Unusual trading activity in the options market may help explain the rally in U.S. stocks that has taken place since last Friday, analysts say.
A rising put-call ratio typically reflects heavy demand for put options, which protect investors from a decline in a given stock, index or exchange-traded fund, relative to call options, which pay off when the price of the underlying rises. The average composite put-call ratio going back to the beginning of 2017 is roughly 0.83.
The unusual pattern caught the attention of stock-market analysts, who believe positioning in options likely explains the rapid turnaround in U.S. stocks over the past week. Investors have blamed disparate factors for the turnaround in stocks over the past week. Some say the September jobs data support the case for a soft landing for the U.S. economy. Others have credited a shift in Federal Reserve officials’ rhetoric that may have helped tamp down Treasury yields and help out stocks. One prominent Wall Street strategist even said the terror attack in Israel over the weekend may have boosted appetite for stocks.