Options flow is telling two very different stories this week. Semiconductors are drawing heavy bullish bets. Energy refiners are seeing defensive positioning as geopolitical risk swirls.
Micron Technology tops the board for positive options bets over the past seven days. The stock is up 242% year-to-date. Analysts still see 55% further upside. That combination is pulling in aggressive call buyers ahead of its Q4 earnings event.
Advanced Micro Devices and NVIDIA are also registering heavy negative options bets — a sign traders are hedging large chip gains after weeks of volatile headlines around AI names. NVIDIA is up just 18% year-to-date. That's modest relative to peers. Options traders appear cautious around its next earnings report.
On the bearish side, Tesla and lululemon athletica rank among the biggest negative bets. Tesla is down 19% in 2026. Lululemon has fallen 52%. Both names carry elevated short scores. Put positioning stays firm.
Elsewhere, Monster Beverage shows 100% positive options flow over the past week. The stock is down 42% year-to-date. That extreme drawdown may be pulling in contrarian call buyers betting on a snap-back.
Energy names are a wildcard. Refiner stocks including Marathon Petroleum, Valero Energy, and Phillips 66 just logged six straight weeks of gains. Options traders are watching for a reversal. Geopolitical tension around Iran adds uncertainty to crude prices, making protective puts attractive for energy longs.
Procter & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive both show 100% positive options flow. Defensive consumer staples are attracting call interest — a classic signal of risk-off rotation.
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.
