Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli jumped on a special edition podcast to discuss whether the move in things like the VIX and VIX were warranted given the technical surroundings of the carry trade and where markets went. Looking back at previous VIX spikes and the high yield spread in times of crisis. Plus, discussing how some strategies held up and …

Derek Moore is back to talk through the latest market volatility as the VIX and VVIX both spiked this week. Markets had 2 greater than 2% pullbacks. Reading into the latest unemployment rate data. Plus, unpacking the unwinding of the carry trade involving the Japanese Yen and how this started before the recent market retracement. Finally, examining…

Derek Moore is back to take some listener questions on the political ramifications for the stock market, covered calls, and other general market and option questions. Also, he’ll cover the continued coverage of the market broadening out in its participation especially from small caps and the non-mag-7 companies. What about on the economic front? Al…

Derek Moore looks beyond mega cap tech by examining while this month the S&P 500 Index is relatively flat, equal weight and extended markets catch a bid. Plus, talk of a tight high yield spread but what does that mean? Later, looking at the upcoming earnings including Tesla and Google. Finally, reviewing typical VIX seasonality patterns. Earnings i…

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli are back together to discuss what happens after the Fed makes its first rate cut historically in markets. Plus, what if everyone is wrong about rate cuts? Then, they look at the historical spread between inflation and the Fed Funds rate plus how would investors take the other side of rate cuts? Finally, they discuss…

Derek Moore is back to discuss the recent talk from the “talking heads on TV” that the economy is weakening. What are they looking at and are they right? Then Derek explains using Tesla as an example of implied volatility going higher while a stock runs higher. Reviewing the latest nonfarm payrolls, unemployment rate, and initial jobless claims. Fi…

Derek Moore is back to discuss the WSJ article comparing Nvidia to Cisco and Jim Cramer’s response. Is Nvidia in a bubble? Wall Street Journal Article on Cisco 2000 vs Nvidia 2024 Forward PE multiples then and now Cisco vs Nvidia Data showing bull markets often continue the second half of the year When markets are up 10% first half of the year what…

Derek Moore is back to go over some bullish and bearish economic and market items. Avocado prices are spiking while lumber prices are falling. Divergence between the Trucking Tonnage Index vs the S&P 500 Index. Later we discuss the lack of historical volatility in the market given we haven’t had a greater than 2.05% down day for over 375 days. Then…

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial are back with a Fed meeting day edition where they break down the new end of year interest rate dot plots and Jay Powell’s press conference. Plus, they riff on Harry Dent’s latest prediction saying Nvidia is going down 98% and why the doom and gloom crowd are harmful to investors. Later discus…

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial look at some what seem like crazy options trades in GameStop. Plus, examining Nvidia passing Apple as the second largest stock in the S&P 500, and can it pass Microsoft for #1? They also talk about whether it’s a problem the top 4 stocks in the S&P 500 make up such a large percentage of the we…

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial review some interesting VIX option trades around the election and around inauguration day in 2025 compared to the next few months options action. When young people say home ownership dreams are dead is that true? Surprising numbers to compare inflation adjusted costs. Plus, on Friday the marke…

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial talk about Nvidia’s earnings report and how they are catching up to Apple in total market cap. Will they cash Microsoft? Then they note the percentage of companies mentioning AI on earnings calls. What does that mean for CAPEX spending on semiconductor chips? Later they look at how housing pri…

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial start by looking at GameStop’s (GME) call option open interest and activity in the days prior to Roaring Kitty tweeting . They notice the increase in options activity ahead of the surge in the stock’s price and volume spike and whether the options market led the stock market on GME. Then they …

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial discuss the idea that the stock market is in a Goldilocks period based on sustained higher margins and earnings growth. Then, they discuss how out of the headlines the Fed has already started easing by reducing their balance sheet runoff each month. Why reducing the Overnight Reverse Repo usag…

Derek Moore is back with Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial this week to discuss the Jay Powell Fed decision and the latest in employment and inflation. Then, they do a deep dive into dividend reinvestment. Specifically, analyzing the idea of acquiring more shares and can dividends reduce or eventually pay down your initial cost? They then do …

Derek Moore discusses the declining probabilities for Fed interest rate cuts in 2024. Plus, how PCE Supercore did not make the case for Fed rate cuts. Later, looking at the analyst’s expectations for earnings growth within the S&P 500 Index. Finally, comments on a paper showing how using the pre-1983 methods to compute CPI Consumer Price Index show…

