Chips Draw Bears as ASTS Squeeze Tightens

Options markets are sending conflicting signals on August 3. Bearish bets are heaviest in semiconductors. Negative options flow is highest in SNDK, MU, NVDA, AMD, and INTC. All five are chip names. That is a notable cluster of put pressure in one sector.

NVDA sits at RSI 48. That is close to neutral. Yet its negative bets rank among the highest in the market. NVDA is up just 7.6% year-to-date. Bears appear to be fading the chip recovery.

MU tells a different story. It leads the market in both positive and negative options bets. That signals a volatility play. Traders are positioning for a big move. MU is up 188% year-to-date. A crowded trade invites two-sided action.

TSLA shows RSI at just 31.7. The stock is down 31% this year. Negative bets remain elevated. Call buyers have yet to step in.

Meanwhile, ASTS is flashing a rare squeeze alert. Short interest utilization hit 100%. Availability of shares to borrow fell to just 0.59% of short interest. That is the tightest reading on record. SI stands at nearly 24% of free float. With almost no borrow left, any positive catalyst could force rapid short covering.

PBF leads all stocks on ORTEX's options score this week. It is up 167% year-to-date. The energy refiner's options activity is outpacing its peers by a wide margin.

Options markets are pricing in volatility across semis, energy, and space-tech. The ASTS setup in particular stands out as a high-conviction catalyst watch for the week ahead.