Market Overview
Wall Street's main indexes closed higher on Tuesday (July 21), with the Nasdaq leading gains as a steep rally in semiconductor shares helped shift the focus away from the latest Middle East hostilities and tariff battles, while investors looked ahead to major technology earnings reports.
Regarding the options market, a total volume of 51,506,104 contracts was traded, of which 55% were call options.
Top 10 Option Volumes
Top 10: NVDA, VIX, AAPL, MU, TSLA, SPCX, INTC, AMZN, NFLX, AMD
Source: Tiger Trade app
SpaceX up 3.08% on Tuesday. Renowned investor Cathie Wood's ARK Invest disclosed continued large-scale accumulation during SpaceX's recent selloff, with the fund deploying $56.9 million in a single week ending July 17 and cumulative purchases exceeding $90 million this month, making SpaceX ARK's top buy and its sixth-largest holding. The Singapore Exchange also announced plans to launch SpaceX depositary receipts, broadening international investor access.
The session saw significant large options activity, with a multi-million dollar synthetic short position dominating the flow and tilting the overall institutional sentiment toward a bearish bias.
A synthetic short position worth $31.29 million was the largest displayed trade, built by selling the 130.0 call and buying the 130.0 put with the same 2026-10-16 expiration for 7,750 contracts each. With SPCX referenced at $123.54, the long 130.0 put was in the money while the short 130.0 call was out of the money. This is a synthetic short combination that creates bearish directional exposure similar to being short the underlying, and the structure reflects a clear downside bet rather than premium collection. The package carried a combined trade amount of $31.29 million and signals conviction that SPCX may remain below or move further under the 130 level into expiration.
SPCX 20261016 130.0 PUT SPCX 20261016 130.0 CALL
Source: Tiger Trade app
Unusual Options Activity
NEBIUS rose 18.78% on Tuesday. Chip giant NVIDIA submitted a Schedule 13G filing with the SEC, formally disclosing a 9.3% passive stake in NEBIUS. This strategic investment from the world's leading AI chip company significantly boosted market confidence in NEBIUS's competitive positioning within the AI computing infrastructure space. Simultaneously, investment firm Freedom Capital upgraded NEBIUS from Hold to Buy, raising its target price from $150 to $200, citing long-term growth potential in the AI infrastructure sector. Additionally, the company's recently completed $775 million senior secured debt facility and a computing power agreement with Reflection valued at over $1 billion through 2029 provided fundamental support, with multiple tailwinds driving the stock's strong performance.
The day's options activity was dominated by large, bullish institutional trades, with two multi-million dollar spread positions signaling strong conviction on continued upside.
A bullish call spread worth $10.45 million was one of the day’s standout trades, built by buying the 185.0 call expiring 2026-07-31 and selling the 210.0 call expiring 2026-08-07 for the same 1,523-contract size. This is a net debit structure, with premium paid for upside exposure while partially offsetting cost through the short higher-strike call. With NBIS referenced at $216.92, both strikes were already in the money at execution, making this a moderately bullish position that seeks continued upside while capping maximum gains above 210.0. Strategically, it points to a directional bullish bet with defined risk and reduced upfront premium versus an outright call purchase. NBIS 20260731 185.0 CALL NBIS 20260807 210.0 CALL
Source: Tiger Trade app
Source: Tiger Trade app
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Risks
Implied volatility typically contracts rapidly after earnings, a phenomenon commonly referred to as IV crush, which can significantly reduce the value of long option positions even if the stock moves in the anticipated direction. In addition, time decay accelerates as options approach expiration. Investors should carefully assess the risk profile of any options strategy before establishing positions.
Disclaimer: This analysis is based on publicly available market data and is provided for informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice. Options trading involves substantial risk, and investors may lose more than their initial investment.