The Council of Elders Reconvenes: The Greenland Siege and the Power of Gamma

In this episode of Volatility Views, the Council of Elders—Mark Longo, Russell Rhoads, and Mark Sebastian—gather at the Hall of Wisdom to break down a week of market madness that would make Skeletor blush. From VIX spikes driven by "Greenland Siege" headlines to the massive $100 breakout in Silver, the team analyzes the forces reshaping the volatility landscape.

• The Volatility Review: The team breaks down the "Greenland Whipsaw." We look at the VIX Cash flirting with a 20 handle before "deal" headlines sent vol crashing back to the Pit of Peril.

• Attack of the Zero DTEs: Huge news from NASDAQ! The Elders discuss the launch of daily options on individual equities. Is this a boon for traders or a "Snake Mountain" trap of contra-exercise risk?

• VIX Term Structure & Tactical Flow: Russell and Mark dive into the Feb/March roll and the staggering volume in Feb 25 and 35 calls. Plus, a look at the "Hero's Journey" for Silver as it hits the par strike.

• Vol Death Match 2.0: Get ready for the ultimate showdown between the Flow Master and Scott Nations. Two men enter, one man emerges—you decide the victor at theoptionsinsider.com/pro .

• Eternia Nostalgia: The crew is "unreasonably excited" for the new Masters of the Universe movie. We discuss the teaser for the teaser, the lack of "CGI roids" on the new He-Man, and why a Snake Mountain popcorn bucket is a mandatory purchase.

• Mark Longo: The Options Insider

• Russell Rhoads: Indiana University

• Mark Sebastian: Option Pit

The Option Block goes on the road! This week, Mark Longo is coming to you live from the Securities Traders Association (STA) 100th Anniversary event in Chicago. Joined in person by Henry "The Flowmaster" Schwartz, the team breaks down the biggest highlights from the conference and the massive volatility shifts hitting the equity markets.

• Live from the Floor: Mark and Henry discuss the 100-year legacy of the STA and the evolution of the options industry from the birth of the CBOE in 1973 to today's high-volume digital environment.

• The State of the Industry: Henry shares key takeaways from his panel, including the explosion of volume in Single Stock, ETF, and Index options. Plus, a look at how Robinhood has reshaped retail education and reduced friction for a new generation of traders.

• Volume Predictions for 2026: With the market currently averaging 66-67 million contracts a day, are we on track for a record-shattering 17 billion contracts this year?

• Monday & Wednesday Expirations: It's a done deal! The team discusses the upcoming listing of Monday and Wednesday daily expirations for major names like Tesla, Nvidia, and Apple, and what this means for after-hours risk management.

• The "Greenland Trade": Navigating a week where the market swung 100 handles down and 100 handles back up on geopolitical volatility.

• The Odd Block: The Flowmaster provides an update on ARDX and CWEN, plus a deep dive into the Mag 10 (Magnificent 10 Index) where put volume is currently lighting up the tape at record levels.

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This episode of The Option Block is brought to you by Cboe Global Markets. To learn more about the suite of S&P 500 Index Options (SPX) and Mini S&P 500 (XSP) options, visit https:// cboe.com/spx

Geopolitical drama is back on the menu, and the futures options markets are feeling the heat. In this episode of This Week in Futures Options (TWIFO), Mark Longo breaks down a wild week where nearly every complex saw a volatility explosion. From potential trade wars to "Greenland drama," we explore how the tape is reacting at CME Group.

On today's episode, we dive into:

• The Volatility Spike: A look at the CVOL (CME Volatility Index) across the board. Why Treasury vol is roaring back to life (up 10 points) and Energy is pining the needle at 69.35.

• Natural Gas Mania: Nat Gas jumps a staggering 57% as the polar vortex hits.

• Metals & FX: Precious metals explode in both price and vol, while FX vol gains a full point on trade war chatter.

• The Dark Side: Bitcoin slides over 8%, leading the losers alongside Palladium and Copper.

• Nasdaq vs. Small Caps: We analyze the pronounced rotation out of large-cap tech and into small caps.

• Zero-DTE Action: A deep dive into the massive paper hitting the Nasdaq-100 (NQ), where 0-DTE contracts dominated 43% of the weekly flow.

• The March Skew: Why traders are paying a premium for March 24,000 puts in the Nasdaq and what it means for the next 60 days of market risk.

• Call Discounts: Is the 13.5% discount on March calls a buying opportunity or a warning sign?

• Geopolitical Impact: How the "Greenland deal" headlines and Middle East tensions are impacting WTI and precious metals.

In this episode of The Hot Options Report, Mark Longo breaks down a respectable day on the options tape, where it took over 522,000 contracts just to break into the Top 10. We dive deep into the massive retail and institutional flow hitting the tape for Tesla (TSLA) as robo-taxi hype sends shares soaring toward the key $450 level.

We also analyze the fallout from Intel (INTC) earnings—why the stock is sliding in the after-hours despite a recent massive run—and look at the long-term "winner winner chicken dinner" bets being placed on Netflix (NFLX).

On today's report, we cover:

• Tesla (TSLA): The battle for the 450 strike and the massive volume leading the tape.

• Intel (INTC): Post-earnings breakdown—why the Jan 60 calls are feeling the pain.

• Netflix (NFLX): Huge size moving in the September 100 calls. Is paper betting on a long-term recovery?

• Meta (META): A massive $34 rally—is the "bargain" hunt officially on?

• Nvidia (NVDA) & AMD: Tracking the semiconductor giants as they navigate pre-earnings positioning.

• Micron (MU) & Apple (AAPL): Checking the pulse of the tech heavyweights as they fight for gains.

