Derivatives and Quantitative Strategist

Gaudenz Schneider

Macroeconomics

<ul>
<li>
Central Bank Rate Decisions, including from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Bank of Japan, and the Fed.</li>
<li>
Index Rebalancings for the Australian, Indian, Hong Kong, and US benchmark indices. </li>
<li>
Elections: South Korea Presidential Elections on 3 June; potential for the opposition party to win the presidency.</li>
</ul>



Central Bank Rate Decisions, including from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Bank of Japan, and the Fed.

Index Rebalancings for the Australian, Indian, Hong Kong, and US benchmark indices. 

Elections: South Korea Presidential Elections on 3 June; potential for the opposition party to win the presidency.


Equity Derivatives

<ul>
<li>Over the past five trading days, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/alibaba-group-holding-ltd-d7b798e2-202d-4e01-9a1e-799e2ae8f0c7" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28434:1" rel="noopener">Alibaba Group Holding (9988 HK)</a> multi-leg option strategies showcased a variety of approaches. Strategy highlights are provided.</li>
<li>
Popular Strategies: Over 35% of all strategies are Calendar or Diagonal Spreads. Bullish and bearish views prevail at equal rates, with very few market-neutral views expressed.</li>
<li>
Top Trades: Some market participants were betting on a short term re-bound after the post-earnings drop. Others take a bearish view with finely calibrated medium-term hedges. Trade-examples are presented.</li>
</ul>


Over the past five trading days, Alibaba Group Holding (9988 HK) multi-leg option strategies showcased a variety of approaches. Strategy highlights are provided.

Popular Strategies: Over 35% of all strategies are Calendar or Diagonal Spreads. Bullish and bearish views prevail at equal rates, with very few market-neutral views expressed.

Top Trades: Some market participants were betting on a short term re-bound after the post-earnings drop. Others take a bearish view with finely calibrated medium-term hedges. Trade-examples are presented.


Alibaba (9988 HK): Unpacking the Week's Savvy Top Options Trades

<ul>
<li>
Implied Volatility Trends:<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/alibaba-group-holding-ltd-d7b798e2-202d-4e01-9a1e-799e2ae8f0c7" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28434:1" rel="noopener">Alibaba Group Holding's (9988 HK)</a> one-month implied volatility has significantly receded to the 37th percentile after its 15 May earnings, reflecting a substantial implied vola crush.</li>
<li>
Skew and Term Structure Dynamics: The implied volatility term structure is now slightly upward-sloping with longer-dated options commanding a small premium. Skew dynamics indicate cheaper puts.</li>
<li>
Open Interest Distribution: Liquidity is greatest in the June and September expiries. Short term strikes are concentrated near or at the money.</li>
</ul>



Implied Volatility Trends:Alibaba Group Holding's (9988 HK) one-month implied volatility has significantly receded to the 37th percentile after its 15 May earnings, reflecting a substantial implied vola crush.

Skew and Term Structure Dynamics: The implied volatility term structure is now slightly upward-sloping with longer-dated options commanding a small premium. Skew dynamics indicate cheaper puts.

Open Interest Distribution: Liquidity is greatest in the June and September expiries. Short term strikes are concentrated near or at the money.


Alibaba (9988 HK): Navigating Post-Earnings Volatility

<ul>
<li>
Implied Volatility Trends: One-month implied volatility is currently cheap, trading in its 14th percentile, while <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tencent-holdings-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26:1" rel="noopener">Tencent (700 HK)</a> approaches its twelve-months high.</li>
<li>
Skew and Term Structure Dynamics: A pronounced skew smile and a relatively flat term structure make spreads and calendar / diagonal spreads attractive strategies.</li>
<li>
Open Interest Distribution: Liquidity can be found in the monthly May expiry and the Quarterly expiries. The historically low implied volatility facilitates longer term positions.</li>
</ul>



Implied Volatility Trends: One-month implied volatility is currently cheap, trading in its 14th percentile, while Tencent (700 HK) approaches its twelve-months high.

Skew and Term Structure Dynamics: A pronounced skew smile and a relatively flat term structure make spreads and calendar / diagonal spreads attractive strategies.

Open Interest Distribution: Liquidity can be found in the monthly May expiry and the Quarterly expiries. The historically low implied volatility facilitates longer term positions.


