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VIX is back above 20, stocks are under pressure, and volatility traders have plenty to unpack as Mark Longo and Russell Rhoads celebrate 700 episodes of Volatility Views! On this episode, we break down the market fallout from Meta and Tesla earnings, mounting concerns over AI spending, and what a flatter VIX futures curve reveals about demand for protection. Is volatility establishing a higher floor, or are traders still eager to sell every spike? We also explore: • VIX, VVIX and VOLI—and what skew reveals beneath the surface. • Unusual VIX options activity, weekly trades and a sizable ratio spread roll into December. • October VIX settlement and the challenges of monetizing volatility hedges. • SVIX, UVIX, UVXY and VXX performance, options activity and liquidity. • Russell's approach to weekend volatility exposure. • Our next round of Crystal Ball VIX forecasts. Plus, Mark recaps ALTSO's Rocktoberfest charity event, and we reflect on 700 episodes of navigating the volatility markets.

AMD and Micron rally as the broader market ends the week in the red—but where is the hottest options activity? Mark Longo breaks down the ten most active stock options names, the contracts drawing attention and the intraday reversals that left many expiration-day options worthless. On this episode: • AMD, Micron and Intel buck the market selloff. • Tesla edges out Nvidia for the top spot in the options volume countdown. • Apple's early rally fades, while Meta and Amazon finish lower. • SpaceX and MicroStrategy join the most active names. • A QuikOptions scan reveals 135 trades with more than $1 million in premium, including sizable positions in Taiwan Semiconductor and the GLD gold ETF. Get the strikes, premiums and price action behind the day's busiest options in The Hot Options Report for October 23, 2026. Brought to you by QuikOptions. Explore the scans at TheHotOptionsReport.com.

Earnings fallout slams tech stocks, but Apple refuses to join the selloff. Mark Longo breaks down the day's busiest equity options as Meta's spending outlook rattles investors, Tesla reverses an early rally and Nvidia tops the options activity countdown. On this episode: • META slides as spending and cash flow concerns overshadow revenue. • TSLA's post-earnings reversal puts short-dated upside bets under pressure. • AAPL hits a fresh all-time high while traders target the 350 calls. • NVDA, AMD, CoreWeave, Micron and Intel tumble. • SpaceX gives back its post-earnings gains, while Amazon joins the retreat. Explore the most active options, key strikes and expiration-day stakes heading into Friday, plus a look at QuikOptions' earnings scanner for finding companies reporting results. The Hot Options Report is brought to you by QuikOptions. Explore the data at TheHotOptionsReport.com.

Mark Longo welcomes Dr. Russell Rhoads of Kelley School of Business at Indiana University to break down the futures options activity, volatility shifts and skew changes behind these diverging markets. On this episode: • Natural gas plunges as options volume tops 1 million contracts. Are traders taking profits on puts, positioning for a rebound or rolling their downside exposure? • WTI crude approaches $100, with active trading in December 110 calls and 85 puts as election and geopolitical risks loom. • Nasdaq futures tumble amid concerns about AI spending, sending traders toward downside protection even as far out-of-the-money calls attract substantial volume. • Chicago wheat slides, but call premiums remain elevated. What does the options skew reveal about upside risk? • Russell explores small-cap seasonality and the case for pairing long small-cap exposure with a bearish technology outlook. Plus, the Movers and Shakers report highlights the biggest gains and losses across CME Group markets.

A massive semiconductor call spread runs into a tech selloff—and the timing gets painful fast. On this episode, Mark Longo, Mike Tosaw and Henry Schwartz break down a $12.1 million bullish position in SMH, unusual options activity in Toast, and the market's latest reaction to Meta and Tesla earnings. Henry takes listeners inside the 55,000-lot SMH call spread, explaining its structure, defined risk and sharp decline in value. He also examines heavy call selling in Toast (TOST), including unusual market maker activity and in-the-money opening trades. Plus, the panel explores: • Premarket options trading: early volume trends, wider bid-ask spreads and execution challenges. • Mike's Meta collar adjustments and his reasoning for buying back short calls. • Active options trading in Nvidia, Apple, CoreWeave, Tesla and other leading names. • VIX activity, sector rotation and options pricing around the upcoming midterm elections. Mark also spotlights A Leg To Stand On (ALTSO), the charity helping children with limb disabilities—and the "cool kids" behind this episode's title.

