Total option volume is 5.6 million contracts so far today as the SPDR S&P 500 Fund dominates action in the indexes and ETFs, optionMONSTER's data systems show.
The SPY has seen 1.3 million contracts trade, with 774,000 puts. The CBOE Volatility Index (:VIX) is next with 251,000 options as calls outpace puts by 4 to 1.
The iShares MSCI Hong Kong Fund (EWH) makes a surprise appearance near the top of the highest-volume list with 224,000 contracts, evenly split between calls and puts. The S&P 500 Index (:SPX) has 146,000 options traded, led by 107,000 puts.
The iShares Russell 2000 Fund (IWM) options have turned over 122,000 times, with a put/call ratio of 2 to 1. The PowerShares QQQ Trust (QQQ) has 113,000 contracts, evenly split between calls and puts.
The iShares Emerging Markets Fund (EEM) has seen 75,000 contracts change hands, including 53,000 puts. The SPDR Gold Shares Fund (GLD) has 70,000 options traded, 45,000 of which are calls.
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