Surge in Options Trading Highlights Activity in Major Stocks

Volume Spikes for Nucor, Apple, and Microsoft Options on October 15

In today’s options market, significant trading volume was observed among the components of the Russell 3000 index, particularly for Nucor Corp. (Symbol: NUE). A total of 18,714 contracts have changed hands, representing about 1.9 million underlying shares—98.8% of NUE’s average daily trading volume over the past month.

High interest centered around the $150 strike call option expiring on November 15, 2024, with 5,527 contracts traded today, equivalent to approximately 552,700 underlying shares of NUE. The chart below illustrates NUE’s trading history over the past twelve months, with the relevant strike price highlighted in orange:

Apple Inc. (Symbol: AAPL) also experienced robust options trading, with 406,232 contracts exchanged. This figure corresponds to around 40.6 million underlying shares, amounting to approximately 98.1% of AAPL’s average daily trading volume of 41.4 million shares over the last month.

The $220 strike put option set to expire on November 08, 2024, saw particularly high activity, with 29,655 contracts traded today, representing about 3.0 million underlying shares of AAPL. Below is the chart depicting AAPL’s trading history for the past twelve months, with the highlighted strike price indicated in orange:

Microsoft Corporation (Symbol: MSFT) reported options trading volume of 188,755 contracts today. This reflects around 18.9 million underlying shares, comprising 95.2% of MSFT’s average daily trading volume of 19.8 million shares in the past month.

A peak in trading was observed with the $405 strike call option expiring on November 15, 2024, where 5,516 contracts were traded today, representing about 551,600 underlying shares of MSFT. The chart below shows MSFT’s trading history over the last twelve months, highlighting the $405 strike:

For further information regarding available options expirations for NUE, AAPL, or MSFT, please visit StockOptionsChannel.com.

Today’s Most Active Call & Put Options of the S&P 500 »

Also see:

• Mortgage REITs Hedge Funds Are Buying
• ATXS YTD Return
• Institutional Holders of MART

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.