UOA revolves around the trading of option contracts at volumes significantly higher than their daily averages. The allure of UOA lies in its potential to uncover market insights and potentially ride the coattails of informed traders -It is data that we tracked and traded with for a number of years in the Trader’s Thinktank. However, as we'll explore, this approach has lost some of its luster.
Options Flow Trading: More Noise Than Signal
Options Flow trading has gained popularity in recent years, with various sites and tools attempting to capture and analyze the data. For multiple years, options flow data and option sweeps were something that we tracked in the Trader’s Thinktank. However, after tracking this data for 6+ years, it's clear to me that options flow and option sweeps have lost the edge they once provided. There are significant reasons why following the options flow is no longer worth your time.
