The Futures Rundown 77: The Equity Battle Heats Up

Are equity index derivatives finally getting some real competition? In this episode, MIAX Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Shelly Brown joins host Mark Longo on The Futures Hot Seat to unpack their new index product suite developed with Bloomberg. The conversation focuses on the structural mechanics of the new Tini Bloomberg 100 Futures ($TBQ) and the upcoming rollout of the Tini Bloomberg 500 Futures ($TBX). Shelly explains how these 100% objective, algorithmically-driven indices operate compared to traditional benchmarks like the Nasdaq and S&P—including how a strict mathematical methodology allows them to fast-track new IPOs into the index. They also look at the microstructure advantages designed to attract retail order flow: lower exchange fees, tight market maker spreads, and capital efficiencies via OCC Clearing. Plus, we get a realistic timeline for index options and a upcoming Spikes 2.0 volatility product. Later, Mark heads into The Trading Pit to break down a wild week of price action across the tape: The Green Side: Small caps lead the charge with the Russell 2000 surging over 6%, Cocoa catches a rare bid, and the new Tini Bloomberg 100 makes an immediate debut on our weekly upside list. The Dark Side: Energy gets hammered. WTI, Brent, and RBOB slide roughly 14% on potential Middle East resolution news, while lithium and wheat follow to the downside. Volume Leaders: Micro Nasdaq contracts and Treasury rates see heavy volume blocks dominating the weekly data. Get early access to live streams, Pro Q&As, and more at The Options Insider Pro .