Hedge Funds Ramped up Oil Longs Ahead of Iran Attack
Hedge funds significantly increased long positions in crude oil as tensions between Iran and Israel escalated, anticipating a potential supply shock. Data from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission shows a roughly 15% rise in net long exposure, equivalent to about $4 billion in additional contracts. Futures prices have already climbed toward $90 per barrel, reflecting the market’s risk‑off bias. The surge underscores how quickly capital can shift toward commodities when geopolitical risk spikes.

Upgrade Your Trading: Switch From Excel to Python
Stop trading in Excel like it’s 2009. Start using Python + ChatGPT. Here's 7 small steps:
Buy SPX Dips Near 6800 Amid Oil‑driven Volatility
Elevated volatility as oil spikes and heavy Treasury settlements. S&P gamma at 6800; VIX resists ~20. Risk: higher oil, weaker productivity → yields up. Trade: buy SPX dips near 6800. — Viktor Kopylov, PhD, CFA More insights: t.me/si14Kopylov
GJF, GJF 04: Exercising Option to Call Restricted Bond, Tier 1 (ISIN NO0010965429)
Gjensidige Forsikring ASA announced on 2 March 2026 that it will exercise its call option to redeem the entire outstanding issue of Tier 1 restricted bonds (ISIN NO0010965429). The redemption, approved by Norway's Financial Supervisory Authority, covers a loan amount of NOK 713 million and will...

War‑time Trade Lifts Commodities, S&P Teeters at 6785
Mostly red arrows around the world as weekend Middle East events have the “war time trade” in motion, with silver/gold/oil higher and $SPX futures -70. Key is whether $SPX holds 6780–6790 to keep the upper range intact, or if it...
Traders Shift War Hedge to Longer‑Dated Options
"it's hard to hedge a war with a 0DTE contract, which is why we are seeing this positioning expressed further out on the curve" -Captain Craig @t1alpha
Updated OTC Derivatives Compliance Calendar
ISDA has published an updated global compliance calendar for OTC derivatives, outlining key regulatory deadlines worldwide. The update also includes a Market Practice Note detailing the rebasing methodology for several European inflation indices. Additionally, ISDA provides guidance for EU counterparties...

A First in Fintech: The AI-Native Options Intelligence API
Trading Volatility launched an AI‑native options intelligence API, the first of its kind in fintech. The service delivers derived market‑structure data—gamma levels, regime diagnostics, call pressure, skew and IV metrics—in deterministic, agent‑readable schemas. Built for machine consumption, it lets large...
Indian Leveraged Futures Likely to Be Squashed Before Holi
Logically, if the war is not over, Indians with leveraged stock futures positions and MTF positions will not hold onto them into a Holi Holiday tomorrow - expect a lot of squaring up in the second half of the day....

Cross-Asset Vols Spike on Iran Risk as Oil Surges
Cross‑asset implied volatilities surged after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, with oil 1‑month vol jumping 7 points and the skew inverting through the 6‑month curve – a pattern last seen during the 2022 Russia‑Ukraine war. Credit volatility also spiked,...
Crisis Mode Returns: US‑Israel Strikes Ignite Market Volatility
Markets are back in crisis mode with the US–Israel strikes on Iran dominating headlines: global risk assets are reacting, oil prices are spiking, and S&P volatility is alive. Join us LIVE at 6pm EST as we break down how ES futures...
Calamos Market Neutral Income Strategy Q4 2025 Commentary
Calamos Market Neutral Income Strategy posted a 1.53% net return in Q4 2025, beating the Bloomberg US Government/Credit Bond Index’s 0.90% gain. The fund’s performance was driven by a strong hedged‑equity book and continued arbitrage activity, even as SPAC arbitrage...

Expanding Volatility Signals Upcoming Continuation Setups
4 out of 5 signals nailed in NQ Friday 🔥 Balanced market. Flat VWAP. Clean rotations between deviation bands. But this week? Volatility expanding = continuation setups likely take over. Comment VWAP and I’ll send you the free Discord link 👇 #vwap #futurestrading #tradingstrategy

Zero-Day Options Boom Is Coming for Big Tech as Hedging Picks Up
Traders are gearing up for a surge in zero‑day options (0DTE) on major tech names as the broader equity rally loses steam. Sector rotations have flattened S&P 500 gains for the year, and the close of earnings season has heightened...

Discover Nifty Futures' Hidden Implied Financing Rate
Everyone watches Nifty50 futures price. Some track IV in options trading... >> Almost nobody tracks the hidden interest rate inside Nifty futures. >> It’s called Implied Financing. And once you understand how implied financing drives Nifty50 futures, options pricing, and volatility structure… You’ll never look...

