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A trader monitors activity on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City on April 11, 2025.
Brendan Mcdermid | Reuters
Since the recent surge in market movements dubbed “liberation day,” investors have been navigating a landscape marked by extreme volatility. One significant factor driving this heightened uncertainty is the increasing popularity of zero-day-to-expiration (0DTE) options.
These options are unique in that they expire on the same day they are traded. In April, trading volumes for 0DTE options linked to the S&P 500 reached 8.5 million contracts, reflecting a substantial 23% increase from the start of the year and accounting for approximately 7% of total U.S. options trading volume, as reported by JPMorgan.
Investors, both institutional and retail, have embraced these instruments as a means to capitalize on market fluctuations or to hedge against sudden price movements. However, many market observers argue that the sheer volume of these short-term contracts can intensify market price swings as dealers and market makers adjust their positions by buying and selling underlying securities.
“The 0DTE options market seems to amplify price movements—both up and down,” stated Jeff Kilburg, CEO and CIO of KKM Financial. “In earlier decades, we lacked these immediate catalysts to drive market behavior, and it’s comparable to pouring gasoline on a fire when trading influences are exaggerated by options activity.”
The volatility in the markets spiked after significant policy announcements, such as heavy tariffs introduced by the Trump administration, which led to unpredictable shifts in markets. Recently, the S&P 500 experienced its largest daily gain since World War II, recovering from a sharp decline that previously brought it into bear market territory. Additionally, the Dow Jones Industrial Average faced historic losses, plummeting over 1,500 points within consecutive trading days.
Last week, the S&P 500’s intraday volatility nearly doubled, soaring to 44%, surpassing levels seen during the COVID-19 market fluctuations and approaching rates not seen since the 2008 financial crisis, according to data from Cboe Global Markets. This uncertainty has heightened the appeal of 0DTE options, as investors seek to mitigate risk and harness market volatility.
“Our research indicates that 0DTE and 1DTE options have significantly contributed to rising intraday variability, with this activity often going unnoticed when measured from one close to the next,” noted Maxwell Grinacoff, head of U.S. equity derivatives research at UBS.
The accessibility of options trading has been further facilitated by platforms like Robinhood, enabling retail investors to engage with this previously institutional-focused market. An option grants its holder the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a predetermined quantity of an asset at a specified strike price on a certain date.
“Options have historically been an institutional tool, but the evolving sophistication of retail investors is permitting more individuals to use options for hedging or for speculation,” Kilburg added.
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