Option Movers | Intel's $24.25M Options Show Mixed Signals; SoFi's $4.10M Put Trades Pair Premium Collection With Downside Protection
Market Overview
The S&P 500 ended higher on Thursday (Oct 15) springing back from early losses as investors concerned about AI stocks shifted into Eli Lilly, UnitedHealth and other healthcare and consumer stocks.
Several technology stocks fell, as investors scrutinized AI-related companies whose debt loads leave them vulnerable to rising interest rates.
Regarding the options market, a total volume of 77,634,807 contracts was traded, of which 55% were call options.
Top 10 Option Volumes
Top 10: $NVDA(NVDA)$, $SPCX(SPCX)$, $INTC(INTC)$, $TSLA(TSLA)$, $MU(MU)$, $AAPL(AAPL)$, $AMZN(AMZN)$, $META(META)$, $MSTR(MSTR)$, $GME(GME)$
Source: Tiger Trade APP
$Intel(INTC)$ closed at $95.37, down 2.80%.
The dominant options activity was a same-direction double short put structure that collected $24.25 million in premium, while a separate $1.22 million net debit bull call spread offered a selective bullish counterpoint. The mixture of large put-side premium selling and a controlled upside spread left the tape leaning defensively, with the largest order implying a cautious bearish bias rather than outright bullish conviction.
A same-direction double short PUT structure collecting $24.25 million in premium was the largest displayed trade, and it leans neutral-to-bearish. The trader sold 6,554 contracts of the 115.0 put and 6,554 contracts of the 110.0 put, both expiring on 2026-10-16, with both strikes in the money versus the $95.37 reference stock price. As a spread-style premium-selling put combination, its size should be measured by the provided net credit of $24.25 million, not by the gross leg notionals. Strategically, this looks like a premium-collection trade that expects the stock to remain stable enough or avoid a deeper downside shock over time, but because both short puts are already in the money, it also reflects meaningful downside exposure and therefore carries a cautious, slightly bearish undertone rather than an outright bullish stance.
Source: Tiger Trade APP
A bull call spread opened for a net debit of $1.22 million was the other displayed large trade, expressing a moderately bullish view. The structure bought 7,144 contracts of the 110.0 call expiring on 2026-10-30 and sold 7,144 contracts of the 120.0 call expiring on 2026-10-16, with both call legs out of the money relative to the $95.37 stock price. Using the preprocessed figure, the trade size is the net debit of $1.22 million. The strategic intent is a directional upside bet with defined cost, where the long call leg seeks participation in a rebound while the short higher-strike call helps offset premium outlay, making this a relatively controlled bullish expression rather than an aggressive upside chase.
Source: Tiger Trade APP
Source: Tiger Trade APP
Unusual Options Activity
$SoFi(SOFI)$ closed at $15.09, rising 6.12%.
The largest displayed options trades pointed to a cautious institutional tone, with a $4.10 million short put combination collecting premium and a $957.00 thousand long put purchase adding direct downside exposure. The flow was put-heavy even as the stock rose, suggesting investors were using elevated implied volatility to monetize downside premium or hedge against a pullback rather than chase the rally.
A $4.10 million same-direction short put combination was the standout displayed block, structured as selling the October 16, 2026 $17.00 put and selling the October 16, 2026 $16.00 put, both in 12,051 contracts. This is a put spread-style premium-collection structure made up of two short puts rather than a synthetic position, and its size should be read by the provided net credit of $4.10 million. With both strikes below or near the current reference price of $15.09 in relation to downside risk assessment, the trade reflects a neutral-to-bearish stance centered on collecting premium and expressing a view that SOFI is unlikely to suffer a disorderly downside move beyond those levels over the life of the trade, while still accepting assignment risk if the stock weakens materially.
Source: Tiger Trade APP
A $957.00 thousand single-leg put purchase was the other displayed large trade, involving the January 15, 2027 $15.00 put bought in 5,500 contracts. With the strike just below the current stock reference and classified as out-of-the-money in the dataset, this was a straightforward bearish downside bet or hedge, targeting weakness into early 2027 and showing willingness to pay premium for convex protection if SOFI breaks lower.
Source: Tiger Trade APP
Overall, the large-trade flow points to a bearish near-to-medium-term read on SoFi. The tape was dominated by put-heavy activity, with the largest premium flows concentrated in short-put combinations that suggest investors are monetizing elevated downside premium while leaning cautious rather than outright bullish, and the meaningful long put purchase reinforces demand for direct downside exposure. Taken together, the block activity indicates that institutional positioning remains skewed negative, with sentiment best described as bearish with some income-oriented structures tempering, but not reversing, that downside bias.
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$(INTC)$ $(SOFI)$ $GraniteShares 2X Long INTC Daily ETF(INTW)$ $Direxion Daily INTC Bull 2X ETF(LINT)$ $YieldMax INTC Option Income Strategy ETF(INYY)$ $Corgi INTC 2x Daily ETF(INT)$ $Defiance Daily Target 2x Long SOFI ETF(SOFX)$ $Direxion Daily SOFI Bull 2X ETF(SOFA)$ $Corgi SOFI 2x Daily ETF(SOFC)$Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.