Tight Bollinger Bands Signal Potential Upside Volatility
Futures open down only 1% for the S&P 500. Bollinger Bands are about as tight as they've been in years. The spring is coiling. How many think it'll be volatility to the upside? https://t.co/QMWz06txWk

Higher F&O Taxes Won’t Deter Small Investors, Says NSE CEO Ashish Chauhan; Calls for Tax-Based Entry Filter
NSE Managing Director Ashish Chauhan argued that recent hikes in Securities Transaction Tax (STT) will not discourage retail participation in futures‑and‑options (F&O) trading. He suggested that eligibility for derivatives should be tied to an investor’s tax‑paying capacity, proposing a minimum...

S&P 500 Near 100‑Day MA, Futures Slip 1%
S&P 500 had been holding the 100-day moving average. That level 6831 now. Futures down 1% at 6815. Let’s see if we get a close below there. https://t.co/rCkhL5PUZi

Oil Prices Surge: Brent Up 9%, WTI Up 8%
Brent crude oil +9% to $79 WTI crude oil +8% to $72 RBOB gasoline futures +5% to $2.42 https://t.co/Z7uoT3rHYZ
Episode 416 Option Trading Podcast February 28, 2026
In Episode 416 of The Weekly Option, host Eric reviews last week's option trades—including a successful covered call on the 2X Long VIX Futures ETF, a cash‑secured put on Celas Life Sciences, a credit spread on First Majestic Silver, and...
Tight Index Range Masks Historic Market Dispersion
In this episode, we sit down with Piper’s Head of Options Strategy, Danny Kirsch to unpack one of the most unusual market environments in decades. The index has traded in a tight range, yet beneath that stability we’re seeing historic...
Asian Session Opens in 7 Hours, Risk Integration Begins
Just under 7 hours until the Asian session open and the markets can start working some of this risk into market exposure and hedging

Bitcoin Sets up Potential Short Squeeze as Funding Plunges to -6%
Bitcoin's perpetual funding rate plunged to -6%, the most negative level in three months, reflecting aggressive short positioning as the price briefly slipped to $63,000. Coin‑margined open interest climbed to 687,000 BTC, showing heightened participation despite the dip. Over $500 million...

VIX Spikes Signal Potential SPX Plunge at Open
Going back to collapse of the Internet bubble, serious VIX spikes coincide with big drops from 52-week highs for $SPX. Second chart is a closer look at current times. Do we go down hard when futures open later today?? https://t.co/XnG2Iu29Fd

BTC Faces $8B Short Squeeze as Longs Stay Minimal
A strong leverage imbalance in BTC: around $8 billion in short positions and less than $200 million in longs. Although #Bitcoin has slightly recovered today, the market still seems to be expecting a continuation of the escalation of the conflict. https://t.co/yZKxSSUIGw
NSE Eyes Electricity Futures and Coal Spot Exchange as Next Growth Drivers
India’s National Stock Exchange (NSE) announced plans to launch electricity futures, a coal spot exchange and broaden its commodity offerings, leveraging its high‑speed trading infrastructure. CEO Ashish Chauhan said the exchange’s existing systems for order processing, clearing and risk management...

XAUT Cracks Binance Top‑10 Perpetual Trading Pairs
#XAUT has officially entered the Top 10 perpetual trading pairs on Binance, according to CryptoQuant. https://t.co/SdMYcOKgm1

Hedge Funds Maxed Bullish Brent Bets Ahead of Iran Attack
Bullish Brent positions at nearly two-year high prior to attack on Iran Before the United States and Israel attacked Iran, hedge funds and other money managers amassed the largest bullish position in Brent crude futures and options for almost two years,...
Iran-Israel Conflict: Expect a Gap-Up Opening in Gold and Silver. Here's How to Trade Bullion on Monday
The recent pre‑emptive Israeli strike on Iran has reignited geopolitical tension, prompting a sharp rally in precious metals. While Indian MCX gold and silver futures slipped modestly on Friday, COMEX prices surged, with gold up 2% to $5,296 per ounce...

Netflix PMCC Trade Closed: Results Revealed
You Asked What Happened… Here’s How the Netflix PMCC Trade Finished #optionstrader #optionstrading #tradingstrategy #pmcc
Iran Risk Unpriced; Protect Positions Ahead of Expiry
I warned IRAN RISK IS NOT PRICED IN - 2 weeks ago setting up for clients how to protect. And then last week: Iran Risk Is Not Priced In, Still Then Friday morning live & in this Weekend Risk client post: "I’m racing...
#58458
Effective February 27, 2026 the Options Clearing Corporation announced that the National Securities Clearing Corporation will no longer accept settlement of RAPT Therapeutics option exercises. All RAPT option exercises and assignments will therefore settle on a broker‑to‑broker basis, with the...
One Strategy Mastered Beats Ten Half‑Done Ones
You don't need 10 strategies. You need one — done consistently and correctly. Mastery over variety. Every time.
Vol and Bond Markets Signal Inside News Ahead
Spot vol beta in the VIX complex was relatively hot yesterday. Nothing insane, but more towards the high end of what we usually see. S&P closed down about 60bps, VIX up about a vol point /VX up about 4%. Strong...
#58453
Monroe Capital Corporation’s listed options will be adjusted following its proposed merger with Horizon Technology Finance Corporation. The OCC will change the option symbol from MRCC to HRZN1 and increase the contract multiplier from 1 to 100, meaning each contract...

