From Ancient Greece to WallStreetBets: The Untold History of Options Trading

[Image] Know Your History! Today is the day, traders! It’s almost time to reveal the [“11-day surge”]( (more on that later)... But first, today’s highlights: In today’s Dark Money Trades rundown: - 👨‍🎓 How my history degree informs my trading (and what YOU can learn from past market events)… - 💰 Some MASSIVE big-tech, “smart money” earnings bets … - [📅]( Today’s the day … it’s time to reveal the 11-day surge! 🚀 [Dark Money Scoop]( 💻 You need to hear this… I think every great trader needs to harness three attributes: knowledge, execution, and lack of greed… And a crucial part of your stock market knowledge should involve knowing your history. Before getting my master’s in teaching, I was a history major. To me, having a grasp on history is one of the best ways to understand the current moment. The options market is no exception. If you wanna be a master trader, you’ve gotta know where it all started. After all, if I hadn’t tracked market history, I never would’ve identified the [“11-day surge”](... So, keep reading to see a quick breakdown of the history of options trading… (I bet you won’t guess when it first started!) Sixth Century B.C., Greece: Over 2,500 years ago, a man named Thales predicted an abundant olive harvest. To capitalize, he reserved an olive press at a reduced price, paying a premium for the right. When the harvest was indeed bountiful, Thales rented the presses at higher rates, essentially founding the concept of options trading in the process. 1630, Holland: The Dutch became obsessed with tulips, creating the infamous tulip mania. As tulip prices skyrocketed, early market makers established the world’s first primitive options exchanges. While many lost fortunes when the bubble burst, market makers made a pretty penny, and formed the modern options market in the process. 1872: A savvy businessman named Russell Sage opened up an options exchange, and for the first time, he gave the contracts names — puts and calls. Additionally, he developed the first system for a pricing relationship between the options contract and the underlying security. 1920: Jesse Livermore created his infamous “bucket shops” and demonstrated the power of options. He shorted Union Pacific Railway using put options before the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and later shorted the stock market ahead of the worst-ever 1929 crash. In many ways, Livermore was the O.G. “maverick options trader.” April 1973: The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) opened. As the world's largest options exchange, the CBOE pit saw wild trading activities during the 70s and 80s, further laying the groundwork for the modern market. May 1973: Mathematicians Fischer Black and Myron Scholes introduced the Black-Scholes Formula, revolutionizing the method for determining stock option prices. Their formula included the underlying stock’s price, the stock’s volatility, the exercise price and maturity of the option, and the interest rate. Make no mistake … the constantly shifting options prices that we see today are a direct result of the creation of this formula. 1982-1985: The first online trading platforms go live. NAICO-NET in 1982 was the pioneer, but it was clunky and costly. Trade*Plus in 1985 became the first user-friendly platform, leading to its evolution into E-Trade, a dominant force in today's online trading world. Today, nearly every trade executed is done via online trading platforms. January 2021: The world watched in awe as Reddit’s WallStreetBets forum led a trading frenzy targeting GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME). These traders initiated a gamma squeeze, using call options to put the stock's short squeeze on steroids. The GME episode, with options at its core, reshaped the public perception of options trading. As you can see, from ancient Greece to the digital age, options trading has evolved through economic bubbles, technological advancements, and social media revolutions, highlighting its adaptability and enduring influence on global markets. But that’s enough history for now… It’s time to get to what you’ve all been waiting for — today’s biggest smart-money bets! 💰 The biggest smart-money bets of the week 💰 $640k in bullish bets on the MSFT OCT 27 $345 calls (seen on 10/23) Yesterday, my scanner caught multiple big sweeps on Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) as the company prepares to report Q1 earnings after the bell today. On top of an initial $281,000 bet, I also saw separate $223,000 and $136,000 sweeps on the exact same contracts. Think about it… That’s a total of $640,000 smart dollars betting that MSFT will trade above $345 by Friday. These are probably pure earnings bets, but could signal that the “smart money” knows something positive about MSFT’s upcoming print. Watch MSFT closely, especially around the $345 area. 🔫 Ben’s Bullets for the Week 3 interesting ideas I’m keeping an eye on in the market this week: SNAP NOV 3rd $10.50 calls AMZN OCT 27 $128 calls BA NOV 3rd $190 calls Now, before we go, I want you to look at this: See the surge of gains highlighted on this stock chart?! I call this unusual market occurrence the “11-day surge.” Most people think it’s impossible to see this many gains in just a short period, but they’re wrong… A phenomenon set to take place on November 1st will cause almost $1 trillion to change hands … and present “in the know” traders an opportunity to see a year’s worth of explosive gains… In just 11 days. Wanna see what I’m talking about? You’re in luck… TOMORROW, October 24th at 8 PM EST, I’m joining Tim Bohen for a special broadcast interview… I’ll reveal exactly what guarantees this 11-day surge to happen on November 1st… And how to potentially claim a small piece of the nearly $1 trillion set to exchange hands in the stock market. If you feel like you’ve had a tough 2023 trading the markets… Clear your schedule for TOMORROW, October 24th at 8 PM EST. You will not want to miss this. [Click here to reserve your spot NOW!]( See you there, Ben Sturgill   66 West Flagler Street STE 900 Miami, Florida 33130 United States [Click Here to Unsubscribe]( **Our gurus teach skills others have used to make money. Any results displayed are extraordinary and are not typical and will vary from person to person. For more info read our [Earning Claims Disclosure]( About: Making money trading stocks takes time, dedication, and hard work. My goal is to teach you how I have succeeded in the market, but you may not achieve my results. Remember, there are risks involved with investing, including the potential loss of money. We are strongly committed to protecting your privacy and providing a safe & high-quality online experience for all of our visitors. We understand that you care about how the information you provide to us is used and shared. We have developed a Privacy Policy to inform you of our policies regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of information we receive from users of our website. Our Privacy Policy, along with our Term & Conditions, governs your use of this site. By using our site, or by accepting the Terms of Use (via opt-in, checkbox, pop-up, or clicking an email link confirming the same), you agree to be bound by our Terms & Conditions and our Privacy Policy. If you have provided personal, billing, or other voluntarily provided information, you may access, review, and make changes to it via instructions found on the Website or by replying to this email. To manage your receipt of marketing and non-transactional communications, you may unsubscribe by clicking the “unsubscribe” link located on the bottom of any marketing email. Emails related to the purchase or delivery of orders are provided automatically – Customers are not able to opt out of transactional emails. We will try to accommodate any requests related to the management of Personal Information in a timely manner. However, it is not always possible to completely remove or modify information in our databases (for example, if we have a legal obligation to keep it for certain timeframes, for example). If you have any questions, simply reply to this email or visit our website to view our official policies.