Categories
Commentary

Rehab

“There’s no put; the Trump call on the upside is, if we have good policies, then the markets will go up.” – Secretary Scott Bessent

Macroeconomic Context: ‘A Detox Period’

Economic and (geo)political uncertainty intersect with broader forces as the S&P 500 adjusts to positioning and liquidity realities.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg.

Leading up to the recent decline, market breadth (measuring how many stocks participate in a market move) had weakened. While a handful of dominant stocks masked the weakness, the underlying market was thinning out. Such dispersion [1] [2] [3], where some stocks surge while others lag, can create an illusion of stability in some market environments.

At the same time, liquidity—cash and credit availability—steadily drained from the system. Mechanisms like the reverse repo facility (where banks park excess cash with the Federal Reserve), the Treasury General Account (the government’s cash balance), and money market flows help offset [1] shortfalls. However, this time, they offered little cushion.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bianco Research.

New policies—such as tariffs and trade restrictions—reinforce market trends and drive investors toward safer assets like bonds. There is a growing preference for lower bond yields over short-term stock market gains.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg.

While the Federal Reserve controls short-term interest rates, long-term rates are more influenced by broader factors such as inflation expectations, economic growth, and investor sentiment.

Although lower long-term rates can support risk assets, their more immediate and significant impact is on the broader economy. Lowering them reduces borrowing costs for homeowners and businesses, encouraging investment and consumption. Additionally, lowering these yields helps with servicing government debt burdens and improving fiscal stability.

The shifts are intentional. Policymakers are transitioning the economy from dependence on government stimulus, but this adjustment comes with growing pains. Policy narratives and actions may weaken markets and slow economic activity in the short term. One reason receiving attention is the wealth effect—wealthier households, who drive a significant share of consumer spending, tend to spend more when stocks rise. Conversely, market drops can curb this effect and feed an economic slowdown.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via @amitisinvesting.

Positioning Context: Setting Up For A Rip

History doesn’t repeat, but it often rhymes. Today’s setup echoes late summer 2024, albeit without the sharp volatility repricing. The difference? This time, investors were prepared, with hedges to act as insurance against market turmoil. The selling has been orderly, creating an illusion of stability and sustaining optimism.

Graphic: Retrieved from JPMorgan Chase via @Marlin_Capital.

This ongoing decline began in mid-February, coinciding with the unwinding of significant amounts of call options—contracts to buy stocks at a set price. This added indirect pressure on the market through hedging-related flows.

SpotGamma expresses this view, highlighting that the February expiration was “call-weighted” due to strong stock performance leading up to it. This increased the likelihood of a pullback, as call sellers unwound their long stock hedges—a simplified explanation, as other offsetting positions may also be in play.

Graphic: Retrieved from SpotGamma.

At the same time, after market shocks in August and December 2024, investors focused more on guarding against sudden volatility spikes rather than hedging against a broader market downturn. This pattern is familiar—the S&P 500 and the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX), which measures expected market volatility, sometimes rise together ahead of market peaks.

Graphic: Retrieved from @AndrewThrasher.

Meanwhile, within market supply dynamics, this activity has effectively set a floor under VIX pricing, as reflected in the VVIX trending higher since the volatility of late last summer.

Graphic: Retrieved from TradingView.

The result? Despite preparations for increased volatility, it hasn’t materialized, frustrating hedge holders and making it harder to identify a market bottom typically marked by extreme volatility spikes. Even with a backwardated implied volatility term structure (where short-term volatility is priced higher than longer-term volatility), anxiety and market movements remain out of sync.

Graphic: Retrieved from TradingView. 1-month VIX less 3-month VIX.

Over time, some traders might shift to longer-dated options, while others might drop their hedges altogether, which could amplify volatility-selling behavior. Ironically, this could create the conditions for shocks they were trying to hedge against.

Graphic: Retrieved from SpotGamma.

Given this environment, 2022’s playbook becomes relevant. Back then, investors—rattled by the COVID crash—were prepared, monetizing hedges into declines and keeping a lid on volatility. We may see parallels now. After last week’s economic data, hedgers have been supplying volatility back to the market, offering brief relief as we potentially enter a seasonally stronger period.

Graphic: Retrieved from SpotGamma.

The main takeaway? Current positioning dynamics indicate that investors have effectively managed and responded to the downside. While markets will be volatile, significant shocks may be delayed or avoided.

Graphic: Retrieved from SpotGamma and for illustrative purposes only. SPX prices X-axis. Option delta Y-axis. When the factors of implied volatility (Vanna) and time change (Charm), hedging ratios change. If investors hedge by selling stock to offset long put options, falling implied volatility (as seen in the skew chart above) leads them to buy back the stock, which can support markets.

Context Applied: Trade Structuring

We adapted previously shared structuring guides. Given volatility’s failure to perform, we opted for downside ratios and flies. This worked, and we plan on developing some case studies.

A potential cyclical rebound within a broader period of weakness could be expressed via low-cost positive-delta (bullish) structures, including buying calls while proportionately hedging with stocks or futures, where potential gains from the calls can outweigh hedge-related losses. Additionally, as we prefer, one can deploy verticals and flies, buying options closer to the current market prices while selling more options further out (with an extra far-out option bought to reduce margin requirements if needed).

Graphic: Retrieved from @dailychartbook.

We and others agree that the Nasdaq 100 (NDX) and higher beta stocks are appealing. For one, relative strength pockets emerge in the NDX versus the SPX, potentially attributable to tariffs disproportionately impacting non-tech sectors. Checking options skews, and NDX options farther away in price may be underpriced for the eventually realized volatility.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via Nicholas Smith.

For more on structuring across different products, be they gold or Bitcoin, see our Mar-a-Lago Accords letter published last month.


Disclaimer

By viewing our content, you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions outlined in this disclaimer. Consume our content only if you agree to the terms and conditions below.

Physik Invest is not registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission or any other securities regulatory authority. Our content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any security or other investment. The information provided is not tailored to your financial situation or investment objectives.

We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of any information. Please do not rely solely on our content to make investment decisions or undertake any investment strategy. Trading is risky, and investors can lose all or more than their initial investment. Hypothetical performance results have limitations and may not reflect actual trading results. Other factors related to the markets and specific trading programs can adversely affect actual trading results. We recommend seeking independent financial advice from a licensed professional before making investment decisions.

We don’t make any claims, representations, or warranties about the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or reliability of any information we provide. We are not liable for any loss or damage caused by reliance on any information we provide. We are not liable for direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or damages from the information provided. We do not have a professional relationship with you and are not your financial advisor. We do not provide personalized investment advice.

Our content is provided without warranties, is the property of our company, and is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. You may not be able to reproduce, distribute, or use any content provided through our services without our prior written consent. Please email renato@physikinvest for consent.

We reserve the right to modify these terms and conditions at any time. Following any such modification, your continued consumption of our content means you accept the modified terms. This disclaimer is governed by the laws of the jurisdiction in which our company is located.

Categories
Commentary

The Mar-a-Lago Accords

“Good investing doesn’t come from buying good things, but from buying things well.” – Howard Marks

There is a lot of noise—it’s exhausting. Today, we will sift through the noise and focus on how we can protect and potentially grow our portfolios this year. This is a follow-up to our Market Tremors letter. But first, let’s clarify the context for our approach. This is a long newsletter, so you may have to view it in another window.


Inflation is back in focus, gold is soaring, and investors are optimistic about stocks. Correlations remain low, dispersion is high, and the market’s volatility pricing/positioning obscures potential risks lurking beneath the surface. The macro landscape is shifting rapidly, yet when we zoom out, we’re confronted with something we’ve discussed before: inflation is here to stay!

For a long time, the expectation was that inflation would take a particular shape—a transitory spike and a manageable trend. Instead, structurally, we’re dealing with a world that is moving away from the low-inflation paradigms of the past. The pillars supporting cheap capital and abundant liquidity—globalization and dovish monetary policy—are shifting.

These shifts are neither sudden nor unexpected. In 2023, we wrote much about the narrative of the ideological struggle between the West and East, particularly with the Russia-Ukraine conflict sparking. Historically, whenever Eastern economies prosper, the West adjusts the rules. Now, it’s more about who controls what. Control over assets, inflation, and interest rates define economic power. Folks like Zoltan Pozsar have warned that the fundamental drivers of the low-inflation era—globalization and financialization—are unraveling, leaving policymakers with little choice.

The well-respected Kai Volatility’s Cem Karsan, a mentor to many, has pointed out in excruciating, albeit digestible detail that the trends favoring high-beta portfolios over the past four decades are reversing. Monetary authorities, particularly the Federal Reserve, have been constrained in their ability to address the widening wealth divide. Their response to inflation in the early 2020s—from creating demand to absorb surplus supplies of low-priced items to structurally restricting demand in response to shortages—was intended to guide the economy along a path of managed declines in activity while maneuvering interest rates to prevent another inflationary flare. Rising populism is a byproduct manifesting as shifts in public demand and political sentiment.

Thus, today’s Mar-a-Lago Accords and the broader economic overhaul signify a significant trade, monetary policy, and financial stability restructuring. Tariffs, a U.S. sovereign wealth fund, and global security restructuring are the key issues at this forefront. The implications of this shift are profound, and markets have yet to adjust. A portfolio for this new environment could creatively layer exposure to stocks, bonds, commodities, and volatility. Understanding the pieces herein will be critical for structuring trades and managing risk. Let’s dive in.


Macro Context: A New Economic Framework

#1 – Tariffs

One significant component of this broader economic overhaul is tariffs. Economist Stephen Miran, nominated by the U.S. President to be Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, has outlined how tariffs, historically used to influence trade flows, are being retooled as protectionist instruments and an alternative revenue source.

According to Miran’s A User’s Guide to Restructuring the Global Trading System and fantastic explanations by Bianco Research founder Jim Bianco, a core issue is a persistently strong dollar distorting global trade balances. If paired with currency adjustments, tariffs could redistribute the costs away from U.S. consumers, “present[ing] minimal inflationary or otherwise adverse side effects, consistent with the [U.S.-China trade war] experience in 2018-2019.” However, this approach risks retaliation or distancing from key trading partners, further fracturing global supply chains.

To mitigate these risks, policymakers consider implementing tariffs in phases, gradually increasing rates to address inflationary pressures and market volatility. Even during the 2018-2019 trade war, tariff rate increases were implemented over time. Additionally, tariffs will be driven by national security concerns, targeting industries essential to defense and technological innovation. From this perspective, policymakers view access to the U.S. market as a privilege.

#2 – Sovereign Wealth Fund

A significant consideration is a U.S. sovereign wealth fund leaning on undervalued national assets to restore fiscal stability. Unlike traditional sovereign wealth funds built on surpluses, this fund would operate by revaluing and monetizing domestic reserves.

Key assets under consideration include undervalued gold reserves and billions in government-possessed bitcoin, which could be integrated into this fund. Bianco says these could total nearly $1 trillion.

This strategy introduces volatility concerns. Those concerned say government exposure and potential speculation on financial assets could lead to instability. Should we invest now for later?

#3 – Global Security Agreements

Beyond trade and monetary policy, a core element of the broader economic overhaul is linking military alliances to economic policy. The longstanding framework in which the U.S. provided security to allies without direct compensation is being rethought. The warnings are explicit; note the President’s Davos remarks and the Vice President’s Munich Security Conference speech.

Under a new paradigm, Bianco summarizes that NATO members may be required to contribute more to defense (say ~5% of GDP), foreign-held U.S. Treasury bonds may be converted into 100-year zero-coupon bonds, reducing short-term debt burdens, and tariff structures may be adjusted based on a country’s alignment with U.S. security interests.

“What Miran said in his paper is: you owe us so much for the last 80 years that what we want to do is a debt swap,” Bianco explains how the U.S. can be paid for being the world’s protector. “Those NATO countries have trillions of dollars of debt. [You’ll] swap it for 100-year or perpetual zero coupon non-marketable Treasury securit[ies]. So, you’re going to swap $10 billion worth of Treasuries for a $10 billion coupon century bond [that] won’t mature for 100 years, [and] won’t get any interest.”

In short, this is a fundamental shift that requires allies to bear a more significant share of security and costs. It’s the Mar-a-Lago Accords, a new financial order and policy framework akin to past agreements that reshaped the global economy, such as the Bretton Woods Agreement of 1944, which established the U.S. dollar as the international reserve currency, and the Plaza Accord of 1985, which coordinated currency adjustments to correct trade imbalances.

The proposed Mar-a-Lago Accords aim to reprice U.S. debt through asset monetization, weaken the dollar to improve U.S. export competitiveness and enforce tariff structures to rebalance global trade.


Positioning Context: Market Positioning Obscures

Tariff-driven price pressures, a weaker dollar, and a floor under interest rates raise bond yields, corporate borrowing costs, and strain leveraged players. This backdrop favors debasement plays and perceived safe havens like bitcoin and gold, which have been climbing for reasons discussed in the past and present.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via @convertbond.

Equities face a less promising outlook. Oaktree Capital highlights that decade-long returns have historically been lackluster when investors bought the S&P 500 at today’s multiples. As Howard Marks puts it, earning +/-2% annually isn’t disastrous—but the real risk lies in a sharp valuation reset, compressed into just a few years, much like the brutal selloffs of the 1970s and 2000s.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via Bob Elliott.

While the current market environment may feel frothy, with stretched valuations and narrow leadership, we’re not in an imbalanced 1970s scenario. Also, the possibility of a dollar devaluation serves as a tailwind for S&P 500 earnings, potentially boosting stock prices, Fallacy Alarm explains. Markets are not irrational; instead, they could face modest returns of around 5-6% annually for stocks and bonds over the next decade. Such sanguine sentiment is evident in the options/volatility market, reflecting the distribution of future possible outcomes; the trading and hedging of options make them a robust gauge of future outcomes—offering a view of where markets stand and where they might be headed.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bank of America via Bloomberg.

We observe several key happenings:

#1 – Hedging Volatility Spikes, Not Market Crashes

Investors are hedging against potential volatility spikes like those seen on August 5, 2024, when the VIX exploded higher. While the S&P 500 grinds upward and the VIX drifts lower and appears cheap (<16), the VVIX—“VIX of the VIX”—remains elevated. This unusual divergence manifests from demand for VIX calls, suggesting the market worries sharp repricings of risk are more likely than broad equity selloffs. The dynamic boils down to supply and demand; SPX options remain underappreciated—why protect when the market seems stable—meanwhile, VIX options are in demand, bolstering VVIX.

SpotGamma highlights this massive VIX call buying, noting dealer short convexity positioning suggests that, should volatility “wake up,” there could be significant downside pressure on equities and upside pressure on volatility, reinforcing the view that the VVIX’s elevated levels could signal a potential volatility spike, rather than a broad market crash.

Graphic: Retrieved from Cboe Global Markets.

“The aforementioned vega supply is indeed large, but it is innocuous unless provoked,” SpotGamma’s founder Brent Kochuba explains. Still, “with correlation stretched and IVs at lows, there is the potential for an SPX index short vol cover/single stock spasm to push into this upside vega convexity – something that we think a sharp NVDA [earnings] miss could spark.”

Graphic: Retrieved from Nomura via SpotGamma.

#2 – Options Selling and the ‘Buy My Course’ Gurus

Investors are leaning toward short-dated options selling (sometimes packaged within an ETF structure, without regard for price and thoroughly assessing broader market positioning) and structured products.

Graphic: Retrieved from JPMorgan via @jaredhstocks.

As QVR Advisors’ Benn Eifert explains, dynamic creates opportunity: deep out-of-the-money, long-dated volatility in single stocks looks attractive for tail-risk hedging. But there’s a catch—the persistence of this activity reinforces spot-vol covariance (i.e., the relationship between the underlying movements or spot and its volatility or vol). If the market shifts and volatility rises as the underlying asset moves up/down (the usual pattern flips), long volatility positions could become highly profitable, as it is then they would benefit from this reversal in spot-vol dynamics (e.g., 2020).

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via Kris Sidial. Volatility is fair in indexes; “much better opportunities in singles right now.”

As SpotGamma elaborated, if strength through earnings persists, “it will supply a final equity vol and correlation drop (a ‘final vol squeeze’), ushering in a blow-off equity top. At the same time, these metrics are low enough to justify owning 3-6 month downside protection, as bad things usually happen from these vol levels.”