Master End-to-End Python Algo Trading: Roadmap, Skills, Tools
Build an End-to-End Python Algorithmic Trading System (complete roadmap + skills + tools) Bookmark this.
1‑2% Rule Designed for Pit Traders, Not Retail
Traders beware of random information without context. The 1%-2% rule was conceived by smart futures pit traders in the 1980s who executed dozens or hundreds of trades per day. The average retail trader who does a few trades/wk will never...

Closing Grain and Livestock Futures: February 27, 2026
U.S. grain futures closed modestly higher on Feb. 27, 2026, with March corn up 5.4 cents to $4.38, soybeans gaining 9.5 cents to $11.57, and Chicago wheat rising 19.5 cents to $5.91 per bushel. Rough rice also posted a 45‑cent...

SPX Implied ~6800; P/E Drops 2 Points Since Nov 2025
With SPX implied near 6800, the P/E multiple is down almost 2pts from the November 2025 high https://t.co/bDmapKAmlt
Call Skew Lowers Oil Spreads, Polymarket Binaries Boost Value
I wrote about Polymarket Iran markets and crude vols last week but didn't cover oil call spreads vs the odds. Jacked call skew makes call spreads cheaper in oil but the presence of Polymarket binaries creates a bid for them...
#58450
ETHZilla Corporation will rebrand as Forum Markets, Incorporated (ticker FRMM) effective March 2, 2026, prompting a change of its equity and option symbols from ETHZ/ETHZ1 to FRMM/FRMM1. The corporate action leaves strike prices and other option terms unchanged, but the contract multiplier...
#58449
Global X Disruptive Materials ETF (DMAT) will be renamed Global X Rare Earth & Critical Materials ETF, trading under the new ticker EART effective March 2, 2026. The option symbol will also shift from DMAT to EART, with the contract multiplier increasing...

Fade Extreme Breakouts; Trade Location, Not Emotion
Breakouts look strong… until they reverse. 🚨 If we’re inside value with a flat VWAP, chasing highs is usually the trap. Fade statistical extremes. Trade location, not emotion. Link in profile 📲 #DayTrading #FuturesMarket #TradingEducation
Private‑credit and AI Scare Trade Slashed Stocks, Volatility Ahead
1% from ATHs, pathetic, imagine when real vol shows up: Private-credit ‘cockroaches’ and the AI ‘scare trade’ hammered stocks in February. Here’s what else has investors shaken up. https://t.co/mzDqO7IsGo
Option ETF Popularity Showcases Need for Portfolio Security
Option‑strategy ETFs have hit a new record, attracting roughly $65 billion of inflows projected for 2025. The Calamos Laddered S&P 500 Structured Alt Protection ETF (CPSL) exemplifies this trend by bundling twelve monthly Calamos Structured Protection ETFs into a single ticker. CPSL...

Funds Snap up Record CBOT Wheat, Futures Rise 3%
📈Funds bought a massive amount of CBOT wheat in the week ended Feb. 24. Net buying neared 51,000 futures & options contracts, the third most for any week on record. Funds were net short 17.3k contracts as of Feb. 24, but...

TSLA Cheap Vol, but Skew Makes Puts Pricey
TSLA is frustrating...vol is cheap and I want the nitroglycerine puts but the skew is jacked. https://t.co/e8sACX2GXu
This Small-Cap Options Trade Profits Regardless of Market Direction
The article promotes a weekly covered‑call (buy‑write) strategy on the leveraged small‑cap ETF TNA, where investors buy 100 shares and sell out‑of‑the‑money calls each week. The premium received cuts the stock’s cost basis and can generate roughly 4.6% return if...

AmEx Buying Holds Steady Amid White‑
$AXP put buying staying constant Hammered this week on the idea that the end of white collar knowledge workers disrupts its card user spending https://t.co/Cd5J3HA4N4
Understanding Covered Calls vs Equivalent Stock Delta Sale
Today's spaced repetition is structured as a slow-as-molasses homework that builds up to understanding the nature of covered calls vs the equivalent portfolio of selling [delta] amount of your stock (which is the right basis of comparison)