The Option Block – Details, episodes & analysis

The markets are seeing red, and the "Flowmaster" Henry Schwartz is back to take the blame for another Thursday sell-off! Join Mark Longo, Uncle Mike Tosaw, and Henry Schwartz as they dissect a volatile session where the S&P 500 is testing key levels and the VIX is flirting with a 25 handle.

In this episode, the panel explores the unusual correlation of "risk-off" sentiment—where even gold and silver are being dumped alongside equities—and whether crypto is actually acting as the new flight-to-safety asset.

• The Trading Block: A deep dive into the VIX spike, the S&P's magnet-like attraction to the 6845 level, and a breakdown of February's record-breaking trading volume (1.32 billion contracts!).

• Sector Analysis: Why industrials (XLI) are leading the decline while energy (XLE) remains a lone green shoot.

• The Odd Block: Unusual activity in StubHub (STUB) following a post-earnings puke, a predictable "jelly roll" in Hertz (HTZ), and a curious call buyer in Warner Music Group (WMG).

• Crypto vs. Metals: Analyzing the surprising resilience of Bitcoin earlier in the week versus the traditional flight to quality in gold.

• Mail Block: The panel reviews listener sentiment on cheap VIX puts and how long the current geopolitical conflict will impact market volatility.

Despite a weekend filled with geopolitical turmoil and the outbreak of open war in the Middle East, the markets opened Monday with a surprising amount of resilience. Join Mark Longo, "Uncle" Mike Tosaw, and Andrew "The Rock Lobster" Giovinazzi as they break down the "weekend risk" playbook and why the "fade the vol spike" strategy is winning the day.

In this episode, the panel discusses:

• The Trading Block: A look at the S&P, NASDAQ, and VIX. Why did the market go from red to green so quickly? Plus, a deep dive into the massive call activity in VIX and SPY.

• The Odd Block: Unusual activity in Nokia (NOK) and the "luxury pawn shop" The RealReal (REAL). Is someone betting on a major tech resurgence?

• Strategy Block: Uncle Mike breaks down the nuances of Delta weighting with Covered Calls. Learn how to capture premium without capping all your upside.

• Around the Block: Predictions for the week ahead, including earnings to watch: Best Buy, Target, Costco, and the volatile ASKS Space Mobile.

Plus: A special "80s Trivia Challenge" featuring a heated debate over the greatest tag team of all time and breaking WWE Hall of Fame news!

Skeletor is lurking, the metals are screaming, and the earnings gauntlet has begun!

In episode 1439 of The Option Block, Mark Longo and the All-Star panel—including "Uncle" Mike Tosaw and Andrew "The Rock Lobster" Giovinazzi—take a trip back to the 1980s. With the massive trailer launch for the new Masters of the Universe film, the team kicks things off with some MOTU trivia before breaking down a market that is getting "weird, wild, and funk-delicious."

• The Trading Block: A look at the "insane" run in Gold ($5k/oz!) and Silver ($100+/oz). Is it a meme, or is inflation finally catching up? Plus, a preview of the "Big Tech" earnings week featuring Meta, Apple, Microsoft, and Tesla.

• The Odd Block: Unusual activity in Papa John's (PZZA) puts, a massive upside play in Aero Copper Corp (ERO), and the "Trump Bump" fade in newcomer USA Rare Earth (USAR).

• The Strategy Block: Uncle Mike discusses the vital importance of choosing the right benchmarks (BXY, CLL, AGG) to measure your options performance accurately.

• Around the Block: The team debates whether the "Zero Day" index options will cannibalize the market and what to expect from the looming Apple and Tesla earnings prints.

• Indices: SPY, IWM, VIX (hovering at 16), VVIX (100)

• Equities: NVDA, TSLA, AAPL, INTC, MSFT, MAT, USAR

• Metals: GLD, SLV (up 12% in a single day)

We're back with another episode of The Option Block. On this episode, we:

• Discuss the latest in the markets including VIX, PTLO
• Talk about the most active equity options for the day including NVDA
• Examine the latest unusual options activity in IVZ, MPLX, BMBL
• Look at selling puts when the market is down
• Ask if DeepSeek is the canary in the coalmine for the end of the AI boom
• And much more

With your hosts:

• Mark Longo, The Options Insider Media Group
• "Uncle" Mike Tosaw, St. Charles Wealth Management
• Andrew "The Rock Lobster" Giovinazzi, The Option Pit

Trading Block: Oprah buys 10% of Weight Watchers, stock soars. Also, earnings!

• Walmart (WMT) stock plunged 10% last week on sharply lower guidance from the company.
• Analysts expect Amazon (AMZN) to report a 21% jump in revenue compared with the year-ago period.
• Yahoo (YHOO) is also expected to notch a 15% jump in revenue. Analysts are betting on Microsoft (MSFT) and IBM (IBM) to maintain reasonably healthy profits amid falling revenue, while American Airlines (AAL) is likely to see a big jump in earnings on plummeting fuel prices.