Graphic: Correlation via TradingView. Stocks are expected to move more independently. Peep the pre-2018 Volmageddon levels.

As an aside, implied correlation measures the degree to which the prices of the assets in the basket are expected to move together (positively correlated) or in opposite directions (negatively correlated). Low correlation, in this case, indicates that the stocks are expected to move independently or in opposite directions; hence, dispersion trades betting on this have performed well.

Graphic: Retrieved from Cboe Global Markets.

#4 – The Changing Narrative of Bitcoin and Its Maximalists

Similar patterns emerge in bitcoin. As countries face currency debasement and economic stresses, bitcoin stands out as a hedge to some. Like equities, bitcoin options are underappreciated.

For example, implied volatility has traded under 50% for one-month options, representing an attractive entry point for those looking to position themselves for a surge. This low volatility environment in Bitcoin mirrors the opportunities in equities. Here, bitcoin benefits from any volatility reversal, presenting a compelling case for those looking to participate in a big market move.

Graphic: Retrieved from SpotGamma. Higher skew and IV rank suggest calls are expensive and moves are stretched.

Context Applied: Trade Structuring

Trade structuring this year is all about creativity. We’ve added the following to our portfolios.

#1 – Rates

One efficient structure for safeguarding cash is the box spread, which offers several key benefits: a convenience yield, capital efficiency (especially for users of portfolio margin), easy execution via most retail brokers, and favorable tax treatment—60% long-term and 40% short-term if executed using cash-settled index options (e.g., SPX). This strategy combines a bull call spread and a bear put spread, matching lower and higher strikes and the same expiration date.

We frequently trade such structures. For instance, here’s one we purchased at the beginning of this year: BOT +1 IRON CONDOR SPX 100 (Quarterlys) 31 DEC 25 4000/7100/7100/4000 CALL/PUT @2964.25 CBOE

In this case, we invest $296,425 now to receive $310,000 in a year. This represents an implied interest rate of 5.32% or ((3100-2964.25)/2964.25)*(365/314)=0.053234. Note that there is a convenience yield, and that’s due to counterparty risk, as box spreads depend on the Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) to guarantee the transaction.

Tools like boxtrades.com help with tracking yields and finding attractive box structures.

Graphic: Retrieved via Alpha Architect.

Box trades unlock the power of yield stacking, enhancing returns by layering multiple exposures without increasing capital outlay. They preserve full buying power with portfolio margin for margin-intensive trades like synthetic longs.

For non-portfolio margin traders, yield stacking is less applicable. Instead, you can allocate ~95% of cash to box spreads, locking in your principal at maturity while risking only ~5% (the interest you stand to make), with limited downside.

Graphic: Retrieved from Cboe Global Markets.

#2 – Upside

Low correlation and subdued implied volatility signal stability, but any disruption could spark sharp moves.

As we explained better in Reality Is Path-Dependent, Cem Karsan notes that a slow grind higher cheapens options, fueled by continued volatility selling. Eventually, realized upside volatility will surpass implied, prompting smart money to buy options at these discounts. If the VIX holds steady or rises, it suggests fixed-strike volatility is creeping up, potentially forcing options counterparties to cut exposure or hedge, boosting markets higher; increased call demand could push counterparties to hedge by buying the underlying asset, reinforcing stability and giving a floor to options prices and the market by that token.

The play here? Replace stock exposure with options. You can buy calls outright and hedge them by selling stock—gains on the calls should outpace hedge losses. Karsan has talked about this a lot. One of our moves is to structure broken-wing butterflies or similar: buy an option near the money, sell a larger number of options further out, and cap risk with an even farther out option. In this environment, you can often put on these trades for little cost and exit at multiples higher if the market drifts sideways or up. Please see our website for case studies and example trades.

Don’t overlook crypto, either. Implied volatility remains underappreciated in bitcoin, making synthetic exposures compelling. Swapping spot for synthetic alternatives is a play on these opportunities. Though we haven’t touched them, check out Cboe’s cash-settled options on spot bitcoin: the Cboe Bitcoin US ETF Index (CBTX) and Cboe Mini Bitcoin US ETF Index (MBTX).

#3 – Hedging

Though less attractive now, VIX calls and call spreads remain a powerful tool for hedging tail risks. In our Reality Is Path-Dependent letter, we explore this topic further.

There are more compelling structures within the S&P 500 complex, particularly back spreads. For example, a put back spread involves selling a higher strike put option and buying a larger number of lower strike put options, positioning you to profit from substantial volatility shifts—similar to what we saw on August 5, 2024.

Although this structure takes advantage of the market’s unappealing volatility skew, drift presents challenges; if volatility fails to perform well during a downturn, you risk losing more money than you initially invested in the spread. Caution!

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via Goldman Sachs.

Bonus: From the White House to Wall Street

We had the opportunity to catch up with Steven Orr, founder of Quasar Markets. We discussed his career and the future of fintech and trading technology. Before Quasar Markets, Orr worked as an executive at Money.net and Benzinga. He also serves on the board of the American Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Association. His diverse background includes positions with the White House, the U.S. State Department, the PGA Tour, the NBA, and various professional sports leagues. Orr frequently shares his insights on TV and appears at events like the World Economic Forum. Check it out, and thank you, Steven!


Disclaimer

By viewing our content, you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions outlined in this disclaimer. Consume our content only if you agree to the terms and conditions below.

Physik Invest is not registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission or any other securities regulatory authority. Our content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any security or other investment. The information provided is not tailored to your financial situation or investment objectives.

We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of any information. Please do not rely solely on our content to make investment decisions or undertake any investment strategy. Trading is risky, and investors can lose all or more than their initial investment. Hypothetical performance results have limitations and may not reflect actual trading results. Other factors related to the markets and specific trading programs can adversely affect actual trading results. We recommend seeking independent financial advice from a licensed professional before making investment decisions.

We don’t make any claims, representations, or warranties about the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or reliability of any information we provide. We are not liable for any loss or damage caused by reliance on any information we provide. We are not liable for direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or damages from the information provided. We do not have a professional relationship with you and are not your financial advisor. We do not provide personalized investment advice.

Our content is provided without warranties, is the property of our company, and is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. You may not be able to reproduce, distribute, or use any content provided through our services without our prior written consent. Please email renato@physikinvest for consent.

We reserve the right to modify these terms and conditions at any time. Following any such modification, your continued consumption of our content means you accept the modified terms. This disclaimer is governed by the laws of the jurisdiction in which our company is located.

Categories
Commentary

Market Tremors

This edition shouts out Public.com, a multi-asset investing platform built for those who take investing seriously. Public recently launched Alpha, an AI investment exploration tool, in the app store. We’re excited to host co-founder and co-CEO Jannick Malling on the next podcast to discuss the market and how AI levels the playing field. Stay tuned!

When market expectations drift too far from underlying fundamentals, they eventually become unsustainable. This sometimes leads to corrections that can trigger cascading effects across the broader market.

It is prevailing investment practices that partly fuel such a dynamic. While concepts like diversification and efficient markets appear sound, they often fail to account for the pressures investors face in practice. For instance, sophisticated retail investors have no mandate and typically have the space to make deliberate, calculated decisions. On the other hand, institutional-type investors, driven by the need to deliver consistent short-term profits, may feel compelled to chase returns. This pressure can lead to riskier behaviors, such as betting on low volatility by selling options. While this may produce steady returns in calm markets, it exposes investors to sudden shocks, volatility repricings, and forced unwinds when markets turn unexpectedly. Investors are often unprepared for such volatility, seldom owning options outright due to the rarity of shocks. This creates a market landscape skewed toward a “winner-takes-all” outcome, where only a few are positioned to benefit from such rare moments.

The following sections explore this realm of increasingly frequent, dramatic, and unpredictable outcomes. Let’s dive in.


In our excruciatingly detailed ‘Reality is Path-Dependent’ newsletter, we explored how markets are shaped by reflexivity (feedback loops) and path dependency (how past events influence the present), setting the stage for August 2024’s turbulence and recovery.

To recap, we noticed that while individual stocks experienced big price swings, the broader indexes, like the S&P 500—representing those stocks—showed restraint. Remarkably, the S&P 500 went over 350 sessions without a single 2% or more significant move lower, reflecting this calm. This happened because of a mix of factors, including many investors focusing on broader market calm, often expressed by selling options and, in some cases, using their profits to double down on directional bets in high-flying stocks. This helped create a gap between the calmer movements in the indexes and wilder swings in individual stock components, leading to falling correlations; beneath the surface, big tech, AI, and Mag-7 stocks gained ground, while smaller stocks in the index struggled, as shown by fewer stocks driving the market higher (weaker breadth).

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg.

By arbitrage constraints, declining correlation is the reconciliation. When investors sell options on an index, the firms on the other side of the trade—like dealers or market makers—dynamically hedge their risk. They may do this by buying the index as its price drops and selling it when it rises, which can help keep the index within a narrower range and reduce actual realized volatility. However, this doesn’t apply as much to individual stocks, where we observed more options buying. For these stocks, hedging works differently: dealers may buy when prices rise and sell when prices fall, reinforcing trends and extending price moves. This creates a situation where the index stays relatively calm, but its components can swing more wildly.

Anyway, we noticed that as the connection between the index and its stocks was weakening, traders who bet on these differences (called dispersion) profited. As more participated in this and other volatility-suppressing trades, it became more successful. This shows how feedback loops (reflexivity) and past events (path dependency) influence future market behavior. Overall, this trade helped sustain the market rally and added stability as lesser-weighted stocks stepped up to offset the slowdown in leaders in July.

However, we speculated about the risks of a broader “sell-everything” market. Waning enthusiasm for big tech stocks and broader market selling on the news could manifest demand for protection (such as buying longer-dated put options). During the quieter, less liquid summer months, this could trigger increased volatility and lead to a sharp sell-off (as dealers or market makers hedge in the same direction the market’s moving, amplifying moves). Although low and stable volatility gave an optimistic market outlook, we considered advanced structures to hedge against potential pullbacks at low cost, including ultra-wide, broken-wing NDX put butterflies, ratio spreads, and low-cost VIX calls and call spreads (which, by way of the VIX being an indirect measure of volatility or volatility squared, offer amplified protection in a crash). In the event of market weakness, these structures would be closed/monetized, with the proceeds/profits used to lower the cost of upside participating trades through year-end. Again, further details can be found in the ‘Reality is Path-Dependent’ newsletter.

Graphic: Retrieved from UBS. Hedge funds were cutting risk in July 2024.

Our warnings about the risks of extreme momentum crowding and positioning leading to violent unwinds were borne out in August 2024. Markets reeled as recession probabilities were repriced, quarterly earnings disappointed, and central bank policies diverged. The Federal Reserve’s dovish stance starkly contrasted with an unanticipated rate hike by the Bank of Japan. This fueled considerable volatility across assets, particularly higher-beta equities and cryptocurrencies, which are more heavily influenced by traditional risk and monetary policy factors. The episode highlighted the vulnerabilities of a market reliant on leveraged trading and concentrated investments; the situation was about more than just a fundamental shock.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bianco Research.

The unraveling was marked by spikes in stock market volatility measures like the VIX, a liquidity vacuum, and forced deleveraging by trend-following and volatility-sensitive strategies. Despite this clearing some froth, key equity and volatility positioning and valuation vulnerabilities remained, leaving markets fragile and uncertain whether growth will stabilize or deteriorate.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via PPGMacro. Yen versus Nasdaq.

Some accounts compared the selling to the 1987 stock market crash. Volatility broke its calm streak, with spot-vol beta—the relationship between market movements and expected/implied volatility changes—rising and correlations increasing.

Graphic: Retrieved from Morgan Stanley via @NoelConvex.

Early warning signs of precariousness emerged as prices for far out-of-the-money SPX and VIX options—key indicators and drivers of potential crashes when heavily traded—soared hundreds of percent the week before crash day, Monday, August 5. These tail-risk hedges, often viewed as insurance against steep market drops, carried well, becoming significantly more expensive as demand surged. Just as insurers raise premiums on homes in disaster-prone areas to account for higher risk, the soaring cost of these options reflected the market’s growing fear of extreme outcomes. This repricing fed into broader quantitative measures, triggering a wave of deleveraging and prompting investors to offload hundreds of billions in stock bets, amplifying the sell-off.

Graphic: Retrieved from Nomura via @MenthorQpro.

At one point, the VIX breached 65, its highest level since 2020. A lack of liquidity during pre-market hours and the shift from short-term to longer-term hedges contributed to this sharp rise. The VIX is calculated based on a selection of S&P 500 options about 30 days out, chosen by an algorithm that looks at the middle point between the prices people are willing to buy and sell those options. When there’s not a lot of trading activity and markets get volatile, the difference between the buying (bid) and selling (ask) prices widens, lending to the VIX being higher than it should be.

Graphic: Retrieved from JPMorgan via @jaredhstocks.

Comparatively, VIX futures—perhaps a better measure of hedging demands outside regular market hours—lagged. JPMorgan claims the fast narrowing in the VIX spot and futures indicates the VIX spot overstated fear and hedging demand.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg.

Moreover, a technical issue at the Cboe options exchange delayed trading, and by the time the problem was resolved, the VIX had already dropped sharply. This coincided with traders doubling down on short-volatility positions and buying stocks, confident in the S&P 500’s historical tendency to rebound in the months following similar volatility spikes.

Graphic: Retrieved from Nomura via The Market Ear.

Rocky Fishman, founder of Asym 500, explains that the dislocations above were compounded by dispersion traders who likely experienced mark-to-market losses on their short index positions while single-stock markets remained closed. This forced some to cover their short index volatility positions, resulting in a pre-market surge in index volatility. Once trading resumed, many began selling single-stock options, triggering a broader decline in volatility levels—particularly in single-stock options.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via Asym 500.

So, the rapid decrease in the VIX was driven more by positioning dynamics and the calculation mechanics of the VIX itself rather than a complete unwinding of risky trades. Additionally, the S&P 500’s movement into lower-volatility segments of the SPX options curve, which the VIX relies on, further intensified this decline. Kris Sidial of The Ambrus Group adds, “It’s quite evident that many have doubled down on [short volatility]. But you don’t need to trust our data. Barring any additional volatility shocks in the next few weeks, I expect some of these firms to deliver stellar numbers by the end of Q3 due to their inclination to take on more risk.”

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via @iv_technicals.

The market’s recovery in the fall was mainly driven by the Mag-7 giants, whose robust performance overshadowed the struggles of smaller stocks. The August decline created an opportunity to acquire beaten-down stocks at discounts, with investors indeed seeing the panic as a buy signal; outside of significant crises unable to topple the economy (like the bank failures in 2023), back-tests suggest that when the VIX exceeds 35, the S&P 500 has historically risen upwards of 15% over the next six months.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg.

The recovery was not without risks, with the divide between market leaders and laggards highlighting continued fragility. In any case, supportive flows into mega-caps and dealer hedging activities helped stabilize broader indexes through November.

Graphic: Retrieved from Nomura via SpotGamma.

The growing gap between the stable performance of the S&P 500 and the larger fluctuations in its components created profits for those dispersion traders we discussed. However, as valuations for mega-cap stocks climb, the market becomes more vulnerable to shifts in sentiment or capital flows. Events like the yen carry trade—where borrowing in Japan funded investments in U.S. Treasuries and equities—unwind exposed concentration risks and positioning imbalances, which could amplify future shocks.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via @Alpha_Ex_LLC.

As for potential triggers and shocks going forward, rising inequality and populism are creating deep divisions within and among major powers, while protectionist policies strain potential global cooperation. According to Cem Karsan of Kai Volatility, these dynamics drive economic battles and indirect conflicts, with Eastern nations working to reduce Western influence. This shift coincides with a new era of high inflation, widening wealth gaps, and changing power dynamics. Millennials, now a dominant force in the workforce and politics, are challenging decades of policies that primarily benefited corporations and the wealthy, reversing globalization and redistributing wealth—though this comes at the cost of heightened inflation.

