Options & Derivatives News and Headlines
Options & Derivatives News and Headlines
Options & Derivatives Pulse
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QFEX, a Cambridge‑backed trading exchange, launched after closing a $9.5 million seed round that values the startup at $95 million. The platform offers 24/7 direct trading of traditional assets, perpetual futures with no expiry, and up to 50× leverage, eliminating brokers and associated fees. Founded by former high‑frequency traders from Tower Research and Citadel, QFEX aims to replace the $100 billion exchange, clearing and brokerage industry with a faster, cheaper, peer‑to‑peer model. The launch positions the company as a disruptive force in global markets.
The FIA Global Cleared Markets Conference in Boca Raton will showcase Trading Technologies' latest initiatives, highlighted by the rapid integration of OpenGamma to deliver advanced margin‑optimization analytics. By pinpointing lower‑margin counterparties and alternative clearing venues, OpenGamma helps clients free capital...
Bond options traders are increasingly betting the Federal Reserve will not cut rates this year. The probability of a no‑cut scenario rose to 25% by Wednesday, up from 17% before the Iran‑Israel conflict escalated. Higher oil prices from the Middle‑East...
The Invesco S&P 500 Equal‑Weight ETF (RSP) has outperformed the market‑cap heavyweight SPY over the last six months as the so‑called “Mag 7” mega‑caps lagged. February recorded a record inflow into RSP, reflecting growing investor interest in a more balanced exposure to...
STG Group has launched STG Securities, a new broker‑dealer division that will act as an electronic market maker, building on the firm’s systematic and quantitative trading expertise. The launch follows the 2024 acquisition of Automated Volatility Trading, bolstering STG’s options...
On February 25, 2026 the Board of Trustees of Investment Managers Series Trust II announced the termination and liquidation of the Tradr 2X Long DASH Daily ETF (ticker DASX). Trading on the Cboe BZX Exchange will cease on March 13, 2026, and the fund will liquidate its assets around March 20, 2026, distributing...
The Bombay Stock Exchange will introduce cash‑settled monthly futures and options on the Sensex Next 30 index, which tracks the most liquid large‑cap stocks outside the flagship Sensex 30. SEBI has approved the contracts, setting expiry on the last Thursday of each...
Global corporates are intensifying foreign‑exchange risk management as trade volatility spikes. A new Treasury Today survey shows 88% now hedge FX, with 61% of previously unhedged firms contemplating hedging. Despite a 67% surge in hedging costs, activity has risen and...
U.S.–Iran hostilities and renewed Trump tariff threats pushed the S&P 500, Nasdaq and Dow below their 50‑day moving averages, deepening market volatility. The IBD Breakout Opportunities ETF (BOUT) gapped down, testing its 10‑week average, while individual breakout candidates like Ubiquiti, Motorola...
Kurv Silver Enhanced Income ETF (KSLV) employs an active, option‑based layer that captures more of silver’s upside than the covered‑call‑centric SLVO. The strategy’s unleveraged silver exposure and return‑of‑capital distributions give it a tax‑advantaged edge. The analyst upgrades KSLV to a...
London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) has signed an agreement with the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) to upgrade the ASX 24 derivatives trading platform. The partnership will embed LSEG’s Markets Technology, delivering a high‑performance, low‑latency system with greater resilience and lower...
Andover Companies, a long‑standing mutual insurer in the Northeast, is seeking to upsize its upcoming Locke Tavern Re cat‑bond to between $250 million and $300 million. The new Series 2026‑1 issuance will feature two tranches—Class A and Class B—each expanded to $125‑150 million, with price guidance...
The US‑Israel‑Iran war has triggered an immediate surge in derivatives trading, especially ultra‑short‑dated options. Zero‑days‑to‑expiration (0DTE) contracts now dominate SPX volume, accounting for two‑thirds of activity. Traders are buying protective puts to hedge against further escalation, while crypto options have...
Effective March 3, 2026 the NSCC will no longer accept exercise and assignment activity for Trineso PLC (TSE) options, prompting the OCC to shift all settlements to a broker‑to‑broker model. The underlying deliverable remains 100 TSEOF shares, but if delivery is impossible the...
Bulls have taken control of the physical natural gas market as spot prices showed mixed movement but futures advanced. Traders are looking past the early‑March shoulder season, focusing on colder weather forecasts and strong LNG export activity. Geopolitical tension from...
Leveraged and inverse ETFs posted strong weekly gains, with Defiance’s IONX leading at 36.79% after IonQ’s earnings surge. Gold‑related leveraged products such as GDXU, AGQ, and NUGT posted 20%‑plus returns driven by rising precious‑metal prices amid Middle‑East tensions. Regional and...
