Traders piled into options across a broad set of names, with SPY leading the day’s activity and a mix of large-cap tech, energy, and sector ETFs showing notable open-interest shifts.
Top activity highlights
– SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY): option volume 5.92 million. Notable open-interest increases include the $635 put and the $605 put, both expiring September 12, 2025, rising by 42.66K and 36.84K respectively.
– Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ): option volume 3.41 million. The $583 call expiring August 18, 2025 saw open interest rise by 38.78K.
– NVIDIA (NVDA): option volume 1.76 million. The $182.50 call and $190 call, both expiring August 22, 2025, added 44.56K and 30.86K in open interest.
– Opendoor Technologies (OPEN): option volume 1.31 million. The $3.50 call expiring August 29, 2025 increased open interest by 29.97K.
– Tesla (TSLA): option volume 1.05 million. The $600 call expiring August 22, 2025 saw open-interest rise by 50.08K.
– Intel (INTC): option volume 1.01 million, with no specific open-interest moves noted.
– iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM): option volume 825.26K. The $216 put expiring September 19, 2025 rose in open interest by 61.02K.
– iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT): option volume 687.85K; activity notable but no specific OI moves highlighted here.
– Apple (AAPL): option volume 546.96K. The $245 call expiring November 21, 2025 increased open interest by 37.70K.
– UnitedHealth (UNH): option volume 542.52K; shares rose about 1.47%.
– Advanced Micro Devices (AMD): option volume 484.50K; a slight drop in the stock.
– Meta Platforms (META): option volume 472.12K; the stock moved lower by about 2.27%.
– TeraWulf (WULF): option volume 457.89K; shares up 4.57%.
– iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT): option volume 402.51K; slight decline.
– CoreWeave (CRWV): option volume 364.49K. The $240 call expiring August 22, 2025 increased open interest by 37.37K.
– Strategy (MSTR): option volume 345.07K. Key openings in the $385, $375, and $405 calls, all expiring August 22, 2025, with opens of 43.02K, 39.44K, and 38.16K.
– Amazon (AMZN): option volume 340.05K; stock inched higher.
– Microsoft (MSFT): option volume 339.04K; stock slipped about 0.59%.
– Robinhood (HOOD): option volume 327.49K; shares up 0.74%.
Other notable moves
– VIX: Open interest rose for the $15.50 put and $15.50 call, expiring August 20, 2025, by 54.24K and 51.36K.
– Gold Trust (GLD): Open interest increased for the $315 call and $330 call, expiring September 12, 2025, by 52.65K and 52.46K.
– American Airlines (AAL): The $14 call expiring September 26, 2025 added 51.30K in open interest.
– Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF): Open interest increases for the $50 put expiring January 16, 2026 (+50.26K) and the $50 put expiring June 18, 2026 (+50.00K).
– iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG): The $77 put expiring January 16, 2026 rose by 50.00K.
– Nu Holdings (NU): Open-interest increases for the $11 put and $18 call (January 16, 2026) by 46.01K and 43.95K, plus the $14 call expiring August 22, 2025 up 45.00K.
– Moderna (MRNA): Open interest rose for the $29.50 call and $31.50 call expiring August 22, 2025 by 34.45K and 32.04K.
– VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH): Open interest rose for the $210 put and $205 put expiring August 22, 2025 by 30.01K and 29.87K.
– iShares China Large-Cap ETF (FXI): Open interest rose for the $33 call and $33 put expiring September 19, 2025 by 30.44K and 29.28K.
What this suggests
– The day’s heavy volume across SPY and QQQ, paired with sizable open-interest gains on both near-term and mid-dated strikes, signals broad appetite for hedging and directional bets across large-cap tech, growth names, and key sector/asset proxies.
– Notable activity in high-profile names like NVDA, TSLA, AAPL, AMZN, and MSFT points to continued investor interest in mega-cap tech, while moves in ETFs (IWM, XLF, GLD, TLT, SMH) indicate a wide-based approach to risk management and factor bets as expiration windows approach in August and September 2025.
Summary
– The session showed robust options turnover across a wide spectrum of equities and ETFs, with SPY leading the field and several big-name stocks showing pronounced open-interest increases on key strike prices.
– Traders appeared to be balancing bullish bets on select growth names and defensive hedges across volatility, bonds, and gold, all anchored by August and September 2025 expiration cycles.
A few takeaways for readers
– Elevated open-interest around specific strikes may reflect hedging against near-term volatility or positioning for mid-term catalysts in late summer and early fall.
– Keep an eye on the August 22, 2025 and September 12, 2025 expirations for spikes in liquidity and potential price move implications around the noted strikes.
– While volume signals interest, it’s important to pair this with broader market context and individual stock catalysts before drawing conclusions about direction.
Overall, today’s options activity underscores a busy, diversified market where traders are actively hedging and speculating across large caps, growth names, and key ETFs with multiple expiration horizons.