These structural changes disrupt traditional investment strategies like the 60/40 portfolio. A major geopolitical event, such as China moving on Taiwan, could severely impact supply chains, critical industries, and the global economy, with significant repercussions for stocks like Nvidia and broader indices like the S&P 500. If market bets against panic (like short volatility) unravel, it could trigger more swings like August’s. The same reflexivity that has stabilized markets since then could amplify volatility during future shocks, turning successive disruptions into severe crises if market positioning is misaligned.

Graphic: Retrieved from Joshua Lim.

Despite this challenging backdrop, short-term market behavior operates independently, dictated by supply and demand dynamics. Seasonal flows, particularly during year-end, created a bullish bias; reduced holiday trading volumes, combined with reinvestment effects and significant options expirations, contributed to structural upward pressure on markets. These flows and a historical tendency for election years to drive positive performance suggested a right-skewed distribution for near-term outcomes.

Graphic: Retrieved from SpotGamma.

The prospect and fulfillment of a “red sweep,” characterized by follow-on deregulation, a business-friendly environment, and more animal spirits, boosted markets. However, caution was spotted in certain areas, like bonds, where expectations for inflation rose.

Graphic: Retrieved from Oraclum Capital.

Ultimately, the market overextended, highlighting the risk of a peak as it caught down to weak breath on the Federal Reserve’s surprising hawkish shift in December. This change led to volatility in equities, interest rates, and currencies, reminiscent of the spike in August when the VIX jumped and surpassed the S&P 500’s decline. Such persistent divergences validate a clear shift into a new market regime characterized by volatility that consistently outpaces market sell-offs.

Image
Graphic: Retrieved from Nomura.

In a report, Cboe said that equity spot/vol beta surged to -3.3, meaning for every 1% drop in the S&P 500, the VIX gained 3.3 points—exceeding even August’s extreme levels. SPX options priced greater downside risk, with skew steepening. Notwithstanding, correlations settled near historic lows, signaling investor focus on sector rotation and stock dispersion.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via Alpha Exchange.

Early warning signals appeared when volatility and equities increased simultaneously, highlighting a “spot up, vol up” pattern that frequently foreshadows market peaks. For instance, at one moment, upside calls on major stocks like Nvidia and the S&P 500 were well-priced and poised to perform strongly in a rally. This occurs because, during rallies, implied volatility of call options generally decreases as investors tend to sell calls tied to their stock holdings rather than liquidating them entirely. When investors chase synthetic upside exposure through call options, indices like the VIX could stabilize or increase as the market rises. Since counterparties typically adjust their exposure by buying the underlying asset, it propels the rally and magnifies market fluctuations.

Graphic: Retrieved from Nomura.

Beyond the chase, the post-election rally got an extra boost from unwinding protective puts. Significant events like elections typically boost demand for puts as hedges against adverse outcomes, with counterparties hedging these positions by selling underlying stocks or futures, among other things. As markets rise, time passes, or uncertainty fades, these puts lose value, leading counterparties to unwind hedges by buying stocks and futures. This is a structural support that pushes markets higher.

Graphic: Retrieved from Nomura.

Corporate buybacks and stabilizing volatility levels encouraged funds to increase their exposure. Nomura estimated that assuming stable markets, up to $145 billion in additional volatility-sensitive buying could occur over three months. Although 30-day implied volatility traded a bit above realized volatility, this signaled uncertainty rather than distress. Seasonal factors mentioned in the previous section—like low holiday liquidity and limited selling pressure—added to the upward trend.

Graphic: Retrieved from Goldman Sachs.

Then came the FOMC meeting, followed by December’s massive options expiration (OPEX), disrupting the supportive dynamics that had fueled the rally. While a rate cut was expected, uncertainty around forward guidance introduced volatility just as the market faced a substantial unwinding of stabilizing exposure. Those who hedged customer-owned call options by buying stock during rallies and hedged customer-owned puts by selling stock during declines were forced to re-hedge as markets turned lower following the FOMC meeting. This involved selling stocks and futures, adding downside pressure.

Macro factors triggered the initial downside, with positioning amplifying equity volatility.

Graphic: Retrieved from SpotGamma.

Ultimately, volatility levels signaled oversold conditions ahead of a massive put-clearing OPEX, setting the stage for a year-end lift. The volatility spikes in August and December remained contained, as they were largely event-driven and mitigated by existing hedges and a market structure anchored by year-end flows. The subsequent unwinding of significant options positions in December eased the pressure, while reinvestment and re-leveraging effects into January supported against weak breadth; as the earlier-mentioned Cem Karsan explains best, the substantial gains over the year increased collateral for leveraged investors, enabling them to reinvest profits or take on more leverage, which has given markets a lease on life through today.


2025 might see increased volatility, not driven by typical inflation or recession fears but by the positioning dynamics herein that can magnify market swings during downturns. The so-called “red sweep” introduces optimism and the likelihood of greater risk-taking, which could result in one-sided positioning and heightened volatility. Factors like populism, protectionism, and rising interest rates are additional pressures on stocks and bonds. Gold and Bitcoin are identified as potential stores of value, but Bitcoin remains prone to speculation, liquidity challenges, and regulatory obstacles.

The following newsletters will identify structures to lean into fundamental catalysts and underlying volatility contexts. Notably, the structures discussed earlier (such as ultra-wide, broken-wing NDX put butterflies, ratio spreads, and low-cost VIX calls and call spreads) may continue to perform as effective hedges.

See you soon for a detailed part two.

Graphic: Retrieved from Invesco via Bloomberg.

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Categories
Commentary

The Alchemy of Forecasting

This week’s letter is about 6,000 words and may be cut off. If so, try viewing it in a browser window!

Our recent focus reflexivity manifests in politics through reinforcing shared beliefs and narratives. When political group members share an ideology, their interactions often confirm and amplify their existing views, creating feedback loops. These loops can shape the group’s perception of political realities, such as the strength of their candidate, which in turn influences voter turnout and campaign contributions. This homogeneity also leads to a lack of exposure to opposing views, increasing the risk of misreading voter sentiment and making strategic errors in political campaigns.

This dynamic was evident in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Many in liberal circles were convinced of Hillary Clinton’s victory, relying on polling data and a widespread belief in her inevitability. This perception reinforced within these groups created a reflexive cycle that contributed to complacency and lower turnout in critical swing states. Those in the Republican bubble who supported Donald Trump also experienced their form of reflexivity; early support and momentum generated enthusiasm that ultimately led to his victory. Both sides exhibited fallibility—Democrats overestimated Clinton’s support, while Republicans underestimated the opposition to Trump.

Vuk Vukovic, the CIO and co-founder of Oraclum Capital, is acutely aware of reflexivity and fallibility’s impact on politics and economics. Over the past decade, he has applied his academic research in political economics to accurately predict the outcomes of the past two U.S. elections and the Brexit referendum, as well as influence policy in his home country of Croatia. Following the pandemic, Vuković and his co-founders sought to monetize their predictive success, leading them to the financial markets. Today, they use the wisdom of crowds and their understanding of social networks to outperform markets with their hedge fund. Vuković graciously joined Physik Invest’s Market Intelligence podcast to discuss his career, research, starting and operating a hedge fund, trading psychology, and investment processes. The video can be accessed at this link and below. An edited transcript follows.

We spoke in April, and Oraclum Capital, your upstart hedge fund, sat at ~$8.6 million in assets under management. Has this number changed?

We’re going into September with $17 million under management, so it has been going well.

I want to go back in time before you studied economics. What were some of your big interests growing up, and how did they guide your pursuit of economics in school?

My interest in economics partly stemmed from my parents, who were both involved in that field. But even as a kid, I was fascinated by currencies and stock markets. Something about them attracted me—maybe it was the whole money aspect, but I think it was more profound than that. However, as I pursued my education, I diverted from finance and instead focused on political economics, which is more theoretical and combines public choice theory with macroeconomics. You can’t fully understand economics without understanding politics. Fast forward to today, I’ve returned to my first love, finance.

The idea of making money got me engaged in markets, but the details and the process kept me engaged. So, structuring trades, learning how markets work, and things like credit and positioning kept me involved. Does this resonate?

That’s the primary motivation, and you learn things that make it more or less attractive. In our case, it was more attractive.

So you went to the London School of Economics and the University of Oxford. Why those two?

Before that, I earned my Bachelor of Economics at the University of Zagreb in Croatia. During the summers of 2009 and 2010, I went to the United States—first to attend a summer school at Berkeley and then Harvard the following year. 

I considered staying in Zagreb, but after those experiences, I realized I should go abroad. I chose the United Kingdom because it was closer and less expensive than the United States, especially at the master’s level. In Europe, you typically pursue a master’s before a PhD, allowing you to finance your education gradually.

The LSE is a prestigious institution with a political economy program aligned with my interests. If I wanted to go to the United States immediately, I would have had to choose an economics PhD and then branch out from there, which is not what I wanted.

Did you get a lot of value from those summer schools? 

Absolutely. They showed me that I could compete in an environment where I wasn’t sure I would be able to.

I earned straight A’s at Berkeley and Harvard. I took an Intermediate Macroeconomics course and a Contemporary Theories of Political Economy course at Berkeley. At Harvard, I studied International Monetary Economics, taught by a former assistant to Milton Friedman. I also took a course on global financial crises there, which was particularly interesting to me because the Global Financial Crisis had just started in 2008. At that time, I was in my second or third year of university, and it shaped my research focus ever since. I found my niche by exploring the financial crisis from a political economy perspective, examining the political causes of the crisis, such as why banks were allowed to take on so much risk, and so on.

You wrote a couple of papers. How did you develop your theses, and how long did it take you to research and defend them?

Most of my political economics research explicitly focuses on corruption and lobbying. When I came to Oxford, my attention was primarily on the collusion between politics and economics—essentially, the relationship between the corporate and political worlds. 

It all began with a paper on corruption in Croatia, where I examined the connection between firms and people in power and how this relationship affected reelection chances. I also attempted to measure corruption through public procurements awarded to specific firms. Unfortunately, my findings showed a significant impact of corruption on the reelection chances of Croatian mayors, cities, and municipalities.

The second paper I worked on centered around bank bailouts in the United States during the 2008 crisis, which has been a focal point of my research interests. I aimed to determine whether banks better connected to congresspeople received a more favorable bailout deal relative to their assets, and indeed, they did. With these two ideas and the supporting data, I developed a more unified theory on how corporate executives and politicians connect and how those connections impact economic outcomes. In my specific case, I was looking at income distribution and inequality.

This led to my third paper at Oxford. I analyzed a massive dataset of about a million corporate executives in the United States and the United Kingdom, linking them to politicians and observing that those better connected had much higher salaries. Specifically, the impact was about $150,000 more in annual salary in the United States. To clarify, these were corporate executives—CEOs, the C-suite, or board members—being compared within the same company, with the politically connected ones earning a premium of approximately $150,000. Political connections were measured by whether the executive had previously worked with someone at a senior government level or belonged to the same organization, such as a country club, charity, or other networking group. These affiliations might not necessarily make you friends, but they provide a way to connect with critical individuals when needed.

This academic work culminated in the book I published this year, Elite Networks: The Political Economy of Inequality. It is trending well at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers.

I remember this a couple of years ago: Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Jerome Powell appeared at the same party or dinner. Jerome Powell was grilled over what was potentially discussed, and your response reminded me of that.

I was looking into that precisely during the Global Financial Crisis when Timothy Franz Geithner and Henry M. Paulson, Jr. held regularly scheduled meetings with the CEOs of the top eight banks. This was documented in The New Yorker and The New York Times. I was reading those transcripts, and it was clear that these people were friends. There’s also an excellent paper on social connections in a crisis, highlighting the importance of being connected—especially when you need to reach the right person to secure a bailout for your bank in times of crisis.

Graphic: Retrieved from CNBC.

Did your findings in Croatia ever have an impact on policy?

Surprisingly, yes, though not as much as I had hoped.

My main finding was that there are very suspicious levels of public procurement where companies with, for example, zero employees can bid and secure huge deals from local governments. I focused solely on the local level. One potential solution to combat this issue is to introduce complete budget transparency so that the public can see every single expenditure made by the government. This would include everything from large procurement deals down to receipts for lunches, dinners, and similar expenses. You could even see who’s dining with whom and the salaries of public sector employees.

We started implementing this project in a few cities in Croatia, including Bjelovar—about five or six cities. These cities adopted the project with a message of having nothing to hide and being open and completely transparent. Incidentally, all the mayors who implemented our project significantly outperformed their opponents in subsequent elections. So, while corruption may help you get reelected, being fully transparent helps even more.

We wanted to extend this project to a broader audience of mayors, but unfortunately, the interest wasn’t there. What did happen, however, was that we were able to make this a formal part of the budget law. But now, the problem is that the bureaucracy watered it down. The law explicitly requires every local government to have full transparency, but as they say, the devil is in the details. Bureaucrats added a second layer of interpretation, defining what it means to be fully transparent, and the law’s impact has been diluted. So, I’m done fighting those battles. That’s behind me, and I’m doing something completely different now.

How did you develop the methodology used to predict elections, and how did you monetize it?

I didn’t initially think about starting a hedge fund, but I knew there was some applicability in markets.

So, my two colleagues, Dejan Vinković, a physicist, and Mile Šikić, a computer scientist, and I were in the academic sector. They were professors, and I was a lecturer at my university. We wanted to find a new way to create better, more predictive surveys. We were looking at what Nate Silver was doing in the United States, and since the three of us were all political junkies, elections were the first thing we wanted to apply these methods to. So, we started with the British elections in 2015, and it worked well. Our correct prediction of the Brexit referendum and Trump’s 2016 election further propelled us; we initially wanted to write a paper on our new prediction method, but we opted to try to build a company and monetize it instead.

Now, what’s the logic behind that? There are two components. 

The first is the wisdom of crowds. You ask people what they think will happen and what everyone around them thinks will happen. Let’s say it’s an election. So, who is going to win, Trump or Harris? That’s the first question. Second, what do you think other people around you think will happen? When you get to that second question, you put people in other people’s shoes, forcing them to switch between System 1 and 2 thinking, as Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky describe.

The second part involves the networking aspect, the crux of our approach. We aimed to figure out who was friends with whom. For example, if you’re in a liberal or conservative bubble, you have a low ability to predict what’s going to happen outside of your bubble. So, we focused on people in more heterogeneous groups, where some friends are left-leaning, some are right-leaning, and some are centrist. This diversity increases the probability of making accurate predictions. The methodology involves playing with probabilities assigned to different individuals, and these probabilities have weights, which is how we determine the accuracy. So, not every person’s opinion matters in the same way. That’s the general idea.

Where would these surveys be accessible?

The crucial part is social media. Previously, during the elections, we did everything on Facebook. But this was before Cambridge Analytica when Facebook was very open to giving us the data we needed. We didn’t take any personal information besides what we asked for in the survey, like gender and age; we only gathered network data from Facebook. If your friends joined the survey with you, we could connect you. Now, we’re doing everything on Twitter and LinkedIn. We’re sourcing from those networks because Facebook no longer allows it following the Cambridge Analytica scandal. This is not a problem because people are typically on the same platforms. Again, we don’t need to know who these people are. All we know is who they’re connected with.

Would you have achieved the same results if you could go back and use Twitter and LinkedIn?

The data on Facebook was more versatile, and there was more of it. You could do more with a bigger pool. It wasn’t just the data itself but also the critical relationships between the data. Much of this was based on network theory in physics, akin to network science in general. My two partners, and later I, became remarkably proficient in this area. So, all we needed was good data to fit the theory and see if these things worked, and they did. With the Twitter data, I don’t think it would have been as helpful as the Facebook data, but once you learn what you need, you can apply it to any other platform that has a network.

How did you come up with the name Oraclum?

It’s a Latin word for prediction.

So, before starting the hedge fund, did you have any investing experience, and how did you learn about markets? What books did you read?

I’ve been investing on and off since 2011-2012. I began trading options in a retail capacity in 2018. Back then, trading options on Tesla was the name of the game, and I went through the whole trader experience. I love the Market Wizards book by Schwager because I went through the same processes as many of the people featured in it. You initially make a lot of money on something and think, “Oh my, this is easy, and I am so smart.” Then, you lose a lot of money on something else, and that’s when you start learning. So, I did have some experience with options. Since 2021, when I began testing Oraclum’s methodology, my options trading knowledge has improved significantly. We needed options because they provide convexity (i.e., non-linear payoffs), which is crucial when predicting with 60%-70% accuracy, which is what we achieved. So, while I did have some experience, it has grown exponentially over the past few years since I started the fund.

