Wall Street volatility bets rise as VIX call buying signals further market stress

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Oleksii Zaichenko

16.10.2026

Wall Street volatility bets rise as VIX call buying signals further market stress — VIX signals rising stress

A sell-off in AI-linked stocks is driving fresh demand for downside protection across U.S. equity markets. The Cboe Volatility Index has climbed above 22 for the first time in four months, while options activity points to expectations that volatility remains elevated into November.

Highlights

Investors purchased 9,200 November 18, 20-strike VIX calls for $1.7 million and 12,500 November 18, 23-strike calls for $1.1 million, betting on the VIX closing above 23 by late November.
Nasdaq fell 2% for its worst day since June 5, pressured by AI sector weakness and a 13% drop in CoreWeave shares.
Nine of the ten most popular VIX options bought Friday were calls, totaling nearly $27 million in premium, indicating increased positioning for further volatility ahead of key earnings from Tesla, SpaceX, and Meta next week.

November options trades point to higher volatility

As reported by CNBC, a series of large options trades shows investors are positioning for the VIX to stay high through November as pressure builds across technology shares.

One trader bought 9,200 November 18, 20-strike VIX calls for $1.7 million and 12,500 November 18, 23-strike calls for $1.1 million, effectively betting that the index closes above 23 by the third week of November.

Brent Kochuba, founder of SpotGamma and a CNBC contributor, said the speed of the VIX move and elevated options volume suggest traders are monetizing October positions and rolling hedges into November to guard against a broader market downturn. He said several November VIX call trades above $1 million stood out during the session.

AI sell-off and earnings test drive market focus

Weakness in the AI complex and concerns surrounding neo-cloud provider CoreWeave are weighing on sentiment, helping push the Nasdaq down 2% for its worst day since June 5. CoreWeave shares fell 13%.

Trading patterns in VIX options reinforce the defensive tone. Of the 10 most popular VIX contracts bought during Friday's session, nine were calls, and six carried strike prices above the level where the VIX settled after its initial spike. Those nine contracts accounted for nearly $27 million in premium, or about 36% of total VIX options premium traded on the day.

The next market test comes next week, when Tesla, SpaceX and Meta are due to report earnings, giving investors a fresh read on whether volatility pressure spreads beyond the recent AI-led sell-off.

Our earlier coverage of the AI-linked tech sell-off highlighted how hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data revived rate-hike fears and pushed investors to reassess the cost of financing large-scale AI spending. The piece noted sharp declines in Nasdaq-linked assets and pointed to names such as CoreWeave and Oracle as focal points, with bond-yield pressure adding to the risk-off mood.

This material may contain third-party opinions, none of the data and information on this webpage constitutes investment advice according to our Disclaimer. While we adhere to strict Editorial Integrity, this post may contain references to products from our partners.

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