Whether you're tracking the VIX or hunting for the next big move in Mag 7 options, get the data you need to "kick the tires and light the fires" in your trading account.

Get more at TheHotOptionsReport.com for the best free options data in the game.

Mark Longo breaks down a tumultuous week 3 of 2026 as geopolitical tensions over Greenland drive massive futures volume.

The first three weeks of 2026 have been a geopolitical whirlwind. From "snatch and grab" maneuvers in Venezuela to carrier strike fleets moving toward Iran, and now a brewing trade war over Greenland, the futures markets are lighting up with volatility. Mark Longo takes you into the trading pit for a breakdown of what's limit up and what's crashing.

Inside the Trading Pit:

• The Metals Super-Cycle: Silver continues its rampage, up another 7.6% this week after a 25% gain last week. Is it unstoppable?

• Energy Update: An arctic polar vortex is sending Natural Gas soaring over 21% this week. Meanwhile, Heating Oil jumps 6.25% as the cold snap hits the Midwest.

• Lithium's Wild Ride: Up nearly 11% this week and a staggering 42.4% year-to-date. Mark explores what's driving this electric move.

• The Crypto Slide: Bitcoin and Ether futures both outpaced the downside this week, dropping 6% and 9% respectively.

• Ag & Softs: Cocoa continues to get cheaper for your breakfast table, down nearly 15% this week and 26% for the year.

• Volume King: The Nasdaq 100 Micro steals the throne with over 2.1 million contracts on the tape.

Watch the Year-to-Date Leaders: We analyze the rotation out of large-cap tech and the surprising strength in commodities like Palladium and Platinum.

0:00 – Introduction: 19 Years of the Network! 1:30 – Geopolitical Update: Venezuela, Iran, and Greenland 3:45 – Top 5 Gainers: Silver, Nat Gas, and the "Shiny Stuff" 6:10 – Top 5 Losers: The Crypto Pain & Cocoa's Collapse 9:20 – Volume Report: Nasdaq Micros vs. The 10-Year Note 11:50 – Year-to-Date Movers: Lithium's 42% Rampage 14:00 – Closing Remarks: Join us for This Week in Futures Options

Brought to you by tastytrade.com/podcasts

The options tape was lighting up on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, as the market clawed back from a bruising session. Tech roared back to life, led by a historic run in Intel (INTC) and a massive upside move in AMD. Mark Longo breaks down the top 10 most active names and the "Hot Options" driving the flow.

On Today's Report:

• The Semiconductor Warpath: Micron (MU) continues its rampage, closing up 6.6% as traders pile into the 400 calls.

• Intel's Epic Run: INTC surges nearly 12% to close at $54.25. We look at the "outlandish" March 60 calls that aren't looking so crazy anymore.

• AMD Rocking: Up nearly 8% today, AMD put up 1.1 million contracts. Are the 250 calls too rich for your blood?

• The Tesla Appropriate Strike: TSLA climbs back over $430 on the heels of Greenland headlines. We look at the massive paper in the 420 calls.

• Nvidia Retakes the Crown: NVDA is back at #1 with 2.38 million contracts. Will the 185s hold through the end of the week?

• Plus: Analysis of flow in Amazon (AMZN), Microsoft (MSFT), Palantir (PLTR), Apple (AAPL), and Netflix (NFLX).

Get the Data: Don't just listen to the report—see the data yourself at HotOptionsReport.com . Kick the tires and light the fires on your own trading account.

In this episode, Mark Longo and Dan Passarelli take a nostalgic trip back to the 80s to become the Masters of the Volatility Universe. Whether you're a "Prince Adam" of the markets or just starting your basic training, this episode is a comprehensive refresher on the most important force in options pricing: Volatility.

The Drill Instructors break down:

• Volatility as the Speedometer: Why direction matters less than velocity when measuring vol.

• Realized vs. Historical Volatility: Understanding the concrete, backward-looking data of price swings.

• Implied Volatility (IV): Why Mark calls it the "Fudge Factor" of the options market and how it acts as a forward-looking forecast.

• The Volatility Risk Premium (VRP): Why options are often "overpriced" and how premium sellers harvest that edge.

• Supply and Demand: Dan's take on why IV is often more about market noise than actual future predictions.

• 2026 VIX Prognostications: Where will the "Fear Gauge" end the year? Dan puts his official number on the record.

The "Greenland Effect" took hold of the tape this Tuesday as geopolitical friction sent the markets into a sea of red. In this episode of The Hot Options Report, host Mark Longo analyzes a high-stakes session where safe-haven scrambles and tariff threats dominated the flow. While the top 10 required nearly half a million contracts just to break in, the real story was the massive retreat in semi-conductors and tech giants.

Inside the Top 10 Options Breakdown:

• Nvidia (NVDA): The undisputed king puts up exactly 2.00 million contracts as trade war fears drive a 4.5% slide. Are traders loading up on the $180 calls for a late-week bounce?

• Netflix (NFLX): "Rolling the bones" ahead of earnings. We track the massive 100-strike call volume and the immediate $4 after-hours drop following the bell.

• Tesla (TSLA): A rough 4.2% haircut. We analyze the heavy activity in the now-in-the-money 425 puts as the 500 level fades into the rearview.

• The "Greenland" Laggards: Why Apple (AAPL) and Amazon (AMZN) faced a straight drumming, while Micron (MU) and AMD briefly managed to find some green on the screen.

• Intel (INTC): A surprise move in the March $55 calls—is paper looking for a long-term overwrite or a massive recovery breakout?

Resources:

• Get more options data: TheHotOptionsReport.com