Graphic: Retrieved from Simplify Asset Management. “An investment strategy is convex if its payoff relative to its benchmark is curved upward.”

What did the fund structuring process look like, and what guided your decision to create a hedge fund versus an ETF, which would allow more people access?

The hedge fund versus the ETF is a matter of cost. Launching an ETF requires about $250,000 upfront, which is beyond our reach at the time. However, we aim to establish an ETF within the next few years to offer it to a broader audience. Many people who participate in our surveys are eager to invest, but with our current $100,000 cap, they can’t. The ETF would allow them to be investors, providing an even stronger incentive to participate and perform well in the surveys.

To answer your question further, we need to go back to 2016, around the time of Brexit and Trump’s election. That’s when we decided to start a company. We set up shop in the United Kingdom, specifically in Cambridge—no connection to Cambridge Analytica; we’re the good guys and don’t misuse data. Initially, we focused on market research projects on elections, market trends, and public sentiment. However, after correctly predicting the 2020 election outcome between Biden and Trump, we started attracting clients from the finance industry who were buying our election predictions. I thought, “Why not test this on the markets?”

We had some funds and could hire people to help us, so we began the project with the mindset of trying it out for a year or two. If it didn’t work, we could always return to market research. But the project quickly gained momentum. I invested about $20,000 of my own money, and over a year and a half, I grew it to $54,000. I did this transparently, posting screenshots of my trades in my newsletter. People could see my profits and losses weekly. I would even send survey participants the trades I planned to make, and this transparency resonated with them—some became investors.

Like many others, our biggest investor initially followed us on Twitter and subscribed to the newsletter. After nearly a year of testing, the final decision to start the hedge fund came around the summer of 2022. People following us said they wanted to invest more seriously, so we started the process. I remember discussing it with my wife and telling her, “You need the confidence of someone who knows nothing about something but does it anyway.” We launched the hedge fund in 2023 and learned as we went.

Before we started, I spoke with a lawyer and met with potential investors. I also surveyed newsletter subscribers to gauge interest and ask if they’d like to invest. We received around $10 million in commitments. Of course, there’s a difference between pledging money and investing it, so we only started with about $2 million when we launched the fund in February 2023.

Our hedge fund story differs from most. While others often launch with $100 million, $200 million, or even $1 billion, we’re bootstrapping our way up, starting small but with solid performance and growing trust from our investors. It’s an unconventional story, but we don’t need the typical team of analysts or a Bloomberg terminal. We have our method and trade in a very straightforward way.

What does it cost to run your type of operation?

In the first year, last year, the budget was about $100,000. It is more significant this year because I’m expanding the entire marketing scope. It’s projected to be around $400,000. However, with our profit, we’re comfortably funding the entire operation.

Was creating the fund structure cost-intensive as well? 

Surprisingly, no. It was about $30,000 altogether and set up in Delaware. I found good lawyers and used all the money I earned investing myself to fund it.

What does your investment process look like from pre- to post-trade?

It is straightforward. We get a signal every Wednesday before the market opens. Once we get the signal, we want to determine its strength. Then, we typically open positions about an hour after the opening, at about 10:30 Eastern on Wednesdays. We will keep the position until the end of trading on Fridays. This is the optimal timing for our prediction if we were right. We only allocate about 2% of our portfolio to each trade. If we’re wrong, the options expire worthless, and we lose 2% of the premium. If we’re right, then we make multiples of that. That is in a nutshell. Now, there are things that we can do. For example, we have this trailing stop strategy; if we make 1.5%, we will increase stops and keep raising them gradually. We have been testing and have considered using 0 DTE options in the other direction to hedge our profits.

Are these options spreads that you are buying? 

A vertical. We always buy spreads.

You would never try any complex or ratio-type structures, right?

No, we keep it simple. We used to, and the following is a great story about that.

The fund is performing well currently. However, right out of the gate in March of last year, we were down 15% on our first $2 million. At the start, we told our investors they would be out if we lost 20%, so it was a tricky situation.

What went wrong? Several things contributed. 

For background, I only risked 10% each week when trading alone. With about $20,000, this meant risking $2,000. A part of my strategy involved using iron condors, as our methodology works well in both direction and precision; our predictions are within 2% of the market’s actual ending about 80-85% of the time, which is quite significant. Thus, the iron condor structure worked well when trading on my own in 2021 and early 2022.

However, since the introduction of 0 DTE options, the price of the Friday options has changed dramatically, and the risk-reward ratio has shifted from 2:1 to 8:1; now, I would risk $800 to make the same $100. If I lost $800, I would need eight good weeks to compensate for one bad week. Consequently, iron condors are no longer viable. This structure, we know, significantly hurt us in the first quarter of 2023, which is why we abandoned it, along with others, focusing solely on directional options and spreads.

Graphic: Retrieved from Oraclum Capital.

My first thought was how much of that was the volatility environment. So you dropped the condors, and then, did you change how you traded the verticals?

When we started the fund, we risked about 5%. When things quickly got out of hand, we lowered it; when we were down 15%, we reduced it to 1%, and it took us about five months to break even, gradually increasing our exposure. Now, we’ve found that 2% to 3%, depending on the strength of the signal, is our optimal point. So yes, it affected our position sizing. Regarding volatility in March of last year, the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank also impacted us.

Graphic: Retrieved from Federal Reserve. Due to the rapid pace of interest rate increases, Silicon Valley Bank’s unhedged bond portfolio significantly lost value, contributing to difficulties meeting withdrawal demands.

Would you consider trades like the iron condor again if the volatility environment changed?

It works for us over 80% of the time, but the risk-reward ratio is no longer suitable. That’s why we don’t want to engage again. The current data shows flat or slightly above-flat results, so there’s no point in doing it.

Do changes in volatility and positioning affect how you trade the underlying market? So, at the beginning of August, we had a bunch of volatility. You probably weren’t in positions at the start of the week because it was a Monday, and you avoided that. But do those significant changes in volatility impact how you structure trades?

Not the structure. 

Let’s go back to that week. On Monday, markets were down. We were mostly in bonds and cash. We ended the week up 1%, with the compression of volatility benefitting us; as volatility went down and markets went up, it was an easy trade for us in retrospect.

It would have been fantastic if we had held puts on that Monday. If we had held calls, we would have only lost the premiums. That’s why volatility doesn’t impact us negatively, no matter how big. This is because we’re not sellers of options. If we were sellers, that would be a different problem. However, since we buy options, the most we can lose is the premium. We know our risk—if we’re wrong in a week like that, we lose 2% and move on to the following week.

Also, I noticed a mismatch between bid and ask prices on that particular day. That is something to consider as well. But if I had put options and there was a huge mismatch, we would have worked them at the mid-price.

Graphic: Retrieved from Reuters.

How are you executing these orders? Are these just market orders, or are you setting a limit?

Always limit orders.

Are you using one of the ETFs, or do you use cash-settled indexes like the SPX?

ETF. Not the cash.

Would going into something like the SPX be more cost-efficient if you grow large enough?

Yes, absolutely. Right now, one of our institutional investors is coming in, and they want us to employ the same strategy using options on futures like the E-mini S&P 500 (FUTURE: /ES). Looking at the data, the approach also works there.

Are you testing trades in real time or backtesting?

Backtest.

If you were to go live with either the /ES or SPX, would you do that with a smaller size initially, test it out, and see how it works on that scale? 

Yes. Initially, use a smaller size and then push it up as we go along.

Right now, we’re small—a $17 million fund—so I trade a couple hundred thousand dollars worth of premium every week, which is not a lot. Once bigger, we can look to the SPX and /ES, where the liquidity pools keep increasing. 

As we grow in size, it’s straightforward for us to scale.

You said you risked 2%. Is the other 98% still in Treasury Bills?

90% in T-Bills, and 8% is a cash buffer.

Graphic: Retrieved from Exotic Options and Hybrids.

Because you’re always out of these spreads at the end of the week, I assume you’re pretty liquid and can quickly meet redemptions. 

Yes, that’s not a problem for us.

If interest rates fell or you had a significant lull, would that change how you invest that capital?

It probably would. Right now, we’re taking advantage of the carry. There’s a straightforward carry trade—you leave cash in bonds for a year and get ~4%. It will probably be a different instrument if we return to the pre-COVID interest rate environment or even post-COVID 2021. However, I would still want to keep most of it in bonds because of the safety. Think of it like Taleb’s “Barbell Strategy.” You have 90% in something very safe and 10% in something very volatile—in our case, 2%.

You’re not using box spreads, right? You’re actually in T-Bills, right?

We have T-Bills but will switch to box spreads because of the tax implications.

Graphic: Retrieved from the OCC.

How do you monitor the strength of the signals, and do you scale back if that signal weakens?

This is an ongoing process, and there are several things we’re looking at. Regarding the signal strength, we have KPIs. We’re monitoring whether the signal is improving or worsening over the past 4 or 5 weeks. If it falls below our crucial indicator, we say, “Okay, let’s see what the problem is, what’s happening, and how we can fix it?” Signal weakening can be due to several reasons, such as a drop in our survey response rates during slower periods of the year. If we can detect issues, we can prevent them from escalating. We allow ourselves a maximum of one lousy month.

Can you explain your fee structure?

We have a 1.5% management fee and a 25% performance fee subject to an 8% hurdle, accounted for quarterly. We must clear 2% each quarter before applying the 25% performance fee. There’s also a high-water mark in place. Performance fees can only be charged if the fund consistently makes money. So, if the fund makes money in one quarter but loses money in the next, it can only charge a performance fee once it has recovered the losses in the subsequent quarter and exceeded the previous high-water mark; the performance fee can only be applied to any additional profits after surpassing the previous peak value.

Despite being systematic, you’re still executing these by hand, inputting orders, setting limits, and so on, right? How do you manage any biases and emotions and just execute?

I have a psychology coach guiding me through this process, which is necessary. I’ve experienced losses before starting the fund, but managing other people’s money is different—it comes with much higher responsibility. Plus, you must report to these people regularly and inform them about any losses. This was particularly challenging for us in March of 2023 when we had just started the fund and were down 15%. We thought, “What do we do now, and how do we face these people again?” I did a lot of exercises to help myself cope with the situation, and I realized that the solution lies in sticking to the process. The less I meddle, the better our investment returns are; we achieve better outcomes by completely removing our biases and following the process, one of our key performance indicators. Ultimately, I aim to expand the team, hire traders, and stop trading myself. Although I could automate the entire process, it doesn’t always work as intended; sometimes, the machine won’t perform exactly as you want. That’s why I believe human traders still have value. We’re not high-frequency traders, so we don’t need machines to execute nanosecond trades. Instead, we rely on humans following a system to execute the orders.

Do you ever have a signal and you’re putting on a trade but think, “This isn’t going to work,” but you still go through with it because you are following a system?

Yes, but I’ve taught myself not to deviate. Sure, maybe this week I’m going to help it, but the next week I’m probably going to destroy it. Again, it is the whole psychological mindset thing. I still get the urge, but you’re pushing yourself to make this emotionless. It is a process, so it’s going to take a while.

So, the hedge fund feels like your second act to me. Do you have a third in mind, and may that involve you working in the government, especially given the research you’ve done?

I’m so removed from governments that it’s liberating. 

The three of us at Oraclum—Vinković, Šikić, and myself—are political junkies. Since starting the fund, I’ve asked myself why I even cared. At this point, it’s tough for me to think about a third act, especially now that we’re in the middle of building this. 

It depends on how much money I earn—maybe philanthropy or something else. We’ll see.

Have you done any work for the next set of U.S. elections? If so, can you share any results?

This is the big argument that my two co-founders and I have. One of them is against us doing this because of the focus of the fund, our investors, and everything else. And that makes sense. We won’t do it, even though I see it as a great marketing tool.

If you were to predict the next set of elections, what would you do differently?

I streamline much more toward the key swing states. 

Pennsylvania was the key state in the last two U.S. elections, 2020 and 2016. As soon as we saw in our survey that Trump was winning Pennsylvania in 2016, that was it; Trump was taking the election. The same happened in 2020. At no point did Biden ever lose Pennsylvania in our surveys. So that was the turning point for us. Ohio and Florida were going for Trump. Before this election, whoever won Ohio and Florida would become the U.S. president. Not this time because you had Pennsylvania and Michigan going in the other direction. So, if I were doing it this year, I would focus on a handful of swing states. You can follow the surveys for the rest, focusing on Pennsylvania and Michigan. Ohio and Florida will most likely go to Trump. But then, I would also look at Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

I recently watched a podcast featuring Citadel’s Ken Griffin. In it, he emphasized the importance of studying your winners rather than getting too hung up on the losers. Does your experience validate this thinking?

That’s a good point. I get more excited about the winners and learn that the losers don’t matter—move on. 

There’s this great quote by Roger Federer: “In tennis, perfection is impossible. In the 1526 matches I played, I won almost 80% of them. But I only won 54% of the points in those matches.” For him, it’s not about the points. When they’re gone, they’re gone. You move on to the next one. It’s the same thing here. For every week we lose 2%, we move on. But when we get a big win, we’re delighted. It’s a psychological thing as well. You can get much more if you don’t cut the profits too soon and keep a trailing loss. That’s why we have weeks where we’ve made 5% or 6% in a week, which is good. So there is something to it. 

We study the winners because it can all come down to 5 or 6 weeks a year when we make the bulk of the return on the fund. Everything else cancels out; the small winners and losers cancel each other out.

Graphic: YouTube interview with Citadel’s Kenneth Griffin.

Do you have any mentors or people you look up to? 

I love that Market Wizards book by Schwager. Every interview in it is very revealing and comforting. When I was younger, I idolized George Soros. What we do has nothing to do with how Soros trades; he’s a big ideas guy, and I could never compete. It’s the same thing with people like Ray Dalio. It’s a different way of competing. 

I want to emulate someone like Paul Tudor Jones.

Do you have a favorite book recommendation?

Nassim Nicholas Taleb opened my eyes to options trading. After I read his third book, Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder, I thought, “Options are interesting; let’s see how this works.” I also think psychology books are great. So, Trading in the Zone: Master the Market with Confidence, Discipline, and a Winning Attitude and Schwager’s Market Wizards are fantastic because traders often make the same stupid mistakes; everyone goes through the same process.


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Categories
Commentary

Reality Is Path-Dependent

This week’s letter begins with an overview of reflexivity. Many works exist on this topic, with “The Alchemy of Finance” summarizing it well. Written by investor George Soros, it concludes that markets are often wrong, and biases validate themselves by influencing prices and the fundamentals they should reflect.

Graphic: Retrieved from Michael Mauboussin. 

Namely, reflexivity is this feedback loop between participants’ understanding and the situations they’re participating in. Sometimes, these feedbacks manifest far-from-equilibrium prices. Think of the connection between lending and collateral value, selling stock to finance growth in the dot-com boom, leaning on cheap money to make longer-duration bets on promising ideas, or the success of volatility trades increasing the crowd in volatility investments, be this dispersion or options selling ETFs.

Graphic: Retrieved from Nomura Holdings Inc (NYSE: NMR)

Perception begets reality, with these far-from-equilibrium conditions reinforced until expectations are so far-fetched they become unsustainable. Sometimes, the corrections become something more, with self-reinforcing trends initiating the opposite way.

Enron creatively hid debt from its balance sheets, guaranteeing it with its stock. When the stock fell, it revealed financial misdeeds, contributing to a broader market downtrend, bankruptcies, and corporate scandals. 

FTX brought itself and some peers down when withdrawals revealed a billions-large gap between liabilities and assets. 

Volmageddon climaxed with the demise of products like the VelocityShares Daily Inverse VIX Short Term Exchange-Traded Note (ETN: XIV) after a sharp jump in volatility sparked a doom loop; to remain neutral, issuers rebalanced, buying large amounts of VIX futures, which propelled volatility even higher and sent products like XIV even lower.

Graphic: VelocityShares Daily Inverse VIX Short Term Note (ETN: XIV) retrieved from investing.com.

