The Hot Options Report: 07-29-2025

In this episode of the Hot Options Report, Mark Longo dives into the latest trends and unusual activities in the options market as of Tuesday, July 29th. Key discussions include significant volume spikes in VIX options with over a million contracts, a detailed breakdown of active trades in SPY, S&P 500, small caps, and NASDAQ, and unusual large-volume trades in specific equities like Palantir, Alphabet, Apple, SoFi, Tesla, AMD, and Nvidia. Additionally, the episode spotlights some curious trades in United Health, including a notable 28,000 contracts of the January 2027 500 calls.    01:05 Welcome to the Hot Options Report 01:43 Today's Market Overview 02:44 VIX Options Activity 04:30 SPY and S&P 500 Options Insights 05:46 Small Caps and QQQs Analysis 07:01 Single Name Equity Options Highlights 07:16 Top 10 Options Movers 15:18 Conclusion   -------------------------------- All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Open to the Public Investing Inc, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Options trading entails significant risk and is not appropriate for all investors.  Customers must read and understand the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options before considering any options strategy.  Options investors can rapidly lose the value of their investment in a short period of time and incur permanent loss by expiration date. Certain complex options strategies carry additional risk, including the potential for losses that may exceed the original investment amount, and are only available for qualified customers.  Index options have special features and fees that should be carefully considered, including settlement, exercise, expiration, tax, and cost characteristics.  See Fee Schedule for all options trading fees. There are additional costs associated with option strategies that call for multiple purchases and sales of options, such as spreads, straddles, among others, as compared with a single option trade. Rebate rates vary monthly from $0.06-$0.18 and depend on the particular security, whether the trade was placed via API, as well as your current and prior month's options trading volume. Review Options Rebate Terms here. Rates are subject to change. Go to public.com/optionsbrief to learn more.