DraftKings has seen a surge in options volume lately
Below is a list of 20 stocks that have attracted the highest weekly options volume in the last 10 trading days, courtesy of Schaeffer's Senior Quantitative Analyst Rocky White, with highlighted names new to the list. With the 2021 NFL season in full swing, now looks like a good time to take a look at sports-betting staple DraftKings Inc (NASDAQ:DKNG). The company recently announced the addition of an office in Las Vegas, where it's expected to employ more than 1,000 people as the company's second-largest location in the U.S.
According to White's data, in the past 10 days, DraftKing's stock's option pits have seen 485,021 calls and 167,392 puts exchanged. Today's activity is also relatively bullish, with calls being picked up at a slightly quicker clip than usual. At last glance, 94,000 calls had exchanged hands, which is 1.5 times the intraday average, and around four times the number of puts exchanged. The weekly 10/29 57-strike call is the most popular, followed by the 57-strike call from the weekly 10/22 series, and it appears that positions are being bought to open at both contracts.
These traders are betting on upside for DKNG, as it has struggled on the charts of late. The equity was last seen down 2.9% to trade at $49.09, and is on its way to its eighth loss in 10 sessions. DraftKing's stock is also seeing pressure from the 320-day moving average, which has acted as support for most of the year, save a spell in mid July. The $48 mark has moved in as a short term floor, helping the stock stay around 5.6% above its year-to-date breakeven level.
For those who haven't gotten in on DKNG's next move just yet, options might be the way to go. The security's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 51% stands higher than only 4% of readings from the past 12 months. This means options players are pricing in relatively low volatility expectations at the moment. What's more, DraftKing's stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) ranks at 83 out of 100, indicating the equity has exceeded options traders' volatility expectations of the past year -- a boon for buyers.