The expansion of such trades increases liquidity, sometimes making assets appear more liquid and money-like stores of wealth. This may also stimulate economic growth. Likewise, the contraction or closing of these trades can lead to a sudden reduction in liquidity, negatively impacting the economy and market stability.

“The Alchemy of Finance” identifies a recurring asymmetric market pattern of slow rises and abrupt falls. Additionally, if market prices accurately reflected fundamentals, there would be no opportunity to make additional money; just invest in index funds.

Further, we continue to see interventions to stabilize markets, and they encourage further distortion and misdirection of capital. Often, such interventions are blamed for benefitting wealthy investors most and increasing inequality. As explained in works like “The Rise of Carry: The Dangerous Consequences of Volatility Suppression and the New Financial Order of Decaying Growth and Recurring Crisis,” monetary authorities and regulators’ interventions reinforce scenarios of deteriorating economic growth, more frequent crises and less equality and social cohesion.

We’re getting off track, but the point is that the conclusions and approaches outlined in “The Alchemy of Finance” are captivating. Soros sought to understand markets from within without formal training, access to unique information, or his being math savvy; instead, he attempted to connect deeply with markets, assuming they felt like he did and he could sense their mood changes.

“We must recognize that thinking forms part of reality instead of being separate from it,” he explains. “I assumed that the market felt the same way as I did, and by keeping myself detached from other personal feelings, I could sense changes in its mood, … mak[ing] a conscious effort to find investment theses that were at odds with the prevailing opinion.”

We apply this understanding of the market’s mood in our best way here. Our long-winded analyses of everything from technicals to positioning and, increasingly, fundamentals and macroeconomic themes give us a holistic understanding of what’s at stake, whether self-reinforcing trends exist, and whether to adjust how we express ourselves.

Let’s get into it.


The Great Rotation

Last Thursday, an update on consumer prices showed US inflation cooling to its slowest pace since 2021. Accordingly, traders began pricing the news and buying bonds in anticipation the Federal Reserve may cut its benchmark rate by ~0.75% this year.

Graphic: Retrieved from CME Group Inc’s (NASDAQ: CME) FedWatch Tool. SOFR is a check on market conditions and expectations regarding short-term interest rates.

Optimism about lower interest rates prompted investors to shift from the previously favored large-cap tech, AI, and Mag-7 stocks into riskier market areas and safe-haven assets like gold, reflecting concerns about a potential dovish mistake. The Russell 2000 (INDEX: RUT), an index of smaller companies, outperformed the Nasdaq 100 (INDEX: NDX) by one of the most significant margins in the last decade. Despite the S&P 500 (INDEX: SPX) declining by nearly 1%, almost 400 components recorded gains.

Graphic: Retrieved from BNP Paribas (OTC: BNPQY) Markets 360.

With these underlying divergences, committing capital to bearish positions is challenging. Breadth strengthened with more volume flowing into rising stocks than falling ones. This wouldn’t happen in a sell-everything scenario, explaining the hesitation to sell.

Graphic: Market internals as taught by Peter Reznicek.

The outsized movement observed isn’t surprising as it aligns with the narrative we shared earlier this year. 

While individual stocks are experiencing significant volatility, indexes like the S&P 500, which represent these stocks, show more restrained movement. For example, after Thursday’s sell-off, despite its large constituents like Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) weakening, the S&P 500 firmed.

Here’s a chart to illustrate.

Graphic: Retrieved from TradingView. Nvidia versus the S&P 500, with the latter in orange.

Among the culprits, investors have concentrated on selling options or volatility (the all-encompassing term) on indexes, and some of this is used to fund volatility in components, a trade (considered an investment by some) known as dispersion. 

The trade is doing well in this environment, with Cboe’s S&P 500 Dispersion Index (INDEX: DSPX) jumping to a one-year high. Dropping realized volatility (i.e., volatility calculated using historical price data) and a widening spread between stock and index implied volatility (i.e., expectations of future volatility derived from options prices) validate this trade’s success, reports Mandy Xu, the Vice President and Head of Derivatives Market Intelligence at Cboe Global Markets (BATS: CBOE).

Graphic: Retrieved from Cboe Global Markets’ (BATS: CBOE) Mandy Xu.

“The market has been broken up into two groups: 1. Nvidia and Magnificent 7; and 2. The other 493. The correlation between those two groups has been low, which has pressured S&P 500 correlation,” explained Chris Murphy, a derivatives strategy co-head at Susquehanna. “When looking at S&P stocks on an equal-weighted basis, the outsized impact of the MAG7 as a group and NVDA specifically is neutralized.”

Understanding correlation is critical to grasping the pricing dynamics between index options and their components and trading volatility dispersion. When counterparties (our all-encompassing term for the dealers, banks, or market makers who may be on the other side) fill their customers’ options sales in the index, they may hedge by buying the index as its price falls and selling when it rises, with all other conditions remaining the same. Consequently, trading ranges may narrow, with realized volatility also falling.

To explain visually, see immediately below. Movement benefits the counterparty’s position. Hedging may result in trading against the market, selling strength, and buying weakness.

Graphic: Retrieved from Reddit, from all places!

This effect may be less pronounced or absent in single stocks, which do not experience the same level of this supposed volatility selling; instead, there is more buying, and the opposite occurs. Movement is a detriment to the counterparty’s position, with all else equal. Hedging may result in trading with the market, buying strength, and selling weakness. This can reinforce momentum and give trends a lease on their life; hedging can help sustain and extend market movements rather than neutralize them.

Graphic: Retrieved from Reddit. 

Together, as counterparties align the index with its underlying basket through arbitrage constraints, its volatility is suppressed, and the components can continue to exhibit their unique volatility—the only possible outcome is a decline in correlation. If the index is pinned and one of the larger constituents moves considerably, the dispersion trader may make good money in such a scenario.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg.

We now see large stocks starting to turn and lesser-weighted constituents in the S&P 500 firming up, picking up the slack. For instance, Nvidia traded markedly higher immediately after its last earnings report, and the S&P 500 was unfazed. Something is giving, and those constraints we talked about keep things intact.

The rotation, in and of itself, is healthy, giving legs to and broadening the equity market rally. It’s just that it’s happening with the most-loved stocks being severely overbought.

Graphic: Retrieved from BNP Paribas.

Should interruptions continue across large-cap equities, souring speculation on further upside, a broader turn and outflows may manifest. The market’s gradual shift into a higher implied volatility environment, notwithstanding direction, may aid in any such unsettling, feeding into a higher realized volatility.

Graphic: Retrieved from The Market Ear. 

Building on this point, we observe a shift in S&P 500 call options before last Thursday’s steep decline. Implied volatility rose with the S&P 500. SpotGamma indicates this is partly the result of demand for SPX call options as traders seek synthetic exposure to the upside in the place of stock. This “SPX up, SPX vol up” pattern is unusual and typically happens near the short-term tops.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via Danny Kirsch, head of options at Piper Sandler Companies (NYSE: PIPR).

SpotGamma adds that the pressure on individual stocks that followed last Thursday stemmed from significant selling of longer-dated calls in the tech sector, a last-in, first-out (LIFO) phenomenon. In other words, those late to the party are the first out!

The counterparts on the other side of this trading potentially (re)hedge this by selling stock.

Graphic: Retrieved from SpotGamma.

However, with call selling, the chances of sustained follow-through are significantly lower. Put buying, which was less prevalent, changes this dynamic. 

In the case of a prolonged downturn, equity put buying is the key indicator we would watch for, along with deteriorating market internals such as breadth, as analyzed earlier. We want to see traders committing more money to the downside at lower prices, and increasingly so, as prices drop and the range expands downward. That’s what market and volume profiles can help with!

The fundamentals don’t necessarily support the case for some disastrous downside, though. 

A dovish Fed can be good for risk as it’s seen as preemptive, BNP Paribas (OTC: BNPQY) shares. Or, a dovish Fed could suggest a coming deceleration. In any case, long-term interest rates will be least sensitive to any change, a negative implication for capital formation, growth, and equity returns.

The Summer Of George

Kai Volatility founder Cem Karsan uses this Summer of George Seinfeld reference to describe the current market. During the summer months, there is insufficient liquidity to overwhelm the market’s current position.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via Michael J. Kramer. 

We know the SPX volatility risk premium is near its highs this year. The Cboe, itself, shows the implied-realized volatility spread widening to 4.5% (96th percentile high). 

Implied volatility is low, but not cheap. Consequently, short-leaning volatility trades mentioned in this document remain attractive. 

At the same time, however, there’s still a ton of volatility protecting investors against downsides owned below the market. 

To quote QVR Advisors, there’s “too much supply of front month call selling and too much buying demand for longer-dated puts.” 

“This trade flow is contributing to a large and growing structural dislocation which is not compensating ‘insurance sellers’ (i.e., near-dated call and put writers) and is overcharging in implied volatility terms, buyers of insurance (i.e., long-dated puts).”

Taken together, the implications are staggering. With calm and falling realized volatility, there may be some counterparty re-hedging. This may consist of buying stocks and futures and supporting markets where they are. 

Let’s break down some of the trades to understand better.

Consider yourself a customer who owns 100 shares of the SPRD S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE: SPY). You’re traveling to Europe and want to hedge your position against the downside. So, you wake up one morning, go online, and tell your broker you want to buy one at-the-money 50 delta SPY put option.

The delta is terminology for how that option’s price will change based on a $1 change in the underlying. In this case, for every $1 move up/down, the option will change in value by $0.50. Delta is also used to estimate the likelihood of an option expiring in the money. For example, a delta of 0.5 suggests there is approximately a 50% chance the option will expire in the money. There’s also gamma, the second derivative of how the option’s price changes with underlying changes, but we won’t discuss that further.

With your 100 shares hedged, if the market goes down, you don’t mind. You’re hedged, after all!

Naively, we’ll say this trade wasn’t paired up against another investor’s; instead, some mysterious counterparty will warehouse this risk. These mysterious persons want nothing to do with the directional risk of your trade. They’ll hedge by selling 50 SPY shares (i.e., 100 × 0.50). Again, we’re naive here and don’t consider their potential to offset this risk with other positions they may have.

You check your phone after a while and find that SPY hasn’t moved much. Your 50 delta put is now 20 delta. Bummer! You shrug, turn off your phone, and hit the beach.

What happened to that mysterious counterparty on the other side of this trade, though? They bought back 30 SPY shares, supporting the market and reinforcing the trend! 

Though this is a naive take, it may help.

Reality Is Path-Dependent

Your and the counterparty’s actions partly shaped the SPY’s price movement. You bought puts, setting off a chain of events. The counterparty hedged, the market didn’t move, and the hedge was unwound. This only serves to support the SPY further.

“There’s skew in the market, which ultimately forces a buyback of stock by dealers, market makers, banks, etc., every day, and it accelerates into expirations,” Karsan elaborates

“When the market’s up, there’s a buyback and a momentum re-leveraging, … forcing more buying.”

As we approach the end of summer, things change. Among other things, elections are coming, and there will be some hedging of that. With months to go, broad market hedges against a sudden downturn have appeared generally inexpensive, with three-month puts protecting against a drop in the S&P 500 near their lows. See the dark blue line in the graphic below as an example!

Graphic: Retrieved from Cboe Global Markets. 

“The high dispersion of stocks has contributed to weighing on VIX,” shares Tanvir Sandhu, chief global derivatives strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence. “If the equity market breath improves then that may weigh on volatility, while a pullback in mega-cap tech stocks could see both correlation and index volatility rise.”

In fact, excluding NVDA, the VIX hit traded into the 9s, on par with 2017 lows. 

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via Michael Green.

SpotGamma adds that we are in the second longest stretch without an SPX 1-day 2% move up/down; traders aren’t committing capital to bets on big moves, either. 

Graphic: Retrieved from SpotGamma. 

We see this in spot-vol beta, which refers to the relationship between the market (which we refer to as the “spot” here) and changes in its volatility over time or volatility’s sensitivity to market trading. 

This spot-vol beta has been depressed.

In observance, Nomura Cross-Asset Macro Strategist Charlie McEligott states there’s limited potential for volatility to decrease further, particularly with the SPX 1-month implied correlation at historically low levels. 

To that point, “the historically low spot-vol beta we are seeing now will eventually be followed by historically high spot-vol beta,” the Ambrus Group’s co-CIO anticipates.

Graphic: Retrieved from Nomura. A weak spot-vol beta historically leaves stocks going nowhere.

The case is less so valid with more actively traded shorter-dated options. According to Simplify Asset Management’s Michael Green, the sensitivity remains. You just have to look elsewhere.

Graphic: Retrieved from Michael Green.

It makes sense why. 

Shorter-dated options are less exposed to changes in implied volatility; instead, they expose one more directly to movement or realized volatility. They can be more attractive to hedge with but can cause problems and amplify wild swings in rare cases.

Graphic: Retrieved from JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE: JPM).

If news shocks the market one way, movements may exaggerate when traders scramble to adjust their risk, as discussed below. 

Though that’s usually not a worry, as Cboe puts, according to Karsan, a dwindling supply of margin puts, especially those with high convexity and far out-of-the-money, would be the indicator to watch for impending exaggerated movement. These options, particularly if shorter-dated, are crucial during market stress, serving as indicators and drivers of potential crashes when traded in large sizes (e.g., 5,000-10,000 0-DTE options bought on the offer to hedge). 

As a counterparty, you may also use similarly dated options to hedge yourself, bolstering a reflexive loop!

Again, the reality is path-dependent! The path leading to this point—low correlations and reduced availability of those protective options—sets the stage for increased volatility.

Here, we wish to emphasize the convexity component—gamma or the rate at which the delta changes with the underlying asset’s price—rather than the likelihood of the underlying asset reaching the options’ strike prices. Just because an option turns expensive doesn’t mean it is likely to pay at expiry; instead, it may have value because that’s precisely what traders need to trim their margin requirements during volatile markets. 

“Implied vol is about liquidity. It isn’t about fear or greed,” writes Capital Flows Research. 

“Implied vol is about liquidity on specific parts of the distribution of returns on an asset. Remember, even the outright price of an asset is pricing a distribution of outcomes, not a single destination. Options make this even more explicit by having various strikes and expirations with differing premiums and discounts.”

History shows a minor catalyst can lead to a big unwind. Take what happened with index options a day before XIV crash day.

“Going into the close the last hour, we saw nickel, ten, and five-cent options trade up to about $0.50 and $0.70,” Karsan elaborates. “They really started to pop in the last hour.”

“And then, the next day, we opened up, and they were worth $10.00. You often don’t see them go from a nickel to $0.50. If you do, don’t sell them. Buy them, which is the next trade.”

New rules surrounding the collateral traders must post to trade can only amplify a bad situation, “potentially leading to premature and forced hedging as volatility increases,” The Ambrus Group writes.

“Because everyone has to put down more capital, you have to disallow people from trading down there in a way that you don’t have to now,” JJ Kinahan, president of Tastytrade, says.

The opposite can happen when markets move quickly higher. Take the options activity and price action in the Russell 2000 over the last week. Volatility skew, or the difference in implied volatility across different strike options, steepened accordingly. 

Graphic: Retrieved from Bespoke Investment Group via Bloomberg.

Typically, options with farther-away strike prices have higher implied volatility than options with closer strike prices. When the skew steepens, the disparity in implied volatility between these various strike prices widens. 

Depending on the steepening, we may have insight into the type of impending velocity and trade accordingly.

For instance, the implied volatility of out-of-the-money (OTM) calls, which offer protection against market upturns, rises significantly compared to at-the-money (ATM) calls and downside protection (puts). This steepening volatility skew indicates heightened enthusiasm among investors regarding potentially large upward market movements. 

The steepening call volatility skew below results from distant call options pricing higher implied volatility than usual due to investor demand. Beyond helping understand the market’s thinking and mood, it can serve as a catalyst, with call options buying into a price rise further accelerating movement indirectly by how the other side hedges this risk (i.e., they buy stock to hedge).

Graphic: Retrieved from SpotGamma. 

This action is apparent elsewhere, too, in the S&P 500 (as can be seen via the SPX cross-sectional skew graphic from Cboe above), where it’s proving quite sensitive, as well as single stocks like NVDA and Super Micro Computer Inc (NASDAQ: SMCI). We provided examples this year where steepening call skew helped reduce the cost of trades we used to capture the upside. In one case, we removed SMCI butterfly and ratio spreads for tens of thousands of percent in profit (e.g., $0.00 → $10.00)!

