For the Sep 700 puts, presuming they were bought for 0.05, if SPX drops to 1400 and Vix pops to >30, those puts could be going for 0.10. Both the spot price and VIX have been at those levels recently. Not the way I would trade a down move, but I think it's more likely a Taleb like person made the trade rather than Bin Laden through his Etrade account in the mountains. Better yet, perhaps Bin Laden called the trade desk at TOS and got them to get his trade filled at a favorable mid price.
Even if someone was going to trade on a planned terrorist attack, why would you go so low on the puts? Do you need to go down to the 700's to pay just a nickel? I mean, if the market took that much of a quick hit, it would pretty much need to be due to a large asteroid the size of Manhattan hitting...Manhattan. Or an organized Pearl Harbor style military attack, on our turf, in dozens of American cities at the same time. Even if the physical buildings that house financial institutions were fit to inhabit before Sept options expiration, and people were working there, you still wouldn't be able to spend all that money anywhere.
Apparently has been confirmed to just be a big box trade... too bad I liquidated my entire portfolio to go long those SEP SPX 700 puts :eek: :eek: :eek: http://www.thestreet.com/s/dispelli...des/newsanalysis/optionsfutures/10377063.html
So the income from a box trade like this must be considered capital gains. I should look into it to try to eat up some of my carry over losses.