Earnings season heats up as SpaceX takes the top spot in the options countdown and Tesla rallies ahead of its own results. Mark Longo breaks down the day's busiest stock options, the initial after-hours reaction to Tesla earnings, and whether aggressive short-term bets paid off. On this episode: • SpaceX's post-earnings surge and the fate of its popular upside calls. • Tesla's rally, earnings reaction, and positioning at the 400 strike. • Nvidia, AMD, and Micron climb as the AI trade regains momentum. • Netflix slides after earnings while CoreWeave traders reach for a rebound. • Apple rallies, but its busiest calls finish out of the money. • Surprising short-dated activity in SVIX, Rumble, and Tractor Supply. Get the stories behind the volume, with a closer look at options buying, selling, and the intraday moves that separated winners from losers. Explore the scans at TheHotOptionsReport.com.

Are precious metals losing their shine as higher Treasury yields compete for investors' attention? Mark Longo welcomes Dana Samuelson, President of American Gold Exchange, to explore the forces shaping gold, silver, platinum and palladium. They discuss central bank demand for gold, silver's search for a bottom, palladium's persistent weakness and the longer-term case for copper. Dana also explains how stubbornly high diesel prices could weigh on global growth and metals demand—and shares his perspective on Bitcoin's "digital gold" reputation. Plus, we break down the week's biggest futures movers, including coffee's rally, natural gas and wheat declines, and gains in Bitcoin and Ether. We also track the most active futures contracts and examine the year-to-date divide between surging energy prices and struggling commodities.

Can AI identify the biggest problems facing the U.S. options market—or do experienced traders see risks the bots are missing? Mark Longo and Dan Passarelli put ChatGPT and Google Gemini to the test, challenging both to rank the options market's five most pressing concerns. Then they debate the results, separating persistent industry headaches from emerging challenges that could change how you trade. On this episode, we explore: 0DTE options: Does the explosion in same-day expiration trading amplify volatility or help traders manage intraday risk? 24-hour trading: What could extended hours mean for options liquidity, retail traders and overnight position management? Exchange fragmentation: Do more options exchanges improve competition or add costs and complexity? Payment for order flow: How should traders weigh routing conflicts and execution quality? Clearing and infrastructure: Are the bots identifying legitimate vulnerabilities or recycling outdated concerns? Plus, Mark and Dan discuss competition from prediction markets, crypto perpetuals and tokenized derivatives. Dan also introduces his automated earnings time spread platform. Do the bots earn a passing grade? Mark and Dan don't exactly agree—and listeners spot one risk AI conveniently leaves off its own list.

Earnings shake up the options market as SpaceX climbs after hours and Netflix heads in the opposite direction. Mark Longo breaks down the day's busiest options activity, the contracts drawing attention and what traders appear to be positioning for next. On this episode, we explore: • SpaceX (SPCX) earnings reaction and active November 125 puts. • Netflix's after-hours slide and the outlook for near-term call buyers. • Nvidia's short-dated 220 calls as it claims the top spot in the options countdown. • CoreWeave's rebound following a difficult stretch. • Tesla's rally, Apple's pullback and notable activity in AMD, Intel, Amazon and Micron. • An intriguing long-term Intel trade reaching out to June 2028. • A look at this week's stock split and reverse split calendar. For more options data, go to TheHotOptionsReport.com.

What happens when Nvidia options meet the world of 24/7 crypto trading? Mark Longo welcomes Jake Sylvestre, founder of Hypercall, to explore the on-chain options exchange built on Hyperliquid—and its push to bring round-the-clock trading to equity and crypto derivatives. Jake explains how perpetual futures support delta hedging, why market makers are entering the space, and how Hypercall's liquidity and spreads compare with traditional options markets. They also discuss daily expirations, potential weekend expirations, and the challenges of pricing options through earnings and overnight events. Then we break down the latest Bitcoin, Ethereum and altcoin action, including: • Bitcoin options activity in IBIT and an opening vertical spread in MSTR. • Ethereum volatility and the adjusted-options confusion following ETHA's reverse split. • Downside positioning in BMNR and longer-dated calls in Circle. • The pullback in HYPE and PURR, plus shifting options volume. • Updates on Solana, XRP, Dogecoin, Litecoin and more.