Graphic: SMCI volatility skew in February, relative to where it was (shaded) in recent history before that.

Market Tremors

This week’s market tremors are affecting some of the most loved areas of the market, and a flattening skew (e.g., green line versus grey line below) alludes to further potential for pressure.

Graphic: Retrieved from SpotGamma.

In the long term, a few things stick out, including high interest rates and a stronger dollar, which create macroeconomic problems. 

A few explain it better than we do. Higher US interest rates relative to other economies can result in outflows and stress. Just look to places like Japan, where there’s been a lot of currency volatility. If the dollar’s strength continues, it could lead to crises elsewhere, creating a ripple effect and priming potential volatility at home.

“A US Dollar devaluation will then be a tailwind to S&P 500 earnings, which would be positive for stock prices,” Fallacy Alarm summarizes. “However, an unwinding carry trade also causes deleveraging, which is typically not good for asset prices.”

May this upset popular trading activities and catapult something minor into something more? 

Sure, and the current low correlation and implied volatility mean that any considerable market disruption could have a substantial impact. Still, markets are intact and likely to stay so.

“If we continue to grind higher, options will get cheaper and cheaper on their own accord. Not to mention all the vol selling that’s getting them to a point which is even cheaper, at some point,” Karsan adds. “And the acceleration generally in those things becomes on the upside, the realized volatility on the upside gets to be just too big relative to the implied, which means it becomes profitable for entities to come in and start buying vol at these lower levels. Add to that, the vol supply is likely to dissipate a bit as we get into September, October, and November. Why? We have an election sitting there.”

So, as the market moves higher, it transitions into this lower implied volatility, reflected in broad measures like the VIX. If the VIX remains steady or higher, “that indicates that fixed-strike volatility is increasing, and if this persists, … it can unsettle volatility and create a situation where dealers themselves … begin to reduce their volatility exposure,” naturally buoying markets as previously outlined. If there is greater demand for calls, counterparties may hedge through purchases of the underlying asset, a positive.

If The Music’s Playing, Get Up And Dance

With volatility at its lower bound, at which it can stay given its bimodality, it makes sense to look at markets through a more optimistic lens. A lot is working in its favor, and if near-term declines are marginal and not upsetting to the status quo, it may set the stage for a rally through elections.

Accordingly, how do we make positive returns in rising markets and minimize losses or gains in flat-to-down markets as we have now? That’s the goal, right?

For the anxious and must-trade types, short-dated (e.g., 50- or 100-point-wide and 0-1 DTE) butterflies in the NDX worked well on sideways days. Here, we’ve tried to double and triple our initial risk but can easily hit more in benign markets. For the passive types, calendars may do just as well should the realized volatility keep where it is or fall relative to what is implied. 

In anticipation of this week’s controlled retracement, we initiated wide (e.g., up to 2,000-point-wide) broken-wing butterflies and ratio spreads on the put side in the NDX, reducing their cost basis, if any, with the credits from the short-dated fly trades, among others. Into weakness, those spreads now price a few thousand percent higher, and we’re monetizing them, intending to use the credit to finance trades that capture upside potentially or to reduce our stock cost basis.

Regarding hedging potential outliers, BNP Paribas says VIX calls and call spreads remain compelling low premium tail hedges.

“And I think this is one of the arguments for going with VIX calls, not that we’ve seen anything explosive yet this year, but if we do see some of these things unwind, you’re going to get a kicker there where you might see the VIX cruise very quickly up to 45, and it probably won’t stay there unless there’s a real good fundamental reason for that to happen,” explains Michael Purves, the CEO and founder of Tallbacken Capital Advisors. Josh Silva, managing partner and CIO at Passaic Partners, adds, that “when there is a liquidation, it’ll be hard, it’ll be fast and it’ll be dramatic.” 

“Typically, the market after that is pretty awesome.”


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Categories
Commentary

The End Game

Good Morning! I hope you have a great start to the week. I would be so honored if you could comment and/or share this post. Cheers!

Bursts of volatility punctuate calm and resilience, resulting in demand for safety and protection in everything from stocks and commodities to bonds and currencies. The general agreement is that macroeconomic policy and geopolitics are to blame, and investors are repositioning to stem risk and potential bleeding in their portfolios. This sometimes disturbs historical trends and relationships. 

Thank you for tuning in. We will unpack much of it herein. Let’s get into it.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg.

Hedging Against Monetary Inflation, Weaponized Dollars, And Debt Monetization

Gold serves as a prime example. Instead of being guided by conventional catalysts, including real interest rates (i.e., nominal interest rate minus inflation), growth prospects, and currencies like the dollar, recent movements are more likely driven by factors like central bank accumulation on macroeconomic and geopolitical shifts.

For instance, China may increase its gold reserves to hedge potential disruptions and sanctions, as Russia saw after it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, or establish a collateral reserve for an autonomous financial system. Likewise, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Singapore have also increased their gold reserves.

As liquidity in the gold market is thinner, this buying activity amplifies volatility and disrupts established trends. Therefore, fast moves up!

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via SuperMacro.

Why could gold continue this upward trajectory?

The typical trajectory is guided by monetary inflation, characterized by increasing liquidity within the financial system. According to CrossBorder Capital, gold moves 1.5 times the liquidity growth, a solid sensitivity to so-called monetary expansion. Bitcoin, often considered a digital gold, moves sooner and exhibits higher sensitivity.

Recent expressions of interest in Treasury securities by central banking authorities, such as Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller, further fuel ascents. New demand would lead to higher bond prices and lower yields.

Therefore, gold continues surging due to geopolitical shifts, liquidity in the financial system, and the potential for debt monetization. The latter occurs when excessive debts prompt central bank authorities to intervene, using printed money to purchase bonds to manage interest rate levels more effectively.

“Investors are looking beyond the ‘here and now,’ realizing that there is no way markets or the economy can sustain 5% nominal and 2% real rates,” Bank of America elaborates. Investors are “hedging two things: i) the risk that the Fed cuts as CPI accelerates, and ii) and more ominously, the ‘endgame of Fed Interest Cost Control (‘ICC’), Yield Curve Control (YCC) and QE to backstop US government spending.’”

Graphic: Retrieved from Bank of America.

There is bi-modality. Typically, high rates are bad for gold. But, with debts and rates as they are, the probability of debt monetization increases. For now, we have a cycle wherein stocks and commodities may rise with a firming economy, and bonds may offer limited salvation, nodding to higher-for-longer rates.

Hedging Loss Of Momentum And Left Tails Following Big Move-Up And De-levering

Interest rate increases are likely only on the horizon if something unexpected occurs. Given that stocks are priced well, the question arises: how can we protect ourselves while many anticipate, based on market pricing, either minimal changes to the status quo or a substantial event triggering a broad downturn?

For one, commodities don’t do much good in a broad downturn.

Consider the years 2001 (during the tech bubble), 2008 (amidst the global financial crisis), 2015 (the flash crash), 2018 (during Volmageddon), and 2020 (amidst the pandemic). According to Kris Sidial of The Ambrus Group, gold was an ineffective hedge against equities during these periods.

So, how do we hedge the middle reality between “minimal” and “substantial.”

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg.

While direct bets on equity volatility bursts have been prominent, digestion trades may be a better alternative. Let’s unpack why.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg.

The first idea involves hedging downside thrusts in equities via call options in the Cboe Volatility Index (INDEX: VIX), Goldman Sachs, and UBS note. This isn’t necessarily optimal. Volatility is high over the short term and may revert quickly, indirectly boosting stocks. The alternative strategy entails selling options and utilizing the funds to purchase similar options with later expiration dates. Such digestion trades enable traders to capitalize on increases in volatility in the near term, reducing their costs on longer-term trades.

Graphic: Retrieved from SpotGamma’s April 15, 2024 Founder Note.

To explain, in a recent letter to subscribers, SpotGamma shared that numerous expiring VIX call options were in the money. In other words, this exposure, which makes money if the VIX and S&P 500 implied volatility (or the options market’s anticipation of future movement in the underlying), was soon to disappear. Accordingly, the hedges to this exposure would do the same, and the rebalancing after that would be enough to buoy markets.

We’ll try to break it down further in the simplest way possible. 

The S&P 500 (INDEX: SPX) and VIX are inversely correlated. When the S&P 500 falls, the VIX tends to rise. Naive of us to say, we know, but bear with us.

One can buy an SPX put or a VIX call to hedge a portfolio’s volatility. Let’s say one buys an SPX put, and the other side of this trade sells an SPX put. The other side may hedge this short put by selling stock and futures correlated to the S&P 500. Let us say the S&P 500 falls and volatility rises (pictured below). That counterparty may have to sell more stock and futures, pressuring markets. If this now valuable put expires, the counterparty will buy back the stock and futures it sold. This can support markets or do less to exacerbate movement and underlying volatility.

Graphic: Retrieved from SqueezeMetrics.

SpotGamma’s data suggests the markets are not facing an impending crash; instead, per their April 17, 2024 note, “if stocks rally and IV drops, it may add more stock for dealers to buy.” I plug SpotGamma because I worked there. Check them out! 😀

Graphic: Retrieved from SpotGamma.

So, calendar and unbalanced butterfly or ratio spread trades (pictured naively below), a play on the recent richness (pictured much further above) of options, may help capture the low case of downside and stem potential portfolio volatility.

Graphic: Retrieved from Physik Invest.

Flipping these trades (i.e., using call options in the SPX instead of put options) allows one to play the market rising. For instance, let us say the upside of gold and silver will continue, but only after stopping and digesting recent movements. You can sell a call expiring soon and buy one later at the same strike price. Your loss is, technically, limited to the amount paid for the trade.

Graphic: Retrieved from Schwab’s thinkorswim platform.

In general, ratio spreads, and butterfly trades are designed to capitalize on movement toward specific price levels, while outright calls and puts are better suited for hedging sharp movements.

The former two strategies serve as practical tools for safeguarding the value of your positions during periods of heightened volatility. In such environments, the options you own are positioned closer to the market, usually retaining their value well, while the options you sell are priced higher than usual and located farther from the market, with more value to decay into expiry. 

Consequently, while the options you own tend to keep their value, the options you sell struggle to retain theirs. As a result, the spread can appreciate even without significant movement, particularly if implied volatility declines significantly at the furthest strikes. Earlier this year, such was true in Super Micro Computer Inc (NASDAQ: SMCI) and Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ: NVDA).

SMCI was trending up, and traders were feverishly betting/hedging this reality. In a 20-page case study we may release, we detail how Physik Invest navigated this environment successfully. In short, we bought options closer to where the market was trading and sold more of them in places where we thought the market wouldn’t end up going. With implied volatility jacked, for lack of better phrasing, it was often difficult for those far-away and short-dated options to keep their value. Hence, we managed to put trades on for low or no cost and flip them for significant credits!!!

Graphic: Retrieved from SpotGamma. SMCI volatility skew.

In any case, there’s been a weakening under the surface of the indexes (see below).

Graphic: Retrieved from TradingView via Physik Invest. Black = Breadth Measure.

Later, when breadth improves, we can use the portfolio volatility-reducing trades discussed to cut costs or buy more stocks, anticipating upside continuation. According to Carson Group’s Ryan Detrick, the S&P 500 experienced its first close below the 50-day moving average in 110 trading days, marking the longest streak since 2011. Following similar streaks, stocks were higher three months later, 88% of the time, and six months later, 81% of the time. “A warning? Maybe, but maybe not.”

Graphic: Retrieved from Ryan Detrick of Carson Group.

If you enjoyed this week’s letter, comment below and share. Thanks and take care!

Categories
Commentary

Yield Hunger Sparks Concerns Of A Volmageddon Redux

Good Morning! I hope you are having a good week. I would be so honored if you could comment and/or share this post. Cheers!

As we step into Spring, we’re riding the wave of one of the strongest stock market rallies in over fifty years. It’s been a period of smooth sailing, with record highs beckoning transition from concern over potential downturns to the fear of being left out of further gains.

The BIS has commented on some of these trading behaviors, which can drive upward momentum and foster a sense of calm or low volatility. They point to the increased use of yield-enhancing structured products as a critical reason for reducing volatility. These products have stolen the show, boosting investor returns by selling options or betting against market fluctuations. In calm markets, those on the opposite side of these bets hedge in a way that reduces volatility: they buy when underlying asset prices dip and sell when they rise. As the supply of options increases, the liquidity injected to hedge stifles movement, resulting in a stubbornly low Cboe Volatility Index or VIX.

The BIS example illustrates a product that sells call options against an index position to lower the cost basis by collecting premiums. The counterparty buys call options and hedges by selling the same index. If the call options lose value or the market declines, the counterparty buys back the index they sold initially. This strategy is constructive and potentially bullish, especially in a rising market, as one could infer counterparties may postpone rebalancing to optimize profits (i.e., swiftly cut losses and allow profits to accumulate).

Graphic: Retrieved from Bank for International Settlements.

However, these trading behaviors come with risks. 

While individual stocks may experience volatility, the indexes representing them move begrudgingly. Investors have concentrated on selling options or volatility (the all-encompassing term) on indexes to fund volatility in individual components, a strategy known as dispersion. Although typically stabilizing, experts caution that it can end dramatically. One can look at the destructive selling in China as a cautionary example.

Kai Volatility’s Cem Karsan compares the trade to two sumo wrestlers or colossal plates on the Earth’s core exerting immense pressure against each other. While the trade may appear balanced and continue far longer, the accumulated pressures pose significant risks. Major crashes (up or down) happen when entities are compelled to trade volatility and options. Often, the trigger is the inability to cover the margin and meet regulatory requirements, causing a cascading effect (e.g., GameStop and 2020 crash).

The current scenario mirrors the conditions before Volmageddon, where short-volatility tactics failed. 

With implied correlations low, a market shock could see investors exiting their positions abruptly, amplifying volatility. Karsan notes a precursor to such a crash is a weakening supply of margin puts, particularly the highly convex and far out-of-the-money ones. These options play a significant role during stressful market periods, acting as indicators and drivers of impending crashes. The focus is on convexity (i.e., the rate of change of delta for changes in the underlying asset’s price or the nonlinear relationship between the option’s price and the underlying asset) rather than whether there are good odds the underlying asset will trade down to the options in question.

“Implied vol is about liquidity. It isn’t about fear or greed,” writes Capital Flows Research. “Implied vol is about liquidity on specific parts of the distribution of returns on an asset. Remember, even the outright price of an asset is pricing a distribution of outcomes, not a single destination. Options make this even more explicit by having various strikes and expirations with differing premiums and discounts.”

History shows a minor catalyst can lead to a dramatic unwind. Take what happened with S&P 500 options a day before XIV crash day.

“Going into the close the last hour, we saw nickel, ten, and five-cent options trade up to about $0.50 and $0.70,” Karsan elaborates. “They really started to pop in the last hour.”

“And then, the next day, we opened up and they were worth $10.00. You often don’t see them go from a nickel to $0.50. If you do, don’t sell them. Buy them, which is the next trade.”

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg.

Similar to downward crashes, there are occasional but now more common upward crashes. 

Recent market movements, particularly the surge in stocks such as Nvidia, Super Micro Computer, and MicroStrategy, echo the frenzy seen with high-flying stocks like GameStop in 2021. This caused losses for some liquidity providers and funds that mistakenly equated the price or level of volatility with value, selling it at a discount to where it would eventually trade.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via Simplify Asset Management’s Michael Green.

“I remember several traders I knew trying to short-vol on GME when it was at 300 because it was ‘cheap’ due to its level,” Capital Flows Research adds. “They were blown out of those positions.”

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via Capital Flows Research.

So, we have played along, nodding to George Soros’s famous statement: “When I see a bubble forming, I rush in to buy, adding fuel to the fire. That is not irrational.”

To explain, we go deeper into something known as implied volatility skew.

Skew refers to the difference in implied volatility across different strike options on the same underlying asset. Typically, options with farther away strike prices (out-of-the-money puts) have higher implied volatility than options with higher strike prices (at-the-money calls).

Implied volatility skew, as shown below, is often nonsymmetrical due to higher demand for downside protection.

