XLE's put/call ratio hit 2.57, with the most crowded trade being a one-month put that only pays off if energy stocks drop 12%.
USO has surged 126% YTD, but $6 diesel and freight earnings warnings of 5 to 10% signal that high crude is becoming an economic drag.
If energy breaks, defensive rotation candidates XLP (up 10% YTD) and XLV (up 25% over one year) stand to benefit.
Read More: Avoid these 13 retirement mistakes before they derail your future (sponsor)
Energy is the year's best-performing sector, and on Wednesday the options market bet heavily that it is about to break. Volume in Energy Select Sector SPDR (NYSEARCA:XLE) options ran roughly 70% above normal, with more than twice as many puts as calls changing hands and nine of the ten busiest contracts on the day being puts. The single most crowded trade was a 57-strike put expiring one month out, a structure that only pays off if XLE falls roughly 12% from here. Our own full-chain read on XLE puts a live put/call ratio at 2.57, with ratios above 16 at the Sept. 23 expiration and above 13 at Sept. 25.
#above #call #ratio #trade
USO has surged 126% YTD, but $6 diesel and freight earnings warnings of 5 to 10% signal that high crude is becoming an economic drag.
If energy breaks, defensive rotation candidates XLP (up 10% YTD) and XLV (up 25% over one year) stand to benefit.
Read More: Avoid these 13 retirement mistakes before they derail your future (sponsor)
Energy is the year's best-performing sector, and on Wednesday the options market bet heavily that it is about to break. Volume in Energy Select Sector SPDR (NYSEARCA:XLE) options ran roughly 70% above normal, with more than twice as many puts as calls changing hands and nine of the ten busiest contracts on the day being puts. The single most crowded trade was a 57-strike put expiring one month out, a structure that only pays off if XLE falls roughly 12% from here. Our own full-chain read on XLE puts a live put/call ratio at 2.57, with ratios above 16 at the Sept. 23 expiration and above 13 at Sept. 25.
#above #call #ratio #trade
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