Unusual Options Activity

Nearly 9,100 contracts traded on the June 2021 $640 calls on Tesla Motors (TSLA) recently. That’s a 12-fold rise over the prior open interest of 766 contracts. The trade, expiring in 248 days, would require shares to rally about 45 percent from their current price. The option buyer paid about $51.90, or $5,190 per contract to make the far out-of-the-money trade. Shares of the company have been one of the top performers in the past year. While a 45 percent move in ...
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Nearly 2,100 contracts traded on the November 20th $110 puts on Xilinx (XLNX) recently. The trades amounted to an 18-fold rise in volume on the trade based on the prior open interest of 114 contracts. Expiring in 39 days, the trade is a bet that shares will shed about $9 from their current price near $119. Shares of the tech company soared on Friday on the announcement that Advanced Micro Devices was in advanced talks to buy the firm. The buyer of ...
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Over 4,100 contracts traded on May 2021 $16 calls on American Airlines (AAL). That’s a 40-fold rise in volume from the prior open interest near 100 contracts. The bet, expiring in 224 days, would require shares to rally to $16 from their current price near $13.50. That’s about an 18.5 percent return. The trader paid about $2.70 for the contracts on average. This bet comes as the airline industry struggles to reach passenger traffic one-third the level of this time a year ...
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With a 33-fold rise in volume on the October 30th $50 calls, one trader is betting on a big move higher in Las Vegas Sands (LVS) this month. With 22 days until expiration, the call would require shares to rally about 10 percent for the trade to move in-the-money. The option buyer paid about $1.26 on average for the option, so shares would need to rally quickly and strongly to offset the declining time premium on the contract. Gaming companies have seen ...
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One trader is betting that shares of Applied Materials (AMAT) will soar in the next two days. That’s because over 6,100 contracts traded on Friday’s $63.50 calls, a 42-fold surge in volume. With shares currently trading around $61.50, the option is about 3.3 percent out-of-the-money. The option buyer paid about $0.30, or $30 per contract. While inexpensive, the option stands a good chance of expiring at zero come Friday. Shares of the chipmaker have traded as high as $70 twice this year, ...
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At least one trader is betting on a bounce higher in airline manufacturer Boeing (BA) this month. The October 23rd $187.50 calls just saw 1,188 contracts trade. That’s a nine-fold rise in volume over the prior open interest. Shares trade around $171, so would need to rally about 10 percent in the next 17 days for the trade to move in-the-money. That’s no small feat, but shares of the company have been volatile enough that it could happen. The option trader paid ...
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The energy space continues to remain out of favor as demand remains low. Traders remain bearish, as indicated by the surge in buying in the January 2021 $17.50 puts on Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A). Over 1,780 contracts traded on Friday, a 15-fold rise in volume. The oil giant’s shares are near $24, so the put buyer needs shares to drop over 25 percent in the next 102 days before the option expires for the trade to move in-the-money. The Anglo-Dutch oil giant ...
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Traders are betting on a rally in tech giant Microsoft (MSFT). The November 6th $230 calls, expiring in just over a month, saw a huge uptick in volume. Over 7,000 contracts traded, a 30-fold rise in volume from the prior open interest. With shares around $212, the $230 calls represent just under a 10 percent rally in shares from here in the next month, at least if the option trade is to move in-the-money. The buyer paid $3.33 per contract. With a ...
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