When volatility skews become steeper, the disparity in implied volatility between various strike prices widens. For instance, the implied volatility of out-of-the-money (OTM) puts, which offer protection against market downturns, rises compared to at-the-money (ATM) puts and upside protection (calls). This steepening volatility skew indicates heightened apprehension among investors regarding potentially large downward market movements. Similarly, when the implied volatility of upside protection (calls) surpasses that of downside protection (puts), it signals growing concern (i.e., FOMO) about potential upward market movements. A steepening call volatility skew results from distant call options pricing higher implied volatility than usual due to investor demand/fear.

Graphic: Retrieved from Exotic Options and Hybrids: A Guide to Structuring, Pricing and Trading.

As savvy traders, we can construct creative structures and sell options against the closer ones we own to lower our costs on bullish trades. We detailed such bullish trades in our last two commentaries titled “BOXXing For Beginners” and “Foreshocks.” The outcomes for one of Physik Invest’s accounts are detailed below.

Graphic: Retrieved from TD Ameritrade’s thinkorswim platform.

Regrettably, enthusiasm is waning. Using Nvidia as an illustration, the stock surged 2.6% on Friday but plummeted 8% on the same day. The call skew was elevated over the weekend before leveling off earlier this week, which poses difficulties for traders betting on further upward movement.

Graphic: Retrieved from SpotGamma.

We discussed how such a flattening could foreshadow waning risk appetite and potentially herald market softness. SpotGamma indicates that call skews are flattening across the board, as illustrated in the chart below.

The red bars on the left represent approximately 90th percentile skews during a significant stock rally. However, a week later, on the right side, the skew rankings decline. “This appears like the uniformly bullish action in top tech stocks is breaking apart,” SpotGamma explains. This “is a reduction in bullish exuberance.”

Graphic: Retrieved from SpotGamma.

This activity will not likely disrupt the broader market; markets will stay intact as traders double down, selling shorter-dated volatility and buying farther-dated ones. We observe this using SpotGamma’s Fixed Strike Matrix below. In a simplistic sense, red indicates selling, while green suggests buying.

“By default, cells are color-coded red-to-green based on the Implied Volatility Z-Score,” SpotGamma explains. “If the cell is red, Implied Volatility is lower than the average implied volatility over the past two months. If the cell is green, Implied Volatility is higher than the implied volatility over the past two months.”

Graphic: Retrieved from SpotGamma on Monday, March 11, 2024.

The recent compression in short-term volatility aids stabilization, leading to restrained ranges in the indexes relative to components. Among these components, which drove the S&P 500 upwards, some big ones face downward pressure, partly due to the expiration of previously demanded/bought call options. This expiration prompts those initially selling these (e.g., call) options to re-hedge by selling the corresponding stocks.

Graphic: Retrieved from Damped Spring Advisors.

As the indexes remain fixed, the only resolution is a decline in correlation. As larger stocks decline, smaller constituents rise, contributing to the strength observed in the S&P 500 Equal Weight Index.

Graphic: Retrieved from Macro Ops.

Breadth can be evaluated naively by comparing the S&P 500 stocks trading above their 50-day moving average and examining the proportion of index constituents achieving new highs and lows. We see improvement, per the below.

Graphic: Retrieved from Physik Invest via TradingView. Breadth black. Correlation purple.

Based on the above explanation and graphics, after the triple witching expiration of futures, stock, and index options, traders may rebalance their portfolios and sell some of the remaining volatility they’ve bid. 

As explained earlier, this will further compress volatility, reducing the potential downside and providing critical support for stocks. Considering it’s an election year and policymakers prioritize growth over instability, Karsan suggests the market may remain stable with these forces above offering an added boost. Therefore, focus on creatively structuring longer-dated call structures and financing them with other trades to amplify return potential.

If the market consolidates without breaking, we may have the groundwork for a much bigger FOMO-driven call-buying rally culminating in a blow-off. Karsan adds that the signs of this “more combustible situation” would appear when “volatility remains persistent during a rally.” To assess combustibility, observe the options market. 

We remember that calls trade at lower implied volatility than puts, particularly from all the supply. As the market moves higher, it transitions to lower implied volatility, reflected in broad measures like the VIX. If the VIX measures remain steady or higher, “that indicates that fixed-strike volatility is increasing, and if this persists, … it can unsettle volatility and create a situation where dealers themselves … begin to reduce their volatility exposure, leading to a more combustible scenario.”

To elaborate on the reducing exposure note in the previous paragraph, if there is greater demand for calls, counterparties will take on more exposure and hedge through purchases of the underlying asset. The support dealers provide will diminish once this exposure expires. If the assumption is that equity markets are currently expensive, then after another rally, there may be more room for a decline, all else being equal (a simplified perspective), thus increasing risk and combustibility.

Graphic: Outdated. Retrieved from Nomura. To help explain.

This week, we discussed a lot of information. Some of it may need to be explained better. Therefore, we look forward to your feedback. Separately, I wish my friend Giovanni Berardi congratulations on starting his newsletter. I worked with Berardi, giving him input on some of his positioning-related research. He shares his insights here. Please consider supporting him with a subscription. Cheers, Giovanni!

Categories
Commentary

BOXXing For Beginners

Good Morning! I hope you had a great weekend and enjoy today’s letter. I would be so honored if you could comment and/or share this post. Cheers!

Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) beat on earnings last week, lifting the entire stock market.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via Christian Fromhertz.

The chipmaker confirms it can meet lofty expectations fueled by the artificial intelligence boom, with demand for Nvidia’s newest products likely to outpace supply throughout the year. Despite mounting competition and regulatory challenges in markets like China, Nvidia pursues strategic partnerships to expand its distribution channels.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via @Marlin_Capital. NVDA eclipses $2T market capitalization, with its 12-month forward PE now at 33.

Before the earnings announcement, heightened implied volatility derived from options prices on the chipmaker’s stock indicated anticipation of significant fluctuations. The at-the-money straddles, composed of call and put options, suggested movement expectations of as much as +/-10% after earnings.

Various methods exist to estimate the expected move. One approach involves taking the value of the at-the-money straddle for the front month and multiplying it by 85%. Another entails using a narrow range of options.

The volatility skew, which will be defined later, implied that the perceived risk of movement was tilted toward the upside. In any case, staying within the anticipated movement would not favor options buyers, as we show later.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg.

Since late 2023, traders have increasingly been hedging against or speculating on market upswings. This is evident in the higher call option implied volatility. Expectations for significant upward movement are particularly notable in the growing number of stocks where the 25 delta call implied volatility exceeds the 25 delta put implied volatility, shares Henry Schwartz of Cboe Global Markets.

To elaborate, options delta (∆) measures the change in an option’s price relative to changes in the underlying asset’s price. It indicates the option’s sensitivity to the underlying asset’s price movements. A delta of 0.50 means that for every $1 change in the underlying asset’s price, the option’s price would change by $0.50 in the same direction. The skew reflects the difference in implied volatility between out-of-the-money call and put options with the same delta. 

When the 25 delta call implied volatility surpasses that of the 25 delta put implied volatility, a more pronounced positive skew suggests traders are willing to pay a premium for calls. Conversely, if the 25 delta put implied volatility exceeds that of the 25 delta call implied volatility, often observed in products like the S&P 500 (due to concerns about protecting equity downside), there is a negative skew or stronger inclination to pay a higher price for put options.

Graphic: Retrieved from Henry Schwartz.

This persistent fear of missing out on sudden upward movements manifests a cascading effect when markets move higher, says Nomura Americas Cross-Asset Macro Strategist Charlie McElligott.

“The key to equities seemingly being able to keep shaking off nascent pullbacks? Well outside of the ongoing ‘AI  euphoria’ theme and de-grossing of shorts, … it’s been all about the Pavlovian ‘options selling’ flows, which continue to suppress [implied volatility].”

Graphic: Retrieved from Nomura.

As explained by McElligott, these “options selling flows” have the potential to amplify momentum. For instance, when traders or customers purchase call spreads, as they are large, the counterparties or dealers are left with a short skew, negative delta position that loses money if implied volatility rises or markets rise. In response to a rising market, dealers may manage their delta by selling put options or buying call options, stocks, or futures. Adding these positive delta hedges helps propel the market into uncharted territory during swift movements.

Graphic: Retrieved from Nomura.

As validation, after Nvidia Corporation’s stock surged about 10% post-earnings, Bloomberg reported that “to fully re-hedge all open option positions coming into the day, 51 million shares, or 91% of the daily average,” would need to be traded. Bloomberg added that the March 15 $680 call, February 23 $700, and $750 calls experienced the most significant changes in the delta before the market opening.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via Global_Macro or @Marcomadness2.

Observing SpotGamma’s real-time options hedging impact measure HIRO, the chipmaker was boosted partly on positive flows from the hedging of call options, as shown by the orange line below, while put options trading had a limited effect, as indicated by the blue line. The re-hedging activity positively affected the stock on Thursday post-earnings and had a pressuring effect on Friday, owing to the short-datedness of some of the options exposure traders initiated.

Graphic: Retrieved from SpotGamma. 

While mentioning pressures, see below the volatility skew before (green) and after (grey) earnings. 

Graphic: Retrieved from SpotGamma.

Short-dated options with very high strikes (e.g., 900+) and close expiration dates (e.g., ten days) struggled to hold their value. SpotGamma shared that the pricing of near-the-money $785 calls expiring on March 15 returned to their previous levels just a week before earnings. Since the actual movement closely matched the expected movement, there was little justification for options well above the market (i.e., +30%) to retain their value.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via SpotGamma.

At Physik Invest, we foresaw such a situation and executed 100-point wide 1×2 call ratio spreads between the 900s and 1000s for a credit of approximately 0.90. We closed these positions the next day for an additional credit of 0.50 when the 1000 strike options failed to keep their value as good as the closer 900 strike options. The resulting profit was a 1.40 credit per spread.

Graphic: Via Banco Santander SA (NYSE: SAN) research. The return profile, at expiry, of a 1×2 (buy 1 and sell 2 further away) ratio spread.

Please be aware that similar trades are present in other high-flying products, albeit less widespread than in 2021 during the meme-stock trend. A simple way to determine whether such trades are safe is to check the pricing of fully in-the-money spreads. If the spreads trade at substantial credits to close, they are worth considering. However, if the spreads require a debit to close, it’s best to avoid them. In the case of Nvidia, the 100-point spread was priced at 25.00 in credit to close the day of earnings.

Graphic: Retrieved from TD Ameritrade’s thinkorswim platform.

Generally speaking, this trend in implied volatility is something that may continue. Kris Sidial from The Ambrus Group says the trend, which masks the risks of short volatility under the hood, such as those tied to risk-management practices, is driven by several factors not limited to the following:

(1) Increased demand for call options.

(2) Larger institutions seeking volatility as a hedge against rising risk exposure as the S&P 500 climbs. 

(3) Significant market movements make it difficult for implied volatility to decrease significantly.

Must Read: Two Major Risks Investors Should Watch Out For

Graphic: Retrieved from The Ambrus Group.

As such, Sidial suggests that “there is significant value in embracing volatility in both directions,” hedging against geopolitical and economic uncertainties while also capitalizing on the market upside. As discussed last week, we focus on leveraging elevated skew to reduce the cost of bullish trades (e.g., metals). Additionally, we plan to replenish our long put skew by acquiring put spreads in equities as a precaution against potential risks ahead, mainly local market peaks this time of year.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via Tavi Costa.

With recent data dissuading anticipated cuts, there’s room to safeguard cash at higher rates for longer. 

One trade structure to help us do so is the box spread, which includes benefits such as a convenience yield, capital efficiencies achieved through portfolio margining, easy entry/exit on an exchange through most retail brokers, and potential 60% long-term and 40% short-term tax treatment.

Graphic: Retrieved via Alpha Architect. 

Like a Treasury bill, the loan structure combines a bull call spread and a bear put spread. In a bull call spread, an investor purchases a call option and sells another at a higher strike price. A bear put spread involves buying a put option and selling another at a lower strike price. The lower (X1) and higher strikes (X2) match for a box spread, with all legs sharing the same expiration date.

Graphic: Retrieved from OCC.

In calculating the loan rate, we take, for example, a recent box spread trade of Physik Invest’s: BOT +1 IRON CONDOR SPX 100 (Quarterlys) 31 DEC 24 3000/6000/6000/3000 CALL/PUT @2867.90 CBOE.

[(WIDTH−PRICE)/Price](365/DTE) = Implied Interest Rate

Where:

WIDTH: Distance between higher and lower strikes

PRICE: The price of the box spread

DTE: Days until the trade matures

[(3000-2867.90)/2867.90](365/319) = 0.0527036866 = 5.27%

We lend $286,790.00, at a risk-free rate of 5.27%, in exchange for $13,210.00 of interest at maturity. You can track box spread yields more quickly using tools like boxtrades.com. Such insights open up several strategic avenues for traders.

One approach is investing about 95% of your cash into box spreads to return the principal at maturity, risking the 5% interest you make on trades with a limited downside (e.g., SPX bull call spread). 

A more preferable option exists for portfolio margin traders. Portfolio margining is a risk-based approach to determining margin requirements in a customer’s account, aligning collateral with the overall portfolio risk. Portfolio margining considers offsets between correlated products, calculating margin requirements based on projected losses. This approach may lower margin requirements, allowing for more efficient capital utilization.

As portfolio margin traders, we retain our buying power due to the minimal directional risk associated with box spreads, allocating it to other margin-intensive trades. To illustrate, if such a trader initially invests $100,000 in box spreads, they are left with $0 in cash and $100,000 in buying power available for margin-intensive trades (e.g., synthetic long stock or the purchase of an at-the-money call and simultaneous sale of an at-the-money put). You get your inflation protection while participating 100% in up-and-down market movements. Why not, right?

The point of the above passage is that much of what you see online can be done yourself in a tax, margin, and cost-efficient way. Alternatively, you can be hands-off, investing in money markets and CDs or complicated yet cool products like the popularized Alpha Architect 1-3 Month Box ETF (BATS: BOXX), which has grabbed attention for its tax arbitrage through complex strategies and loopholes.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via Eric Balchunas.

With BOXX, you’re investing in something as safe as short-term Treasury bills, but you can get your money back anytime and enjoy better tax treatment than Treasury bills. Bloomberg’s Matt Levine has an excellent write-up on the mechanics of BOXX, which you can read here.

We digress. You can do more with your unused cash and buying power when following the methods outlined earlier and as we put well in our “Investing In A High Rate World” report published in April 2023. There, we discussed return stacking utilizing Nasdaq call ratio spreads and S&P 500 box spreads, two trades that continue to kill it this year.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bespoke Investment Group.

We choose these structures, which have limited losses in case of market downside, for the following reasons: There is considerable support for the market, but this support appears fragile. For one, we refer to record-level dispersion trading, which involves the sale of index options and buying options in individual stocks. 

It’s the same short volatility exposure Sidial has warned us about. With some stocks realizing substantial differences in movement from the index, this booming trade may have gone too far, setting the stage for a potential market reversal.

The situation resembles the period leading up to Volmageddon when short-volatility strategies backfired. Implied correlations are low, and if a market shock occurs, investors may be forced to close out their trades, which could feed volatility. As was in the case leading up to Volmageddon, however, volatility can cluster and mean-revert for longer.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via Tallbacken Capital Advisors.

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Categories
Commentary

Reversion To The Meme

Good Morning! I hope you had a great weekend and enjoy today’s letter. I would be so honored if you could comment and/or share this post. Cheers!

After a period of taking the stairs up, markets took the elevator down last week. Through Tuesday, the S&P 500 fell over 2.5% on a Consumer Price Index (CPI) print, which signaled higher-than-expected inflation. Internally, the selling was heavy.

Graphic: Retrieved from TradingView. Market Internals as taught by Shadowtrader’s Peter Reznicek.

Additionally, options were repriced in a big way.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via Options Insight.

Let’s digress. 

Recall that options implied volatility is a measure of the market’s expectation of the future volatility of an underlying asset, as reflected by the supply and demand of options themselves. Higher implied volatility indicates more significant expected price fluctuations.

