In the world of finance, SoftBank's Arm (ARM) has been the focal point of investors' attention due to its brisk pace in options trading since its recent initial public offering, which marked the largest of the year. On its first day of trading options, a staggering 74,000 contracts exchanged hands, catapulting it into the list of the 50 most traded single-stock names in the options market, according to Trade Alert. This vigorous activity comes amidst a notable decline in share prices, which plummeted 4.5% to $58.00, a sharp downturn from its peak of $69 last Friday. The current bustling market activity around Arm Holdings' shares seems to indicate a flurry of bets hedging on further downside, as noted by the substantial volume found in put options.
In light of this frenetic market activity, experts in the industry are providing keen insights into the unfolding scenario. Ophir Gottlieb, CEO of Capital Market Laboratories in Los Angeles, noted a "robust" volume of trading surrounding Arm's stock, underlining substantial selling pressure and surmising that the observed put action could be indicative of speculations betting on a further decrease in share prices. Indeed, the first day of options trading saw a significant number of puts that safeguard against a decline below $50 by mid-October, with nearly 11,000 contracts making their rounds in the market.
Furthermore, Matt Amberson, founder of ORATS, highlighted a concentration in the trading of "front-month downside puts," indicating a high relative demand for puts over calls according to the options skew. This trend seemingly reflects an on-balance purchase of puts, possibly signaling a cautious or bearish outlook on the stock. Bernstein's analysis echoes this sentiment, refraining from hastily crowning Arm Holdings as a victor in the artificial intelligence sector and adopting a conservative stance regarding the company's potential to achieve the projected pace of increased royalty rates as guided by the management.
As Arm navigates this tumultuous period in its stock market debut, investors are keenly watching the developments, with many positioning themselves to guard against or potentially profit from a further dip in share prices. While it's too early to draw conclusive insights, the vibrant trading activity undeniably marks a significant moment in the company's journey in the public market, bringing to mind the record-setting options market debut of Facebook (now Meta) which witnessed a remarkable 360,000 contracts traded on its inaugural day.
