on Siemens at 20% premium. Risk: Siemens equity/credit. Insight: Buy for yield, hedge. — Viktor Kopylov, PhD, CFA More insights: t.me/si14Kopylov
VIX Dips Below Pre‑Iran War Level, Signaling Calm
The $VIX ended the day at 19.49, which is below the level it closed at the day before the Iran war began (19.86 on Feb 27). All is calm again... https://t.co/8iOlF6bfQZ
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Understanding Bear Spreads: Strategies and Examples
A bear spread is a vertical options strategy that profits from a moderate decline in an asset’s price by pairing long and short options at different strikes. There are two variants: the bear put spread, which requires a net debit,...
Optionality Stocks (4/9/2026)
Don Durrett announced an update to his "optionality" stock list on April 9, 2026, highlighting a renewed focus on gold and silver mining equities. The refreshed roster is designed to capture assets that offer asymmetric upside while limiting downside risk. Durrett’s curation...
SPX Futures Reclaim Resistance, Breaks Downtrend Line
$SPX Futures tagged 6,854 today. That's a full reclaim of $6,680 and $6,808 resistance, a break above the Q1 downtrend line, and the 21 EMA back underneath price. Now let's see if this holds through CPI tomorrow and whatever drama happens on...
Record Prompt Backwardation Drives Extreme Spot Premiums
The vast majority of the “dislocation between physical and paper barrels” is very simply extreme backwardation, meaning the steep premiums for spot deliverable barrels (as BBG referred to them today, ASAP barrels) relative to later-dated cargoes. Crude futures curves have...
#58748
Effective April 9, 2026, the National Securities Clearing Corporation will no longer accept FirstSun Capital Bancorp (FSUN) shares for settlement. Consequently, the FSUN component of FSUN1 options will settle on a broker‑to‑broker basis, with the contract deliverable remaining 16 shares plus cash...
Market Watch: US Gas Futures Tumble to 17-Month Low
US natural‑gas futures slipped 5.4 cents on Thursday, settling at $2.67 per MMBtu, the lowest level in 17 months for the prompt‑month contract. The decline followed a larger‑than‑expected weekly build in storage, which analysts at Gelber & Associates said confirms...
Fragile Ceasefire Sparks 6865 S&P Target
A Fragile ‘Ceasefire’ & 6865 $SPX Price Target This morning's premarket rant - before coffee. I should have said $6845. After we hit it + given $184M in Sept $6900/6910 calls were sold today, my VIX 19.29 bounce level is likely in...
Polygon, Frax and Curve Launch Onchain Forex Liquidity Pools
Polygon Labs, Frax, Curve Finance and DFB Network have deployed on‑chain foreign‑exchange liquidity pools on Polygon, using Frax’s Treasury‑backed frxUSD as the dollar anchor. The pools pair frxUSD with stablecoins pegged to the Brazilian real, Indonesian rupiah, British pound, Australian...
Massive Breakout Underway For SPX. How Much More Upside? April 10 Plan
On March 30 the S&P 500 e‑mini (ES) experienced a sharp drop to 6,353, creating a classic "failed breakdown" that institutions use to accumulate positions. The subsequent bounce launched a 480‑point rally, pushing the contract above 6,850 and later to 6,873, forming...
Iran Temporarily Closes Strait of Hormuz, Crude Futures Surge Over 5%
Iran’s deputy foreign minister Saeed Khatibzadeh announced a temporary closure of the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Israel of breaching the cease‑fire. The move pushed U.S. crude oil futures more than 5% higher after a 16% plunge the day before, reviving...
News Ignored Futures OI; Gold Up, Palladium Hits Low
News today did not lead to higher PM futures open interest (unless you count gold OI being 2.5k contracts off the bottom)... #gold 357k +2.5k #copper 228k +3k #silver 116k +0.6k #platinum 61k +1k #palladium 14.6k -0.6k new low
VIX Breaks 2026 Trend, Signals End of Market Chop
The $VIX just broke below its 2026 uptrend line. Combined with positive gamma, this market may be exiting the chop. Time will tell.
Trace Reloaded Launch: Unlocking Real-Time Zero DTE Gamma Insights to Master Intraday and Swing Trading in the S&P 500
SpotGamma has introduced Trace Reloaded, a real‑time analytics platform that delivers zero‑days‑to‑expiration (zero‑DTE) gamma data for S&P 500 options. The service visualizes key price levels, gamma spikes, and market sentiment, allowing traders to see convexity changes the instant they occur. Integrated...
VIX Returns to Pre‑War Levels, Signaling Calm
VIX signals worst of the war is over. All three (VIX, futures and VIX of the VIX) back down to pre-war levels Could shift back higher (of course) but currently, back to normal https://t.co/q54gbzBIYf
ISOs Offer Wealth Potential, But Tax Risks Loom
For clients receiving Incentive Stock Options (ISOs) as part of their compensation, the potential for wealth creation can be significant – but so too is the risk of adverse tax consequences if not handled properly. https://t.co/YA6mBVn0qA #ISOs
BSE Gets SEBI Nod to Launch Derivative Contracts on BSE Focused IT Index
The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has secured approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to launch derivative contracts based on the BSE Focused IT Index, which tracks 14 information‑technology firms. This clearance follows earlier SEBI nods for...
Use Synthetic Futures with Fixed Expiry to Smooth Perp Funding
i know everyone wants to just compare one number to another... but instead of having perps track the front month contract and have funding spikes during rolls... why not just have perps target a synthetic future with a constant time to expiration?
