Option Movers | NVIDIA's $1.25 Million Bear Put Spread Targets $200 Puts; Microsoft’s $4.85 Million Long Straddle Bets on a Big Move

Market Overview

Wall Street's three major indexes finished lower on Monday (August 17) as investors waited for quarterly reports from large retailers to provide insights into U.S. consumer spending.

Regarding the options market, a total volume of 61,337,843 contracts was traded, of which 59% were call options.

Top 10 Option Volumes

Top 10: $NVIDIA(NVDA)$, $Tesla(TSLA)$, $Micron Technology(MU)$, $SpaceX(SPCX)$, $Apple(AAPL)$, $Amazon.com(AMZN)$, $Meta Platforms(META)$, $Microsoft(MSFT)$, $Intel(INTC)$, $AMD(AMD)$

$Microsoft(MSFT)$ closed at $480.35, down 3.04% on Monday. MSFT’s implied volatility is 28.11%, and with an IV percentile of 41.83%, current volatility sits in a neutral range rather than at an extreme. Combined with an IV/HV ratio of 0.49, options do not appear aggressively priced, and overall premium levels look relatively reasonable instead of notably expensive.

A $4.85 million net-debit CALL+PUT combination was one of the day’s standout trades, with 1,209 contracts bought on the September 18, 2026 $450 call and another 1,209 contracts bought on the September 18, 2026 $450 put. This is effectively a long straddle centered at the $450 strike, established for a net debit of $4.85 million, and it signals a volatility-driven directional bet rather than premium collection.

$MSFT 20260918 450.0 CALL$

$MSFT 20260918 450.0 PUT$

With MSFT referenced at $480.35, the call leg was in the money while the put leg was out of the money at execution, giving the structure exposure to a large move in either direction over a long-dated horizon. Strategically, this kind of trade typically reflects expectations for substantial future price movement or a desire to hedge against a broad range of outcomes while retaining upside and downside convexity.

A $1.50 million net-debit bull call spread was also prominent, consisting of a purchase of 1,250 September 18, 2026 $480 calls and a sale of 1,250 September 18, 2026 $520 calls. This is a classic bullish vertical spread established for a net debit of $1.50 million, designed as a directional upside bet with defined risk and capped reward rather than an outright premium-selling strategy. With the stock at $480.35, the long $480 call was essentially in the money, while the short $520 call was out of the money, indicating positioning for a continued advance toward the upper strike over time.

Unusual Options Activity

$NVIDIA(NVDA)$ closed at $225.01, down 0.07%. NVDA’s implied volatility is 41.76%, and with an IV percentile of 33.86%, current option volatility sits in a broadly neutral zone, though toward the lower end of its recent range.

A bearish bear put spread worth a net debit of $1.25 million bought 3,000 November 20, 2026 $200.00 puts and sold 6,000 November 20, 2026 $160.00 puts. With the stock at $225.01, both strikes were out of the money at the time of execution. As a bear put spread, the trade expresses downside expectations through a net premium outlay, seeking to benefit from a decline toward or below the upper strike while partially financing the structure by selling lower-strike puts. The strategic intent is a directional bearish bet and downside positioning, with the $1.25 million net debit representing the size of the conviction.

$NVDA 20261120 200.0 PUT$

$NVDA 20261120 160.0 PUT$

A bullish synthetic long worth a net debit of $0.56 million paired the purchase of 1,500 October 16, 2026 $245.00 calls with the sale of 1,500 October 16, 2026 $200.00 puts. With NVDA referenced at $225.01, the $245.00 call was out of the money and the $200.00 put was also out of the money. This structure replicates long stock exposure with defined option strikes, and the $0.56 million net debit shows the trader was willing to pay upfront for upside participation while taking on downside assignment risk below $200.00. Strategically, this is a directional bullish bet rather than premium collection, signaling confidence in longer-dated appreciation.

Earn $30 Worth Rewards, Capture Potential Opportunities With Options!