Options Traders Buy The Equity Rally

According to CNBC, options traders piled into tech names on Thursday as interest rates rose, the Nasdaq-100 posted its best day in six weeks and Cboe's volatility gauge fell more than two points to 15.4, its lowest in a week. The S&P 500 added more than 1% as 10 of 11 sectors advanced, while market-makers traded calls at a $2 premium to at-the-money puts, signaling stronger demand for upside exposure. Intel drew heavy bullish flow, with more than 1.3 million options changing hands, nearly three times the monthly average. About 270,000 calls were likely bought versus under 140,000 puts, and buyers initiated $320 million in premium, including $231 million tied to call contracts. AMD also saw bullish activity, with volume nearly double the average, while Crowdstrike and SpaceX both recorded elevated trading volume. SpaceX traded at its highest price since July 7, and more than $1.5 billion in premium changed hands, including $1.1 billion tied to puts.