Lighter Enables Unified Collateral for Spot and Futures Trading
Decentralized perpetuals exchange Lighter saw its native token LIT surge 13% after rolling out unified collateral accounts for spot and futures trading. The upgrade enables users to use a single collateral pool across trading pairs and marks the first phase toward supporting arbitrary tokens as collateral. Lighter now holds $925.8 million in TVL, ranks fourth by daily volume among perpetual DEXs, and added Korean equity futures with up to 10× leverage. Open interest sits at $782 million, still behind leaders Hyperliquid and Aster.
Brent Option Skew Halves, Signaling Lower Iran Risk
Brent crude option skew—which many have been treating as a proxy of oil market Iran risk perception (see comp to June 2025)—continues to deflate. Down more than half from a week ago, with prices down ~$3/bbl from Wednesday high. Gives a sense...
Fears of AI Disruption Have Created an Opening for This Software Options Trade
The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) has slumped more than 20% as investors fear AI coding tools could upend software businesses. The ETF’s top five holdings—Microsoft, Palantir, Oracle, Salesforce and Applovin—are collectively down about 40% from six‑month highs, pushing...
Gold & Silver Rebound, And A Look Inside The Indian Silver Market
The episode reviews the recent rebound in gold and silver prices, with gold back above $5,000 per ounce and silver futures climbing to $77.89. It delves into the Indian silver market, highlighting rapid price spikes, profit‑taking, and a sharp correction...
Prediction Market Aggregator Stand Launches Counter-Trading Tool
Prediction market aggregator Stand introduced a new feature that automatically places opposite bets to traders who consistently lose. The tool aims to replace traditional copy‑trading, which has become ineffective as top wallets can front‑run followers. Research shows about 70% of...
USD Firms Ahead of CPI as Euro/GBP Options Expire
$USD enjoys a firmer tone ahead of the US CPI. Over 5 bln euro options at $1.1850 expire today. Session low so far is slightly below there. GBP530 mln options at $1.36 expire today. Session low so...
State-Dependent Correlation Between the S&P 500 and the VIX
The episode examines how the correlation between the S&P 500 and the VIX is not static but varies across four distinct market regimes defined by levels of volatility (VOL) and volatility‑of‑volatility (VOV) risk. The authors propose a regime‑switching model that shows...
KC Futures Hold Bull Run Midpoint Near
Don't do this to me...I need my coffee. KC futs have tentatively held up the midpoint of the 2023-2025 bull run (around 290) https://t.co/9M9FIFrM6A
Billions in FX Options Expire at Key Rates Tomorrow
Notable FX option expirations tomorrow: 5.25 bln euros at $1.1850 $1.8 bln at JPY152.00 GBP530 mln at $1.36 https://t.co/JP6hOX0qdC
Futures Settle: Natural Gas Pops, Then Drops After Storage Data
Natural‑gas futures surged early Thursday after the Energy Information Administration reported a 249 Bcf net withdrawal for the week ending Feb. 6, marking a second consecutive week of above‑average draws. The data lifted front‑month prices as traders priced in tighter supplies, but...
Natural Gas Forwards Soften Again, But Basis Strength Signals Risk of Regional Volatility
U.S. natural‑gas forward prices slipped again this week as the market eases from the January cold snap. Prompt‑month contracts fell 26.7 cents, while regional basis spreads showed mixed movement. SoCal Citygate basis peaked near $1.90/MMBtu for 2028 deliveries, whereas Malin remained...
From Text ➡️ Dashboards
In this episode the host shares resources for both learners and active traders, highlighting the free CME Trading Simulator and educational posts on implied forwards and Jensen's inequality. The main focus is on using AI tools to transform textual insights...
Bitcoin Funding Turns Negative, Leveraged Traders Under Pressure
#Bitcoin funding rates on Binance have turned negative. Leverage traders are feeling the pressure. https://t.co/YnIZStZZvF
Binance Holds Massive 50x–100x BTC Longs
Massive 50x and 100x #BTC longs are sitting on Binance, according to CoinGlass data. https://t.co/4Fk16lEAJl
Multifractality and Its Underlying Drivers in Cryptocurrency Markets
The episode delves into a recent study examining multifractality in major cryptocurrency markets, revealing that the complex scaling behavior of assets like Bitcoin, Ethereum, DEX tokens, and NFTs is driven chiefly by long-range temporal correlations rather than merely heavy‑tailed return...
Income Investing Beyond Dividends: Incorporating Options Into Your 2026 Yield Plan
The episode explores how income investing has shifted from relying solely on dividends to incorporating options strategies like covered calls and cash‑secured puts to generate cash flow, especially from non‑dividend‑paying growth stocks. It explains the mechanics of these strategies, their...
Herding in Commodities and Cryptocurrencies
This episode explores herding behavior beyond equities, focusing on cryptocurrency markets during geopolitical shocks and commodity ETFs across different asset classes and time scales. Recent research shows strong, asymmetric herding in crypto—especially in bearish periods and when perceived geopolitical risk...
Larry McMillan Stock Market Update Video 2/9/2026
On February 9, 2026, veteran options strategist Larry McMillan released a market‑update video reviewing the latest equity trends, inflation pressures, and Federal Reserve policy stance. He highlighted persistent volatility that keeps option premiums attractive and outlined sector rotation toward energy and technology stocks....
Volatility Feedback Loop in the VIX Index and Its Derivatives
The episode delves into the dynamics between the VIX spot index, VIX futures, and the implied volatility of VIX options, highlighting a unidirectional causality chain where spot VIX leads futures, which in turn lead option volatility. High‑frequency analysis shows that...
Consus Ag Consulting Afternoon Wrap Up
The episode reviews the mixed early‑trade futures landscape, noting grain prices slipping while soybeans rose on expectations of sustained demand despite uncertain Chinese imports. It highlights Brazil's soybean dynamics—rising harvests but limited exports due to domestic crusher buying and a...
The Long Volatility Premium: Short the Market, Get Paid?
Patrick Kazley’s new paper argues that the apparent drag from buying put options is largely a hidden short‑beta exposure, not an inherent cost of long volatility. By neutralizing this beta, a pure long‑volatility factor delivers positive returns over time. The...