What can I do about insider trading activity in stock options that cause financial harm?

Discussion in 'Options' started by joezapp, Apr 18, 2016.

  1. joezapp

    joezapp

    Of course. Absolutely correct. And yes, I'm not holding my breath that anything gets done. I've heard that "nothing getting done about it" is the norm. Just a good time to check out the process, especially for all the others who sold the contracts Thursday. My 7 contracts is small compared to them!

    Thanks...
     
    #41     Apr 19, 2016
    Q3D likes this.
  2. joezapp

    joezapp

    Good point. I started out as a buyer of options in the 1990s. What I learned, and I believe it's true for most, is that you will occasionally have a big winner. However, the losses outsize the wins over the long haul. I'm sure that there are experts who have mastered the game, though. Tough game to win at for sure.
     
    #42     Apr 19, 2016
    ironchef and Q3D like this.
  3. joezapp

    joezapp

    Right-on. Well put. That's exactly how it went. I left the bar when I saw the school marm. Just not before I had a few drinks...
     
    #43     Apr 19, 2016
  4. Q3D

    Q3D

    Much easier game to start selling options-for-morons trading excrement than to become profitable at this. Keep up the good work and the righteous will expose and steal (legally by trading) from these crooks.
     
    #44     Apr 19, 2016
  5. JackRab

    JackRab

    A few hundred options doesn't sound like a lot to me. Maybe he was buying his short position back. Or getting cheap cover for a day. So which put was it, 32? Selling short a put like that close to expiry is just stupid. Would've happened sooner or later if you do that all the time. Risk/Reward is just not worth it, especially overnight.
    Whether it was insider or not, just a silly trade to do.
     
    #45     Apr 19, 2016
  6. ironchef

    ironchef

    I am new to this. Started on the sell side after attending a few classes, read a few books and watched lots of tastytrade. Net loss after about a year. Switched to buy side and rode the bull market until this year. Looking back, I did not start with DOTM, just ATM and OTM and did it mechanically like they backtested in tastytrade. Maybe I should relook at going back to the sell side selling DOTM?:confused:
     
    #46     Apr 19, 2016
  7. joezapp

    joezapp

    It's really what you feel comfortable with. Remember, selling DOTM means small profits. Less risk=less reward. Small gains can add up over time. They also add to your paperwork come tax time. You can make the gains larger by selling DOTM puts with expirations months to years away, such as LEAPS, on stocks that you like. By doing that, you ensure that if the stock gets put to you, you're buying it at a much more favorable price than today's price. Whatever you decide to do, I wish you good luck!
     
    #47     Apr 20, 2016
  8. JackRab

    JackRab

    It's called an iceberg order and hides the total demanded qty. Eventually it kinda works like clickbait...haha.
    A market order in options is just silly, MM pulls quotes and you just pay whatever is way behind.
    0.10/0.20 market, there might be a $5 offer behind that... which will be lifted by a market order when the MM pulls their quote. There is no exchange breaker in options which regulates large moves in stocks/futures. So no, don't do market orders in options.
     
    #48     Apr 20, 2016
  9. ironchef

    ironchef

    Thank you for the coaching.
     
    #49     Apr 20, 2016
  10. joezapp

    joezapp

    Actually, it IS a lot. Especially on this small-cap name. And it was the 30 put. More than 10% OTM with 1 day to expire on a stock trading in a small range all week. Buyer(s) never even attempted to post the minimum bid. That is not normal. Even a novice can see that these purchases were "highly likely" made with privileged information. We'll see what happens. If the organizations that now have the complaint are serious about maintaining the integrity and confidence in the markets, this will interest them.
     
    Last edited: Apr 20, 2016
    #50     Apr 20, 2016