CoreWeave keeps traders on edge while Amazon and Tesla help power a tech rebound. On this episode, we break down the day's busiest stock options, the contracts drawing the most attention and how those trades looked after the closing bell. Highlights include: • CoreWeave's volatile session and traders positioning for a rebound by Friday. • Amazon's rally following a Morgan Stanley upgrade. • Tesla's advance and Nvidia's return to the top of the options volume countdown. • Renewed strength in Micron, AMD and Intel. • Apple moving against the broader tech action and Meta recovering from its session lows. • A recurring theme in same-day options: getting the direction right doesn't always mean a winning trade. Plus, we explore QuikOptions' Lucky Seven scan to find stocks and ETFs experiencing a surge in options activity. Explore the tools discussed on the show at TheHotOptionsReport.com.

Stocks are bouncing back, but volatility isn't ready to settle down. On this episode, Mark Longo, Andrew "The Rock Lobster" Giovinazzi and Mike Tosaw break down the market rebound, lingering concerns about AI stocks and the options activity heating up ahead of earnings and the midterm elections. The crew explores Cleveland-Cliffs' earnings-fueled surge and the short-term call trading chasing further upside. Plus, they examine unusual options activity in Equinox Gold, a November VIX straddle and the busy options tape in Nvidia, Tesla, Amazon, CoreWeave and more. In the Strategy Block, Uncle Mike explains why perfectionism can undermine your trading—from handling covered-call assignments and missed rallies to taking profits when you're close to your target. And between the market analysis and trading lessons, a Monopoly trivia battle sparks a debate over race cars, top hats and who would dominate a showdown among the network's hosts.

Apple stands its ground as a brutal Friday selloff slams tech stocks. On this episode, we break down the busiest stock options, with Tesla and Nvidia leading the volume countdown, CoreWeave extending its painful weekly slide, and Apple rallying within striking distance of its all-time high. We examine the most active calls and puts in TSLA, NVDA, AAPL, MU, CRWV, INTC, META, AMZN and PLTR, including a surge of put activity in several major names. Which trades offered opportunities before the closing bell, and which expired worthless despite dramatic intraday moves? Plus, we explore the one-year-low scan at TheHotOptionsReport.com for ideas amid the market turmoil.

VIX surges while we're recording, turning an already unsettled market into a wild ride for volatility traders. On this episode, Mark Longo and Russell Rhoads welcome Dr. Larissa Adamiec, Clinical Associate Professor at Purdue University, to unpack the sudden jump in market fear, shifting VIX futures prices and a rush of options activity. Are inflation concerns, rising Treasury yields and worries about AI valuations rattling investors? The panel explores the potential catalysts and what the relationship between VIX and its futures may reveal about market anxiety. Plus, Russell breaks down notable VIX options trades, including deep in-the-money put spreads and the debate over risk, margin and capital efficiency. We also track the action in SVIX, UVIX, UVXY and VXX, discuss broker restrictions on volatility products and revisit our weekly Crystal Ball predictions after a move nobody saw coming.

Crude oil is rallying, gold is fighting to regain its safe-haven status, and equities are feeling the pressure. On this episode, we welcome Scott Bauer of Prosper Trading Academy to break down the clash across futures options markets as inflation concerns, geopolitical risk and the AI selloff shake up trading. We explore shifting put activity in S&P 500 options, a battered small-cap market and an eye-catching December Russell 2000 call trade. Then we turn to WTI crude oil's push toward $100, elevated energy volatility and unusual options spreads reaching into December 2027. Plus, can gold sustain its rebound? We examine aggressive upside strikes, Scott's preference for defined-risk spreads and whether traders are returning to gold for protection. We wrap up with corn options, heavy December activity and the prospects for a move toward $5.