Derek Moore and Mike Puck from ZEGA Financial discuss Friday’s selloff. It’s official, we are in a 5% market correction. Looking back at other corrections greater than 5% from the highs. Mortgage rates move back up while 10-year treasury yields surge. Commodities are higher on the year but still down from all-time highs. Gold makes another all time…

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial, discuss Friday’s selloff. So, was it all the readjustment of Fed rate cut expectations? Is CPI Inflation putting the Fed in a box? Michael Saylor says Bitcoin is better than Gold. The rally in Gold that everyone is sleeping on. CPI Supercore trending higher showing services not goods are the …

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial, are back to explore surprising data about buying the market at all-time highs vs any other day. Plus, how do markets and bonds perform post the last fed hike? Later, while you were sleeping developed international markets outperform U.S. markets. And listener question “who do I know what a go…

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial, discuss Fed governor Waller (not Christopher Walkin) hinting the Fed should be in no rush to cut interest rates. Plus, we haven’t seen this many record stock market highs since Q1 of 2013. So, what does that mean if anything? Examining VVIX and VIX which both are really quiet and low right no…

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial, discuss the Fed getting bullish by reducing unemployment estimates, raising GDP growth estimates, and doing nothing else but the market liked it. All while the yield curve inversion sets a record for longest in history. What is Bitcoin halving and what does it do for supply and demand? Lookin…

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial, talk through some examples of options trading in 0 DTE options on the SPX and Nvidia. Plus, a hedge fund manager says the worst crash since 1929 is coming. Looking at huge inflows into the semiconductor ETFs. Derek actually agrees with Michael Saylor’s points on Bitcoin including whether it’s…

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial, discuss how the magnificent 7 stocks aren’t all going up this year. Plus, reviewing what the worst time to buy stocks was and how investors would have done even if they had. Later, they explain why the last 10-15 years before retirement need growth but hedging. How Japan’s central bank might …

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial, explain why it’s so hard to trade the VIX via options or VIX futures given the nature of the products and how VIX works. Supercore PCE, yeah that’s a thing now, came in hot so what does that mean for the Fed and rates? Speaking of the Fed cutting rates, what if they don’t cut this year? Later…

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial, discuss Nvidia’s beat on earnings, their march towards $2trillion market cap, and how as earnings forecasts rise, even though the stock has made new highs, forward PE ratios go lower. Then, they explore what the options market via implied volatility was forecasting for an Nvidia move post ear…

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial, follow up on last week’s PE ration (useless?) discussion explaining how stocks go up or down based on earnings, multiples, and other factors. Then they delve into correlations between the US Dollar Index and the S&P 500 Index. Later, the surprising fact that as Japan’s Nikkei Index makes 35-y…

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial, ask whether forward PE ratios are predictive of future market direction? Then they review how the S&P 500 Index has performed during each presidential election going back to 1996. Does it matter which party (Republicans or Democrats) are in office for markets? Is Tesla going to get kicked out…

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial, discuss the Fed and Powell press conference market reaction. Plus, they look at META and Apple option’s implied volatilities did or didn’t predict the post earnings moves. 1994-95 experience in Fed rates and bond yields compared to today. Later, they set the record straight on what NAV erosio…

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial, are it at once again where they analyze Tesla’s implied volatility right before earnings vs what happened. Did the option’s market misprice premiums? Also, in the episode they talk about Bitcoin’s drop as a sell the news buy the rumor example while Derek argues that Bitcoin’s volatility make …

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial, are back to discuss whether the Fed grasps how prices historically always rise. That prices never drop and inflation dropping doesn’t mean prices go down. Then they discuss the forward earnings estimates showing growth for the S&P 500 Index while comparing price to sales compared to January o…

Derek Moore and Mike Puck of ZEGA Financial join up to discuss the run up and selloff in bitcoin around the bitcoin spot etf launches. Is it the obvious buy the rumor sell the news situation? How CPI components like lodging away from home and travel pricing are starting to cool. Later, examining the value vs growth debate and whether this is the ye…

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial, are back this week to discuss some hedging examples and how hedging is cheap right now. They even go through a few examples. Then they get into the sharp rise in container shipping costs before discussing the weaker PMI Services data. Later they note Bloomberg’s data showing articles mentioni…

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial, go through their 2024 predictions and review how right or wrong they were in 2023. Why predictions are so hard to make and why they are overrated. When markets go up over 10% in the final 2 months of the year historically what does that mean for returns the following year? How earnings growth…

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial, discuss how people are blaming the Wed 1.5% selloff on 0 DTE options while the CBOE says not so fast as dealers may have been buying stocks during the drawdown thus stabilizing markets. Later they talk shipping container rates spiking higher due to issues in the Suez Canal and Red Sea. Is thi…

