| Tweet |  |  |
NFLX is trading $444.82, down 1.5% with IV30™ down 1.4%. The Symbol Summary is included below.
Provided by Livevol
__________________________
Update 8-22-2014
Provided by Livevol
That change in stock price in the update really is just a repetition of this incredible volatility phenomenon in NFLX. NFLX has broken an all-time high.
__________________________
This is a stock and volatility note on NFLX; specifically a note on how low the implied volatility is in the option market. I saw this tweet today, and while I fully agree that Mark Sebastian and team at Option Pit are rock solid and have been for years, I love their work, the tweet did rub me the wrong way... just a bit... basically because I'm a child.
Few understand volatility better than the Option Pit Guys--> "@theoptionpit: NFLX Vol Probably Too Cheap http://t.co/CfD00yrd1k $NFLX $VIX"
— StockTwits (@StockTwits) August 12, 2014
So what's wrong with it? Well, firstly, there's nothing wrong with it, this is my ego making up an 'it.'
I have written 14 articles in 16 months on NFLX, most of them surrounding the volatility. Here's where I usually include a really long list of articles and links, but I won't.
Instead, I'll just include a selection where the title is so obvious, so directed, that we must say, yes, the NFLX vol phenomenon has been going on for a long time, and, allow me to quote myself, "has been one of the greatest trading opportunities ever."
Why am I being so ego-centric about this?
1. I'm honestly having a sh**ty personal day, I feel like crap, so everything seems bigger than it really is... sorry about that. I hope I feel better tomorrow... I really, really do.
2. More importantly: The phenomenon may have seen it's best days. NFLX volatility is still crazy low, but it might be the case that the money to be made is over and that tweet from ST and the coverage of this phenomenon could be like the stock market hitting an all-time high and all retail investors piling in due to newspaper headlines.
Be. Careful.
The top three posts below, and really number two in particular tell the story... and I do note that my first post on this subject was April 25th of 2013. Here are the selected articles, and believe it or not, that is actually just a 'selection' of many more.
Just read the titles.
7-1-2014
NFLX - All-time Highs & One of the Greatest Trading Opportunities Ever
6-17-2014
How the Option Market is Totally Wrong; Proof that Market Volatility Has Lost Its Mind
5-21-2014
NFLX - The Option Market is Dead Wrong... Again
3-24-2014
NFLX - How the Option Market Totally Blew It... And We Knew it a Month Ago. Momentum Stocks are Deflating... Right Now.
2-13-2014
NFLX - Unprecedented Low Risk?... How Many Times Will the Option Market Prove Wrong? And is it Right This Time?
1-21-2014
NFLX - Earnings Preview: "Less Risk in This Firm Now than In the Last Two-Years." Do You Agree? I'm Not Sure I Do.
12-27-2014
NFLX - The Giant Killer is a Giant, But the Option Market is Still Asleep. What Happens When it Wakes Up?
11-26-2013
NFLX - This Newly Minted Giant Has a Big Secret; But It's in the Option Market...
10-15-2013
NFLX - How a New Industry Giant Shows 'Cheap' (?) Volatility into Earnings; Did You Know This?
9-18-2013
NFLX - The New Giant -- Stock Near All-time High but Volatility Collapses to Multi-year Low
4-25-2013
NFLX - Vol Nears Multi-Year Lows as Stock Explodes; Hollywood Take Note -- Another Shot Across Major Distributor’s Bows
OK, let's look at NFLX today. First, the stock chart (two-years) is below.
Provided by Charles Schwab optionsXpress
NFLX is up 640% in two-years, though the real story goes back even further, when the firm was actually dangerously close to obsolescence until management just hit a grand slam... actually they have hit back-to-back-to-back grand slams... Loading the bases, and then doing it again, over and over.
My favorite article as to why NFLX is so amazing (thus far) is included below (because you wanted another old blog post).