6830 Emits Billions of Gamma Rays—Few Knew
There are those that knew that 6830 had billions of gamma and those that did not https://t.co/lMQgrq5vbK
Ep.127 - UVXY Hedging Questions / Apollo 11 DID Land on the Moon
Volatility Trading Strategies released Episode 127 on April 10, 2026, featuring a live Q&A on UVXY hedging techniques and a tongue‑in‑cheek discussion of the Apollo 11 moon landing. The episode targets traders seeking practical risk‑management tools for short‑volatility ETFs like UVXY. Viewers are invited...
CAR Set for Wild 0DTE Trap Tomorrow
$CAR not letting up 0DTE tomorrow all they did was trap trap trap this week - going to be the craziest 0DTE day we've seen in quite some time lol
Core CPI Must Rescue Markets Amid 0.9% Crude Spike
CPI hedging dominating now after 30y auction. Crude driven headline expected to print at an eye-popping 0.9% so it will be up to core to save us
💡Trade Idea for Thursday, April 9, 2026
The author recommends selling a deep out‑of‑the‑money put on a stock that has repeatedly delivered profits. The trade targets a strike well below the current price, offering a 75% probability of worthlessness and a 79% probability of profit. The entry...
Prediction Markets Evolve: Hedging, Block‑Trades Shape Future
Last month I sat down with @luanalopeslara and @mansourtarek_ to ask the co-founders of @Kalshi what the future of prediction markets might look like. From hedging to block-trades, this space is still evolving and the conversation continues. Watch this space👀
10‑Year Yield Above 4.4% Proves Unmanageable
Well that is a problem given that in the last couple weeks, the MOVE Volatility Index and US policymakers’ actions (TACO’d every single time 10y hit 4.4%) empirically showed that the US & world cannot handle >4.4% on the 10y. #YouDownWithYCCYeahYouKnowMe
The More Important Inflation Rate
The Iran‑Houthi conflict and shipping disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz have driven a sharp jump in the one‑year inflation swap, which rose 62 basis points since Feb. 27, while the 12‑to‑24‑month forward rate (1y1y) has increased only 18 basis points....
F&O Watch: BSE Gets Sebi Nod to Launch BSE Focused IT Index Derivatives
India’s securities regulator SEBI has cleared the Bombay Stock Exchange to launch futures and options on its newly created BSE Focused IT Index. The index, comprising 14 BSE‑500 IT companies, has posted a –24% return from January to March 2026,...
Inside Market Maker Privilege and the Vanishing AMEX Floor
Long one today on "market maker privilege" Packed with story, opinion, and gritty details of the way things work. Including this very hard to find picture of the AMEX floor when it was open https://t.co/4PMRBEdGAx cc floor traders who are time-for-a-colonoscopy years old https://t.co/kmosRyopNm
Intensive Option Webinar: Modern Portfolio Protection
Lawrence G. McMillan’s intensive webinar on modern portfolio protection outlines how options can be employed to manage downside risk while preserving upside potential. The session covers both surgical tools—such as collars and covered writing—and systematic approaches like index hedging and...
A Catalyst-Rich Biotech May Be Poised to Resume Its Recovery. Use Options to Take Advantage
Regeneron (REGN) is trading near $765 after a 60% rally, still well below its 2025 peak above $1,100. The biotech’s pipeline is rich with catalysts, including Dupixent’s $17.8 billion sales, pending approvals for linvoseltamab and odronxtamab, and an obesity study. Upcoming...
BILLIONS IN INSIDER TRADES BEFORE TRUMP'S 'CEASEFIRE' POST
Reuters verified that nearly $950 million of oil short positions and more than $500 million of crude futures were executed in the minutes before former President Donald Trump posted his cease‑fire message on Truth Social. At the same time, about $1.5 billion of...
Institutional Net Call Buying Hits Record Since Conflict Start
"Yesterday saw the biggest day of institutional net call buying since the conflict began in our data" --@vandaresearch
Whale Takes $30M BTC Short at 40x Leverage
A whale has opened a $30,113,000 $BTC short with 40x leverage. Liquidation Price: $71,941 https://t.co/Z6iyHitvPl
WATCH: Kalshi Founders Talk Insider Trading, Gambling, Don Jr. On "The Axios Show"
Kalshi, a New York‑based prediction‑market platform, disclosed on the Axios Show that it processed nearly $13 billion in bets last month and is raising new private capital at a $22 billion valuation. The founders argue the service functions like a regulated exchange,...
GridStor, Axpo Execute Energy Storage Revenue Swap Agreement for 440MWh Texas BESS
GridStor and Swiss utility Axpo have executed a revenue‑swap agreement for the 220 MW/440 MWh Hidden Lakes battery‑energy‑storage system in Galveston County, Texas. The swap converts volatile merchant market revenue into a fixed, guaranteed payment, allowing GridStor to de‑risk its investment while...
Tokenized Perpetual Swaps Hit $31 Billion Weekly Volume on Commodities Volatility
Tokenized perpetual swaps surged to $30.7 billion in weekly volume, representing 1.72% of the crypto derivatives market. Commodities led the rally, with oil‑linked swaps alone reaching $6.9 billion after heightened geopolitical tension. Stock perpetual swaps exploded 908% to about $4.9 billion, while overall...
Cat Bonds – Maintaining an Equilibrium in Value, for Sponsors & Investors: ILS NYC 2026 Video
Artemis ILS NYC 2026 gathered over 450 market participants for a panel on catastrophe bonds, moderated by Philipp Kusche and featuring leaders from Schroders, the World Bank, Euler ILS Partners and SageSure. The discussion highlighted a record‑fast tightening of cat‑bond spreads...