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial, discuss the new consensus of the Fed doing multiple rate cuts so what could go wrong? Record call option volume while the VVIX makes a move higher while the VIX continues lower. Viral article said 44% of home sales were to big institutions like Blackrock and Innovation homes but it was less t…

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial, join up once again to discuss the drop in the VIX Index off the highs. How S&P 500 2024 targets are showing up and why investors may not care. Labor force participation turned down so what does that mean if anything? Finally, Simplifying what synthetic long stock strategies are and synthetic …

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli join up to discuss an unchanged VIX and VVIX index. Was our trading platform screen broken? Whether the VIX and VVIX Index is a coiled spring as they are both in compression mode of late. Then, they explore new data that shows the cost to buy a home vs rent is really high meaning its very costly to buy vs rent right…

Derek Moore is back with Jay Pestrichelli this week where they analyze the recent viral video where Dave Ramsey suggests people can safely withdraw 8% forever in retirement. What doesn’t make sense, what is left out, and why the assumptions may be faulty. Then, they discuss the market seasonality and whether this November pop higher already deliver…

Derek Moore is back with Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial, to review the Goldman Sachs probability of recession and Fed rate forecast for 2024. Then they do a deeper dive on key aspects of US Treasury Bond auctions. Hint, it’s a Dutch auction and how to read the results of treasury auctions including the bid to cover ratio. Later they talk t…

Derek Moore does a deep dive asking the question why is everyone rooting for the Fed to lower rates? If the Fed must lower interest rates, doesn’t that mean there is trouble? Should investors instead be rooting for stable but higher rates where the long end un-inverts as a proxy for higher growth? What happens to market performance between the last…

Derek Moore and ZEGA Financial CEO Jay Pestrichelli ponder whether the Fed is truly done and if the street is too optimistic on rate cuts in 2024. Plus, they discuss new data showing option selling ETFs are having record assets between inflows and new entrants. Bad news is good news still as employment ticks up. They delve deeper into the numbers i…

Derek Moore and ZEGA Financial CEO Jay Pestrichelli to discuss how despite the correction territory (markets down 10% from top), the VIX index hasn’t shown any real fear. So, what will it take to see capitulation in the markets? Thus far high yield spreads haven’t reflected too much worry. Then Derek is tired of pundits talking about equal weighted…

Derek Moore is back with ZEGA Financial CEO Jay Pestrichelli to discuss whether Jay Powell or bond traders are in charge of interest rate policy? How option volatility changes around earnings announcements. Why the spread between the 30-year Mortgage Rate and 10-year treasuries is historically wide including MBS (Mortgage-Backed Securities) impact.…

Derek Moore explains what it would take interest rate wise for bonds and TLT to get back to breakeven on price. A lot of misunderstanding is out there on buying bonds at the bottom and what that means. How bonds have different drivers than stocks. Plus, inflation is ticking back up and what that means for the Fed. Finally, a deep dive into TLT comp…

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial, observe the destruction in long term treasury bonds due to the reflation of the yield curve. How does the market do with higher rates? What does a flattening yield curve mean for the economy? Bond and Stock correlations mean bonds not protecting portfolios? The Hussman 12-year forward return …

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial, look at how markets have done during past Government Shutdowns. The S&P 500 Index during, and 3 and 6 months later. Then they get in dept on why selling in-the-money puts is the same as selling covered calls on stock. What are cash covered puts? How US Treasuries yielding 5% plus may tip the …

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial, discussed the fallout in the markets during Jerome Powell’s press conference post Fed decision. Then, they talk about high yield spreads and current interest rates across relative fixed income like investment grade, high yield, and treasuries. Finally, they explore how options are priced and …

Derek Moore and Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial, talk through the recent CBOE analysis on impact of 0DTE options. Contrary to popular belief, 0DTE options may not be causing imbalances according to the data. Plus, explaining how cash settled (European) style options differ from American style where you can be assigned (or auto exercised). H…

Derek Moore is back with ZEGA CEO Jay Pestrichelli where they discuss whether higher real yields are an issue for markets and how this period seems similar to the 1990’s. Then they dive into implied volatility using companies like Tesla TSLA and Nvidia NVDA as examples to explore how options markets express views on expected moves based on options …

Derek Moore is joined once again by Jay Pestrichelli, CEO of ZEGA Financial where deep dive into the latest employment numbers. Plus, they ponder whether once everyone flips a recession finally comes? Later, they noticed some technical analysis on crude oil prices and a stealth rally. Then Jay and Derek talk through the idea of synthetic option pos…