9-10-2013
NFLX - Is this the Most Powerful Firm in Entertainment? Some Things I Bet You Didn't Know... But Want to.
Some of my favorite quotes (some of myself) from that post:
--------------
"I wonder if in a few years, the next time we discuss the most powerful distributors in Hollywood, if NFLX is on the list... At the top..."
--------------
--------------
"An agreement was struck to put all of the "Breaking Bad" old seasons on NFLX for free (everything is free on NFLX with the monthly subscription). The first episode of season 5 aired to 3 million viewers (so a 100% increase). Then, the first episode of season 5 part II aired to 6 million viewers (NB: My numbers may be off wrt which season the bump(s) happened, do some fact checking before quoting me). OK, OK, is this really b/c of NFLX? Well, here's a direct quote from the show's creator, Vince Gilligan:
---
"I am grateful as hell for binge-watching. I am grateful that AMC and Sony took a gamble on us in the first place to put us on the air. But I'm just as grateful for an entirely different company that I have no stake in whatsoever: Netflix. I don't think you'd be sitting here interviewing me if it weren't for Netflix. In its third season, Breaking Bad got this amazing nitrous-oxide boost of energy and general public awareness because of Netflix."
---
--------------
--------------
"Why does this matter? How about this... Instead of NFLX paying for content, the content providers may pay NFLX to air their shows. That's f*ing incredible."
--------------
OK, we get the idea, I really like NFLX management, up to this point.
Let's turn to the IV30™ chart in isolation, below. This is the phenomenon that has all of a sudden become a story, even though it was a story sixteen months ago.
Provided by Livevol
The implied volatility is the forward looking risk in the equity price as reflected by the option market (IV30™ looks forward exactly 30 calendar days).
In English, the red curve is the risk in future stock price movement. Check out where NFLX vol is right now (the yellow circle at the right). it's the lowest it's been in two-years, and as far as I can tell, the lowest it's ever been.
That is a story. It was a story every time it did it. Now we must ask: Will NFLX move more than the options imply again?"
My guess: yes.
My position: None.
The Options Tab is included below so we can put numbers to these volatility readings.
Provided by Livevol
Using the at-the-money (ATM) straddle we can see that the option market reflects a price range of [$414, $476] by the end of trading on Sep 19th.
- If you believe the stock will be outside that range on expiry or any date before then, then you think the volatility is too low.
- If you believe that range is too wide, and that the stock will definitively be in that range on expiration, then you think volatility is too high.
- If you're not sure, and can make an argument for either case, then you think volatility is priced just about right.
That, what I just typed above, is the question. Thus far, the low volatility in NFLX has been absurdly low. And yes, it has been one of the greatest trading opportunities in the last decade if not ever.
6-17-2014
How the Option Market is Totally Wrong; Proof that Market Volatility Has Lost Its Mind
This is trade analysis, not a recommendation.
Follow @OphirGottlieb
Tweet
Legal Stuff:
Options involve risk. Prior to buying or selling an option, an investor must receive a copy of Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options. Investors need a broker to trade options, and must meet suitability requirements.
The information contained on this site is provided for general informational purposes, as a convenience to the readers. The materials are not a substitute for obtaining professional advice from a qualified person, firm or corporation. Consult the appropriate professional advisor for more complete and current information. I am not engaged in rendering any legal or professional services by placing these general informational materials on this website.
I specifically disclaim any liability, whether based in contract, tort, strict liability or otherwise, for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages arising out of or in any way connected with access to or use of the site, even if I have been advised of the possibility of such damages, including liability in connection with mistakes or omissions in, or delays in transmission of, information to or from the user, interruptions in telecommunications connections to the site or viruses.
I make no representations or warranties about the accuracy or completeness of the information contained on this website. Any links provided to other server sites are offered as a matter of convenience and in no way are meant to imply that I endorse, sponsor, promote or am affiliated with the owners of or participants in those sites, or endorse any information contained on those sites, unless expressly stated.
No comments:
Post a Comment