The options market is flashing mixed signals across AI and semiconductor stocks. Chipmakers dominated both bullish and bearish bets this week. The same names sitting at the top of positive options flow also drew the biggest negative wagers.
MU and SNDK led options activity on both sides. Memory stocks are caught between a massive YTD rally — Micron up 207%, SanDisk up 411% — and growing scepticism about whether AI demand can hold.
NVDA attracted heavy negative options bets despite its $5.4 trillion market cap. Chip stocks pulled a failed rebound earlier this week. That drew fresh put buyers looking for downside.
APP is a standout bearish signal. The stock is down 49% year-to-date. RSI sits at just 32. Short interest runs at 4.8% of free float. Options flow has turned heavily negative. Traders appear to be pressing the decline further.
ALB is drawing fresh attention from bears. Analysts cut targets on the lithium miner today. Short interest reached 10.2% of free float. Put activity spiked alongside the analyst downgrades.
On the AI bullishness side, TSLA sparked debate. Elon Musk said AI agents will dwarf human internet traffic. Michael Burry pushed back publicly. The stock is down 27% this year. Options traders are split. RSI at 41 suggests sellers still have the edge.
PLTR options flow stayed subdued despite the AI narrative. The stock is off 16% YTD. No clear directional bet is emerging in options.
The week's theme: chip and AI names are generating big options volume. But sentiment is far from bullish — bears and bulls are clashing hard in the same tickers.
ORTEX Market Intelligence content is generated by AI from a snapshot of ORTEX's proprietary data. Content is informational only and does not constitute investment advice.