Tencent (700 HK): Strategies to Navigate Low Volatility and A Flat Term Structure

<ul>
<li>Over the past five trading days, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tencent-holdings-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26:1" rel="noopener">Tencent (700 HK)</a> multi-leg option strategies showcased a variety of approaches. Strategy highlights are provided.</li>
<li>Calendar and Diagonal Spreads make up a quarter of all strategies. Several examples are presented incorporating upfront cost, upfront credit, or zero-cost combinations. </li>
<li>While there is a bias towards bullish strategies, 26% of all strategies express a market-neutral view in the form of Straddles, Strangles, Butterflies or Condors.</li>
</ul>


Over the past five trading days, Tencent (700 HK) multi-leg option strategies showcased a variety of approaches. Strategy highlights are provided.
Calendar and Diagonal Spreads make up a quarter of all strategies. Several examples are presented incorporating upfront cost, upfront credit, or zero-cost combinations. 
While there is a bias towards bullish strategies, 26% of all strategies express a market-neutral view in the form of Straddles, Strangles, Butterflies or Condors.


Tencent (700 HK): Strategic Insights and Top Trades from HKEX Options Trading

Hong Kong

The Hang Seng Index is a free-float capitalization-weighted index of a selection of companies from the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. The components of the index are divided into four subindices: Commerce and Industry, Finance, Utilities, and Properties. The index was developed with a base level of 100 as of July 31, 1964.

Hang Seng Index (HSI INDEX)

The Month Ahead: Key Events in June 2025

Central bank rate decisions, index rebalancings, and upcoming South Korea presidential elections are key events to watch for in Asia-Pacific in June.

Gaudenz Schneider

Alibaba (9988 HK): Unpacking the Week's Savvy Top Options Trades

Alibaba Group Holding's recent multi-leg option strategies show a mix of bullish and bearish approaches, with Calendar and Diagonal Spreads being...

Gaudenz Schneider

Alibaba (9988 HK): Navigating Post-Earnings Volatility

Alibaba's implied volatility drops post-earnings and displays a less smirky smile. Liquidity highest in June and September expiries.

Gaudenz Schneider

Tencent (700 HK): Strategies to Navigate Low Volatility and A Flat Term Structure

Tencent is approaching its 12-month high and implied volatility is cheap. The skew smile and flattish term structure make spreads attractive.

Gaudenz Schneider

Tencent (700 HK): Strategic Insights and Top Trades from HKEX Options Trading

Tencent's multi-leg option strategies feature a mix of bullish, bearish and market-neutral approaches, including Calendar and Diagonal Spreads....

Gaudenz Schneider

The Month Ahead: Key Events in June 2025

​Central bank rate decisions, index rebalancings, and upcoming South Korea presidential elections are key events to watch for in Asia-Pacific in June.

Gaudenz Schneider

Alibaba (9988 HK): Unpacking the Week's Savvy Top Options Trades

​Alibaba Group Holding's recent multi-leg option strategies show a mix of bullish and bearish approaches, with Calendar and Diagonal Spreads being...

Gaudenz Schneider

Alibaba (9988 HK): Navigating Post-Earnings Volatility

​Alibaba's implied volatility drops post-earnings and displays a less smirky smile. Liquidity highest in June and September expiries.

Gaudenz Schneider

Tencent (700 HK): Strategies to Navigate Low Volatility and A Flat Term Structure

Tencent is approaching its 12-month high and implied volatility is cheap. The skew smile and flattish term structure make spreads attractive.

Gaudenz Schneider

Tencent (700 HK): Strategic Insights and Top Trades from HKEX Options Trading

​Tencent's multi-leg option strategies feature a mix of bullish, bearish and market-neutral approaches, including Calendar and Diagonal Spreads....

Gaudenz Schneider

Central bank rate decisions, index rebalancings, and upcoming South Korea presidential elections are key events to watch for in Asia-Pacific in June.

Alibaba Group Holding's recent multi-leg option strategies show a mix of bullish and bearish approaches, with Calendar and Diagonal Spreads being...

Alibaba's implied volatility drops post-earnings and displays a less smirky smile. Liquidity highest in June and September expiries.

Tencent's multi-leg option strategies feature a mix of bullish, bearish and market-neutral approaches, including Calendar and Diagonal Spreads....