Volatility Views 289: The VIX Whale Strikes Again

Volatility Review: It's been a good year for VIX at CBOE - No Vol = No problem. Return of the VIX Whale - 2.87M on Wednesday. We finally have the COT Reports for Bitcoin.

Kevin's Weekly Rundown:

VIX Options: ADV - 668k

• VIX call/put - 4, Total 12.9m (10.3m Calls, 2.52m Puts)
• Volatility Voicemail: Options question of the week.

Another ";easy"; one to help kick off the New Year. Quite simply - which name are you looking forward to trading Options on during the upcoming earnings season? Your fav not here? Choose ";Other"; and send it in. Best will be shared on the Option Block.

• Apple (AAPL)
• Tesla (TSLA)
• Amazon (AMZN)
• Other

Listener questions and comments:

• Question from RDuffGordon - My wife reads all of the ";intel"; letters, and told me tonight that CEO's are resigning in droves. The best way to see if this is valid or probable would be a sudden burst of buying of insider puts. Is there such a reporting requirement for, Insiders or recent EX - higher ups which i would expect the sec to require - but all we hear is insider stock ratios etc., but the long put, after 23 years of on floor trading is the ";no brainer"; thing to buy - if one is fairly certain the stock chosen was going to go down, because the 98% winners who risk the entire economy when they sell short puts with abandon need to buy them back one day at a volatility no one could believe ahead of time, as in right now. The insider who quits AAPL may buy puts on Amazon so as to go under the radar. Major sells perhaps on other stocks where the insider who quit quickly knows of another big player(s) who HAS to quit. Finally, what about insiders in or recently of a company buys calls in the VIX? Does that get reported? How long after resigning from a company have to report? I suppose as long as he is above 5 percent of the company he resigned from? THX much- I should know all of this- and that it is perhaps conspiratorial.

Crystal Ball: Your prognostication headquarters

Last week:

• Mark L. - 9.25
• Mark S. - 9.57
• Russell - 9.79

This week:

• Mark L. - 9.55
• Andrew - 9.95
• Kevin - 9.75