The markets are seeing red as a wild earnings week takes center stage. From the "Tale of Two Techs" (Microsoft vs. Meta) to a massive volatility spike, the All-Star Panel breaks down the trades, the trends, and the unusual activity lighting up the tape. Plus, we dive into the "other" Wolf and an Argentinian oil play.
The All-Star PanelMark Longo: CEO and Founder of the Options Insider Media Group.
Henry "The Flowmaster" Schwartz: Vice President of Institutional Derivatives at Cboe Global Markets.
"Uncle" Mike Tosaw: Wealth Manager at St. Charles Wealth Management.
Trading Block: A Sea of Red and Earnings ChaosThe panel discusses a volatile Thursday session with the S&P 500 seeing a 100-handle range. While tech takes a hit, other sectors like energy and financials are showing resilience.
The Tale of Two Ms: Comparing the diametrically opposite reactions to Meta (META) and Microsoft (MSFT) earnings.
META: Stock up ~10%; those who bought the 700-strike calls for $11 are seeing massive wins.
MSFT: Stock down ~12% (a $58 drop); the same call-buying strategy was a total wipeout.
Tesla (TSLA) Tumbles: Down over 2% as the market reacts to a shift in focus toward robotics and AI over traditional EV growth.
Small Cap Update: Henry Schwartz notes that while the Russell 2000 (IWM) is outperforming YTD (up 6%), historically, this "value over growth" rotation rarely sticks.
VIX Volatility: VIX flirting with an 18 handle. Notable paper includes a massive 50,000 lot of the April 80 calls trading for $0.36.
The Odd Block: Unusual Activity in WULF and YPFThe Flowmaster identifies massive directional bets in two very different names.
1. TeraWulf (WULF) A Bitcoin-related name seeing a $3 million directional bet.
The Trade: Buyer of 36,000 Feb 16 Calls (Average price: $0.82).
Context: This is a massive sweep that creates the largest regular listed position in the name, likely betting on M&A rumors or a Bitcoin rebound.
2. YPF Sociedad Anonima (YPF) An Argentinian energy ADR seeing unusual size.
The Trade: Buyer of 9,999 April 43 Calls.
The "Conspiracy": Why 9,999 instead of 10,000? Henry suggests it might be to dodge block scanners set for five-digit minimums.
Mail Block: Listener PerspectivesQuestion of the Week: How are you trading this earnings week?
Current Results: 44% are selling premium to "live the dream," while the rest are split between buying "juice," trading 0DTE, or staying on the sidelines.
VIX Poll: 75% of listeners would rather sell the April 80 calls for $0.36 than buy them.
Around the Block: What to WatchApple (AAPL) Earnings: Reporting after the bell. The market is pricing in a 4% move—roughly double its historical average.
Sector Rotations: Watching if the energy (XLE) and industrial (CAT) strength can offset the tech drag.
Silver (SLV): Uncle Mike highlights silver’s insane run, outperforming the S&P by 8x last year and up 60% this year.
