Edited by Peter Hillerberg1 min readStories are generated from ORTEX data and reviewed by the ORTEX team. How we publish
Options market activity this week points to rising defensive bets against semiconductors and beaten-down consumer names, with negative flow dominating two sectors hit hard by geopolitical and demand pressures.
Micron Technology and NVIDIA top the list of large-caps attracting the most negative options bets over the past seven days. Both sit in a chip sector rattled by South Korean tech selling and a broader AI-linked de-rating. NVDA carries an ORTEX short score of 30 and an RSI of 54, suggesting the market is not yet oversold. Micron, up 263% year-to-date, draws the heaviest put-side flow among all names screened.
American Airlines stands out in a different way. Its ORTEX options score ranks among the lowest this week, signalling a bearish tilt in sentiment. The stock has fallen 16.5% this year. Earnings are due, with the Q3 call flagged as the next event.
Lululemon also shows heavy negative options bets. The stock is down 55% year-to-date. RSI sits at 33.6, near oversold territory.
On the bullish side, Waste Management carries the highest positive options score among large-caps this week. The options score of roughly 70 is unusually high for a defensive utility-adjacent stock, suggesting some traders are positioning for a bounce ahead of its Q3 print. Japan's CNC machine tool orders surged 63% year-on-year in August, according to ORTEX alt data, a signal that industrial capex remains firm globally, which could support waste and infrastructure-adjacent names.
Fastly received a fresh Oppenheimer upgrade to Outperform with a $35 target today, 38% above current levels. Options sentiment around the name bears watching as that call-buying wave builds.
ORTEX Market Intelligence content is generated by AI from a snapshot of ORTEX's proprietary data and reviewed by the ORTEX team. Content is informational only and does not constitute investment advice.
