Public.com - the emerging retail brokerage platform that actually appears to be trying to "democratize finance" rather than merely pay lip service to the concept - launched option trading functionality in Dec 2023 with a brokerage model that is unique relative to all other retail brokerages. Alphacution provides context and exposes some fascinating details...
With latest data in hand, Alphacution shows that the zero-day option (0DTE) phenomenon has contributed to long-term declines in aggregate payment for order flow (PFOF) levels thereby causing a ripple of subtle and not-so-subtle impacts in the market ecosystem...
Returning to a provocative thread from late 2022, Alphacution updates some of Morgan Stanley's latest moves in wholesale market making...
On the 1-year anniversary of what would turn out to be Part I of this thread, Alphacution adds new details to the story of New York-based prop trading firm GTS Securities and its emerging adventures in option market making...
In further preparation for its upcoming case study focused on option market makers, Alphacution identifies a seemingly insignificant shard of evidence that may represent Tower Research Capital's first foray into equity option trading...
Alphacution has been quite busy developing its next case study focused on option market makers. To build context for that research, we have been expanding our understanding of institutional option traders. It turns out that there is a familiar cast of characters in this space, including some of the most legendary quantitative hedge fund managers...
Alphacution builds on its ongoing "derivative securities saturation" theme including the combined proliferation of stock options, index options, equity futures options, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and ETF options...
In this 72-page, 75-exhibit, 17,400-word case study, “The Transformation of Belvedere,” Alphacution publishes its findings on equity index option specialist, Chicago-based Belvedere Trading. Founded in 2002 with a current team of ~300 employees, Belvedere’s story represents a unique addition to the Alphacution research library due to the significant strategy transformation it has undergone over the past few years while maintaining its strengths in SPX options. This case study also provides key comparisons and new context on the US-based strategies of legendary Amsterdam-based option houses, Optiver and IMC Financial Markets, along with new insights on the boom in zero days to expiry (0DTE) options and their impacts on a broader constellation of US option market makers…
Group One Trading is not participating in the zero-days to expiry (0DTE) option boom. And yet, Alphacution shows how its data yields a pattern that illustrates certain 0DTE impacts on the broader US option market...
Alphacution updates its comprehensive review of retail option activity - including breakdowns by wholesale market maker and retail broker - through June 2023...
