The Hot Options Report: 08-15-2025

In this episode of the Hot Options Report, we recap a dynamic week in the options market. The discussion opens with VIX options, which saw a significant surge with 843,000 contracts traded, highlighting the popularity of the 15.5 puts. SPY options also saw substantial activity, but fell just short of their daily average volume (ADV). Trading in SPX options nearly met their ADV with 3.6 million contracts traded. IWM showed near-record activity with 1.5 million contracts. The NASDAQ QQQ options hit 4.1 million contracts, just above their ADV. Single-name stocks like Amazon, MicroStrategy, Palantir, AMD, Apple, and Tesla also showed remarkable trading volume, with Amazon leading with 927,000 contracts. Nvidia topped the list with nearly 3.5 million contracts, driven primarily by the 180 calls.   00:00 Introduction and Welcome 01:04 Final Hot Options Report for the Week 02:18 VIX Options Activity 03:06 SPY Options Activity 03:50 SPX Options Activity 04:28 Small Caps Options Activity 05:34 Nasdaq Options Activity 06:25 Single Names Options Activity 06:52 Top 10 Most Active Options 18:02 Conclusion and Next Week's Preview ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.