Sea Ltd (NYSE: SE) missed fourth‑quarter earnings expectations as higher operating costs and a slower GMV growth outlook weighed on the e‑commerce giant. The stock fell 16.9% to $87.43, extending a 30.7% YTD decline and approaching its 52‑week low. Options...
Covered call ETFs are gaining traction among Canadian self‑directed investors seeking higher distribution yields than traditional equities or bonds. These funds generate cash flow by writing call options against the underlying portfolio, delivering enhanced income in volatile markets. While they...
During the weekend of Feb. 28 Iran strikes, CME’s COMEX gold futures were closed for 48 hours, leaving a gap for macro‑risk pricing. Always‑on perpetual contracts on Hyperliquid and Binance stayed live, with Hyperliquid’s gold and silver perps trading at...
ISDA and EMTA have issued the 2026 FX Definitions, a comprehensive overhaul of foreign‑exchange derivative documentation. The new standards, slated for implementation on November 22, 2027, replace the 1998 FX and Currency Option Definitions and merge ISDA and EMTA templates...
Bullish traders bought 2,000 USO March 20 84‑call contracts on Feb 26, just before the Strait of Hormuz was effectively shut after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. The closure halted roughly 20 % of global seaborne oil, sending Brent up 13 %...
Bloomberg has upgraded its real‑time news feeds by introducing tickerised, machine‑readable streams that can be customized by instrument, company or macro theme. The new service embeds proprietary sentiment models and granular metadata, delivering actionable signals directly into trading and risk‑management...
Defiance ETFs announced the launch of DRNL, a 2x daily leveraged exchange‑traded fund that tracks the BITA Pure Drone and Aerial Automation Index. The ETF aims to deliver twice the daily percentage change of companies involved in drone manufacturing, software,...
BlackRock's iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Swap UCITS ETF launched in London on 23 February 2026, ticker ESWP, expanding its synthetic ETF suite. The fund tracks the MSCI Emerging Markets Index via unfunded total‑return swaps, offering a 0.14% TER, 4 basis...
Amplify CWP International Enhanced Div Inc ETF (IDVO) employs an active, ex‑US covered‑call strategy that leans heavily into cyclical sectors, aiming to monetize heightened market volatility. The author sees recent post‑Iran geopolitical turbulence as a catalyst to accumulate IDVO, hoping...
On February 11, 2026 ISDA and the Association of Securities and Intermediaries in Financial Markets (ASIFMA) sent a joint letter to the Reserve Bank of India requesting clarification on the RBI’s 2025 Master Direction for Rupee Interest Rate Derivatives. The...
On February 17, 2026 the OCC adjusted SMX (Security Matters) Public Limited Company options, creating the SMX1 contract. Each SMX1 contract now delivers 20 SMX ordinary shares and a cash‑in‑lieu payment of $16.48, calculated using a $34.338299 per‑share price. The cash portion...
The Options Clearing Corporation’s Governance and Nominating Committee has put forward two candidates—Joseph C. Lewis of Jefferies LLC and Joshua Woods of Citadel Securities—for Class I Member Director seats. The election will occur at the April 22, 2026 annual stockholders meeting, with each...
Lawrence G. McMillan details a rolling‑up options strategy applied to the Silver ETF (SLV), where deep‑in‑the‑money calls were sold for credit and replaced with at‑the‑money calls. Each roll generated cash, creating a psychological edge and limiting downside to the premium...
Natural gas futures slipped back toward $3 per MMBtu after early gains, as technical resistance halted the rally. The NYMEX April contract was rejected at $3.03, signaling market caution. Simultaneously, escalating Iranian attacks disrupted global LNG flows, adding geopolitical pressure....
Lawrence G. McMillan hosted a deep‑dive webinar on volatility derivatives, moving beyond the basic VIX definition to explore real‑world behavior of VIX futures, term structure, and hedged spreads. The session covered practical tactics such as "The Big (Volatility) Short" and...
Bullish traders bought 2,500 RTX April 17 220 call contracts at $1.80 on Feb 25, just days before a massive U.S.–Israel strike on Iran. The operation, called Operation Epic Fury, sparked a surge in demand for RTX’s SM‑3, SM‑6 and Tomahawk missiles, lifting...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Mid‑session IV report (Feb 27 2026) highlights rising implied volatility across several large‑cap names and a surge in unusual option activity. Apple, Target and Citigroup show elevated 30‑day call IVs, while high‑growth stocks such as AST SpaceMobile, EchoStar and MongoDB post weekly...