Odd Block: Calls trade in Santander Consumer USA (SC), calls trade in Sirius XM Holdings (SIRI), and uts trade in Weight Watchers Intl. (WTW).

Strategy Block: Tosaw discusses his most recent trading activities and why he has been staying away from bonds.

Mail Block: Listener questions and comments

• Question from ONV - Do you focus on all stock options that trade at large multiples, or is there some other way that you determine which names to analyze?

Around the Block: Google stands out amid low earnings expectations.

Trading Block: VIX - The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index fell 4.6 percent Thursday to 17.21, after back-to-back gains for the first time since Sept. 28. VIX is down 30 percent this month, on track for the most since July.

Earnings:  The third-quarter earnings crunch begins this week.

• Mattel (MAT) - $22.26, Oct 22 straddle - Approx. $2 / 9% move.
• Netflix (NFLX) added fewer subscribers in the U.S. in the September quarter than it had anticipated.
• Amazon (AMZN) is up 1.6% at $553.29, as traders celebrate lackluster subscriber statistics for programming rival Netflix, Inc.
• Odd Block: Calls trade in Micron Technology Inc. (MU), calls trade in Solarwinds Inc. (SWI), and puts trade in Market Vectors Russia ETF (RSX).

Listener Mail: Listener questions and comments

• Question from Angelo M - I have been listening to the Options Playbook Radio episodes on iron butterflies and skip strike butterflies. I wondered what you guys on the All-Star Panel thought about maybe combining those concepts with a ratio iron butterfly that sells an extra put on the downside leg. My thought process is to do this in stocks where I expect a big move but I also do not mind buying the underlying at the level of the lower leg? It would also help reduce the outlay of the trade and make it easier to break even. Thoughts? Great show and great discussions.
• Question from Futures MD - Does theta increase or change intraday - perhaps around lunch?

Around the Block: Earnings on Friday, October 16 include GE, Honeywell International and WW Grainger.

Trading Block: S&P over 2000. Is Tosaw a bull again? VIX weekly options launch today - after a long wait they are finally here! BlackRock proposes remedy for extreme volatility. Insider trading spreads outside of stocks - New York attorney general Eric T. Schneiderman has launched an inquiry into DraftKings and FanDuel

Odd Block: Strange and unusual activity in P, UUP, and AMX.

Listener Mail: Listeners take over

• Question from Dave - Would you say the options market leads the underlying from a price perspective?
• Question from NKX - How do entries work on options strategies? Is entry random? Should we care when we are filled? Should we adjust often? How often should we adjust on a strategy like an iron condor?

Around the Block: Earnings season kicks off with Alcoa

Trading Block: The streak is broken - VIX Cash finally breaks 20! "More execs should have gone to jail after financial crisis" Bernanke says. Stocks jump as expectations ease of U.S. rate hike; oil gains. The London Metal Exchange (LME) introduces measures to grow options trading on exchange.

Odd Block: Puts trade in Materials Select Sector SPDR (XLB), calls trade in Conoco Phillips (COP), and calls and puts trade in Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl. (VRX)

Strategy Block: Tosaw discusses dealing with covered calls that are going against you.

Around the Block: Alcoa, PepsiCo kick off Q3 earnings season.

Trading Block: A mild selloff at the end of another volatile session: S&P High - 1927, Low - 1900. The S&P 500 slumped 2.6% in September, and posted its first back-to-back quarterly decline in four years. VIX Cash 23.42. US stocks advance, shaving worst quarterly rout in four years. Short sellers cash in Apple bets as stock declines. Metals are getting massacred.

Odd Block: Calls trade in SPDR S&P Metal and Mining (XME), calls trade in EV Energy Partners, LP (EVEP), and puts trade in Apache Corp (APA).

Listener Mail: Listener questions and comments

• Question from TennisGr8 - Last week you mentioned being a market maker made you quick on your feet. This would be similar to a doctor in the emergency room. Does a retail trader need to be that fast and, if so, where can they learn to be that fast?
• Question from Pat - Can you discuss the pros and cons of hedging a portfolio with put back spreads in the respective index, done for a credit? Love all the shows. Thanks for all the education. PS Please do not say Rocktober this year.

Around the Block: September jobs report issued by the Labor Department Friday

Trading Block: An aggressive selloff on the street today. Profits from Chinese industrial companies down 8.8%. GLD taketh away recently.

Odd Block: Strange and unusual activity in BBY, KRE, and MU.

Strategy Block: Uncle Mike discusses trading and managing risk as a perpetual bull.

Around the Block: Will the Chinese bloodbath continue?