Vilified Zero-Day Options Blamed by Traders for S&P Decline
- Put trades cited as catalyst for biggest slide in three months
- Light trading, overbought conditions may have exacerbated move
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This year’s hottest derivatives trade, and perhaps also its most divisive, stole the limelight one final time for 2023 as market watchers cast zero-day options as the villains behind Wednesday’s rally-ending slump in US equities.
With the S&P 500 Index in overbought territory and turnover curtailed by looming holidays, observers suggested hefty volumes in put options that expire within 24 hours, known as 0DTE options, were sufficient to spark a pullback on the market, the sharpest in almost three months. Such trades would prompt market makers on the other side of the transactions to hedge their exposure, pushing the market lower, the argument goes.