Options implied volatility skew refers to the unevenness in implied volatility levels across different strike prices. Steep, smile-looking, or v-shaped volatility skew reflects a scenario where increased market volatility disproportionately impacts farther away strike options due to (expected) losses from more frequent delta rebalancing in a moving market. Options traders assign higher implied volatility to those farther away strike options to compensate for increased risk/cost, often enabling savvy traders to exploit these variations to reduce their hedging costs.

Moreover, before last week’s drop, the S&P 500’s implied volatility skew was subdued, as indicated by the grey-shaded area below. Tuesday’s decline coincided with increased options trading activity and demand, leading to a notable upward shift in skew. Distant S&P 500 put options experienced significant increases in implied volatility (see the below grey line moving away from the shaded area).

Graphic: Retrieved from SpotGamma. Volatility skew for S&P 500 options expiring March 15, 2024.

Though skew remains elevated, broader implied volatility measures, such as the Cboe Volatility Index or VIX, declined as rapidly as markets rallied in the days following Tuesday’s downturn.

What’s happening?

Despite further negative economic indicators, such as hot producer prices or weaker retail sales and manufacturing output, markets surged strongly, closing the week almost unchanged. Beyond significant investor inflows into stocks, totaling approximately $16 billion on Wednesday, according to Bank of America Corporation, analysis of S&P options positioning revealed mechanical demand for the S&P 500, as highlighted by SqueezeMetrics. Higher implied volatility strengthened an automatic buying mechanism, supporting markets.

Graphic: Retrieved from SqueezeMetrics. Dealer S&P 500 Vanna Exposure or VEX.

This phenomenon is partially attributed to the significant options selling discussed in our recent newsletters, acknowledging the warnings issued by Cem Karsan of Kai Volatility and Kris Sidial of The Ambrus Group. Essentially, there’s been a rush among options sellers to enter into sizable positions, exemplified by the substantial options selling activity observed last week. UBS Group highlighted the persistence of this concerning toxic flow, noting aggressive trader actions, such as the sale of “70K of Thursday expiry 4120 puts at 0.05 on Wednesday.”

Graphic: Retrieved from Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

The estimated risk profile of this position is provided below (please allow for a margin of error of a day or two due to expiry). Essentially, it’s unfavorable, with the option seller at risk of losing much money if the market drops or implied volatility increases. Please be aware that we’re assessing this position independently, without knowledge of the option seller’s overall portfolio, including potential risk offsets from other positions they may hold.

Graphic: Retrieved from TD Ameritrade’s thinkorswim platform using the Analyze function.

Customers favoring such positive delta “short skew” positions prompt dealers on the other side to assume a negative delta (i.e., make money if the market is lower or implied volatility is higher) “long skew” or “long options” position, which they may manage through the sale of put options or the purchase of call options, underlying stock shares, or futures for hedging purposes. For a deeper understanding of these mechanisms, refer to SqueezeMetrics’ paper, “The Implied Order Book.”

Graphic: Retrieved from SqueezeMetrics.

This all happened during a seasonally weak period. We’ll go past the positioning side of things in a moment, so bear with me, but you can see the drop-off in options deltas following mid-February below.

Graphic: Retrieved from ConvexValue.

In essence, despite the anticipated reduction in options-based support, which Cem Karsan describes as a “window of non-strength” or a scenario conducive to increased volatility, the market’s reaction to Tuesday’s drop stemmed volatility. Observing these dynamics in real-time, here’s how we responded.

Graphic: Retrieved from Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

We had proactively positioned ourselves for a potentially weaker February, capitalizing on overlooked hedge opportunities outlined in recent newsletters—specifically, put spreads like butterflies. Others did similar, with Nomura Americas Cross-Asset Macro Strategist Charlie McElligott noting increased buying of put butterfly spreads in recent weeks (please see our late January and early February letters).

Depending on their setup (including the distance between strikes, the distance from the spot price, and the expiration timeframe), these spreads were positioned to profit from market declines. When the drop occurred, the unbalanced, very far out-of-the-money structures were priced to be closed at a small debit loss when the skew elevated substantially. Utilizing real-time analysis, we concluded it was opportune to increase our exposure to these far out-of-the-money units, capitalizing on the surge in implied volatility while cashing in on the closer spreads priced for a credit profit.

Graphic: Retrieved from Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

As markets recovered, we closed the recently initiated riskier spreads, freeing up buying power for opportunities elsewhere, such as in NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) and Super Micro Computer Inc (NASDAQ: SMCI), where a significant volatility skew, driven by heightened call options trading, enabled us to generate credit from short-dated spread trades.

By Friday’s end, we achieved one of our most successful weeks of the year, boosting our confidence and reinforcing our patience with underperforming trades, like the put butterfly hedges. PAY-tience!

Graphic: Retrieved from TD Ameritrade’s thinkorswim platform.

What motivated our actions? Let’s elaborate.

Tactically, we favor owning options to express our opinions efficiently selling options further out to reduce costs. Occasionally, we will utilize a ratio, such as selling two options for every one purchased. For those less experienced, simplicity often proves effective. Consider straightforward approaches like purchasing a wide put vertical, entailing buying a put, and selling a put at some greater distance. Depending on your position, the returns may come in at multiples of each unit of risk undertaken.

Furthermore, the speculative trading and crowded positions in equities (as previously discussed in this and prior newsletters), along with the persistent volatility skew (as indicated by the yellow line compared to the grey line below), imply that hedging strategies (such as owning longer-dated calls and selling stock/futures as a combination, or using put option spread strategies to hedge shares) may continue to be appealing.

Graphic: Retrieved from SpotGamma. Volatility skew for S&P 500 options expiring March 15, 2024.

In terms of what to hedge, as highlighted by Fallacy Alarm, mid-February traditionally signals local market peaks due to significant cash injections followed by selling pressure to cover tax obligations. Additionally, a dilemma presents itself: should the focus be on combating inflation or stimulating growth? Presently, the data would dissuade anticipated rate cuts, though such actions might be contemplated if the Personal Consumption Expenditure, a key metric, points to lower price increases, particularly in services. Current interest rate projections suggest a bimodal scenario with a low probability of sudden rate declines.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg.

As further context, John Authers of Bloomberg says there remains a risk of overheating or a scenario where the economy remains robust, eventually forcing the Federal Reserve (Fed) to tighten policies until it precipitates a recession. This is in disagreement with TS Lombard. They question whether the Fed’s current stance is overly restrictive, while Bob Elliott of Unlimited Funds suggests that rates may decrease in response to slowing growth. Eventually, the persistent inflation stemming from structural factors could prompt subsequent rate hikes driven by increased funding needs.

Graphic: Retrieved from Sven Henrich.

Traders must remain vigilant, adopting strategic approaches to hedge exuberance and so-called windows of non-strength. Should there be “a stronger catalyst than a telegraphed CPI print,” says Kris Sidial, then “both tails and skew are likely to perform well,” with any rally, given the short-volatility, likely to unsettle positioning, leading dealers to boost momentum and whipsaw. In other words, much lower or higher markets, coupled with more demand for puts or calls respectively, means dealers take on more short volatility risk, which they adjust for by repricing options higher and hedging with underlying asset sales (in the case of puts) or purchases (in the case of calls).

Graphic: Retrieved from Bank of America Corporation.

In conclusion, we remain mindful that it’s an election year, which could lead to heightened monetary and fiscal support in response to any weaknesses. While we maintain a positive outlook over the long term, we’re less optimistic in the short term.

This week, our attention is directed toward protecting our cash by rolling our remaining S&P 500 box spreads (acting as synthetic T-bills without impacting our buying power). We aim to secure these interest rates, keep a close watch on high-performing assets like silver, and replenish our long put skew (i.e., purchasing put spreads) in equities to hedge against potential vulnerabilities ahead. Following earnings announcements, we may resume engagement with companies such as Nvidia.

Graphic: Example of trade structuring. Retrieved from Physik Invest. This does not accurately represent this newsletter writer’s position. However, it is close. Note that one may own stock on top of this and view positions in aggregate.

If you’re wondering what’s up with the newsletter formatting over the past weeks, we are trying stuff. Let us know what you like and don’t like. Cheers, and have a good week! And, finally, if you can, share!

The cover photo was retrieved from a RidgeHaven Capital post on Seeking Alpha.

Categories
Commentary

Strategies For Economic And Political Disorder

Good Morning! I hope you had a great weekend and enjoy today’s letter. I would be so honored if you could comment and/or share this post. Cheers!

While scrolling through online news, some may relate to the idea that, sometimes, a lot can happen quickly. In other words, “There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen.” This feeling was especially noticeable during last week’s “Volmageddon” anniversary, when the VIX skyrocketed, causing significant market disruptions. Skeptics and worriers were vocal about everything, from problems in how markets work to possible economic and political troubles.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg via Interactive Brokers’ Steve Sosnick. Pictured is “Volmageddon.”

A highlight was Tucker Carlson’s interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Throughout the conversation, besides uncovering insights into the Ukraine conflict’s ties to Poland, it became evident that not only the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) but also other countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, collectively representing over 30% of global GDP and 45% of the world’s population, are diminishing their dependence on the US dollar.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg.

Putin suggested that the US effectively undermines the dollar, misusing its position as the issuer of the world’s primary reserve currency. This shift, previously discussed in our newsletters on January 4 and 5 of 2023, reflects broader changes in the global economy, carrying significant implications for the future. Let’s break down how.

Countries that share ideological alignment with BRICS are actively working to decrease their dependence on the US dollar and mitigate risks associated with (potential) sanctions. One practice involves trading resources for development without relying on US dollars for funding. For example, China securing oil at discounts by utilizing its renminbi currency allows Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations to convert it into investments, development projects, and gold. Further implementing central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) streamlines interstate payments, an alternative to the Western-dominated financial system.

This gradually diminishing dependence on the West complicates challenges like inflation. Nations can boost their weights in currency baskets by encumbering and re-exporting commodities in strict supply. Accordingly, as Zoltan Pozsar shares, “the US dollar and Treasury securities will likely be dealing with issues they never had to deal with before: less demand, not more; more competition, not less.” Monetary policymakers can’t fight this trend alone; instead, for one, Western governments can boost energy production (not just productivity), states Rana Foroohar, global business columnist and associate editor at the Financial Times.

“Petrodollars also accelerated the creation of a more speculative, debt-fuelled economy in the US, as banks flush with cash created all sorts of new financial ‘innovations,’ and an influx of foreign capital allowed the US to maintain a larger deficit,” shared Foroohar. “That trend may now start to go into reverse. Already, there are fewer foreign buyers for US Treasuries. If the petroyuan takes off, it would feed the fire of de-dollarisation. China’s control of more energy reserves and the products that spring from them could be an important new contributor to inflation in the West. It’s a slow-burn problem.”

Graphic: Retrieved from VoxEU.

Regarding the market functioning narratives, David Einhorn, founder of Greenlight Capital, believes markets are fundamentally flawed, blaming the rise of passive investing and algorithmic trading. According to Einhorn, these methods prioritize short-term profits over long-term value creation.

To explain, we consider Nvidia’s case. Over the past five years, its weighting in the S&P 500 increased by 3.7%. This growth was driven by active managers who recognized the company’s value and bought shares, consequently boosting its market capitalization. This increase in market capitalization, in turn, elevated the stock’s weighting in the index.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg.

Passive funds create a problem because they purchase stocks regardless of price when they receive new investments, as Bloomberg’s John Authers explains. Ultimately, “Passive decreases the inelasticity of a stock as it grows in market cap,” Simplify’s Michael Green shares. “Lower inelasticity, more extreme price response to the same volume of flow.”

As a company’s value increases, passive funds buy more of its stock, increasing prices. This trend is particularly concerning in the technology sector, where the flow of funds into passive investments pushes those stocks even further from value, stoking bubble fears. 

Moreover, weakness beneath the surface is hidden, as seen in the comparison between the stocks above their 50-day moving average and the S&P 500.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bespoke Investment Group.

The US stock market is approximately 70% of the world’s total market value, despite the US economy contributing less than 20% to global economic output, Authers adds.

“These valuations cannot make sense,” he elaborates. Markets imply that “over the next 20 years, less than 20% of the world economy will earn three times more profits than the remaining 70%,” Charles Gave of Gavekal Research says. It is a significant multi-decade bet on a small portion of the global economy generating most profits, primarily through the sustained dominance of technology giants.

Graphic: Retrieved from Damped Spring Advisors.

Despite the strength and profitability of these companies persisting, with firms beating earnings estimates by about a margin of 7%, says Nasdaq economist Phil Mackintosh, whether their fundamentals alone justify such continued dominance is questioned.

Still, many experienced fund managers, who would typically bet against tech stocks, are refraining from doing so. Einhorn highlighted the costliness of taking such positions due to passive investing. As a result, his fund has shifted focus towards companies with lower market capitalizations relative to earnings and strong cash flows to support share buybacks.

According to Damped Spring Advisors’ Andy Constan, the trend towards indexation will continue as all investors have not fully embraced passive investing. If everyone were to adopt passive investing fully and no one bought stocks outside the S&P 500, companies not in the index would lose access to the public market, impacting funding for PE/VC markets and capital formation.

Though index investing may eventually face challenges as money moves from expensive stocks to cheaper, non-indexed ones, we can stick with it. Even if active managers do better than the index and counteract the distortions caused by passive investing, many of their stocks are still in those indexes. Again, more of a reason to invest in index funds.

similar reasoning can be applied to the growing short volatility trade, which the likes of The Ambrus Group’s Kris Sidial have generated much buzz around.

Even though volatility was very low in 2017, the smart move was to sell it. As Sidial explainsvolatility can have two modesIf you sold volatility in late 2017 to early 2018 when the VIX was in the 9-11 range, you made money because it tends to cluster. There’s a time when it’s wise for traders to take risks and go against the flow to make profits. However, there’s also a time when the flow is too big, dangerous, and not sensitive to price, and it doesn’t make sense to take that risk by buying low volatility and hoping for a big win, he shared in a recent update.

At this point in the newsletter, it’s apparent that timing matters. Manufacturing and employment appear strong, and overall, the economy is in a good place in the short- to medium-term, with above-zero rates contributing to the solid economic growth

Graphic: Retrieved from Fidelity via Jurrien Timmer, Director of Global Macro at Fidelity. “This chart shows that during most cycles, the baton gets passed from P/E-expansion to earnings growth a few quarters into a new bull market cycle.  We appear to be there.”

The context states rates and stocks can stay higher for longer. On the flip side, we know volatility can stay lower longer, though its falling from lower and lower levels has less of a positive impact on stocks. Positioning is stretched, and the focus is shifting from worries about missed opportunities to safeguarding against potential downturns.

Graphic: Retrieved from Bloomberg.

“We tend to see this type of movement before a reversal,” Kai Volatility’s Cem Karsan says, noting that volatility may rise, with the S&P 500 peaking as high as $5,100. “The speed of the move starts getting more accelerated towards the top because people start betting against, saying, ‘this is crazy, these values are too high, and the market needs to come down.’”

What Karsan describes is a more combustible situation arising from the market and volatility syncing.

Graphic: Retrieved from SpotGamma.

To measure potential volatility, check the options market. Calls usually have lower implied volatility (IVOL) than puts. As the market rises, IVOL typically drops, reflected in broader IVOL measures like the VIX. If these broad IVOL measures rise, it suggests fixed-strike volatility is also rising. If this persists, it could unsettle dealers, leading them to reduce their exposure to volatility, boosting the momentum and whipsaw.

More demand for calls means counterparties take on more risk, hedged with underlying asset purchases. If this hedging support is withdrawn, it may increase vulnerability to a downturn. Still, we must remember that it’s an election year, and there could be more monetary and fiscal support for any weakness.

Graphic: Retrieved from Morgan Stanley via Tier1 Alpha.

As George Soros said, “It’s not whether you’re right or wrong that’s important, but how much money you make when you’re right and how much you lose when you’re wrong.” Given the low volatility environment and the performance of skew with such aggressive equity positioning and divergences beneath the surface of the indexes, consider the lower-cost structures we’ve discussed in newslettersminimizing equity losses by employing the appropriate unbalanced spread.

Graphic: Retrieved from SpotGamma on February 11, 2024. Volatility skew for options expiring on March 15, 2024, on February 5 (grey) and February 9 (blue).