The Intel Xeon 6 processor was unveiled to CNBC on November 17, 2025 at Intel’s advanced packaging facility in Chandler, Arizona.
tony puyol
Semiconductors are on a runaway train, rising in 17 of the past 18 trades, with option traders buying increasingly expensive call options to chase the rally.
of VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) Tracking this sector is up over 30% this month after a 5% pop Friday, and implied volatility is rising along with price, meaning it’s becoming more expensive to trade options across the group.
The latest catalysts are intel Last night’s results sent the stock up 23%, almost triple the expected value suggested by the options market on Thursday. Intel’s market value exceeded $400 billion for the first time since the dot-com bubble of 2000. advanced micro deviceone of Intel’s longtime competitors, soared all at once, increasing 15%.
Inter since the beginning of the year
Options signals look noticeably bullish for memory stocks, including: micron and sandiskhas recorded huge profits in the past year due to demand from AI data centers. The number of calls outnumbers the number of puts in these stocks by nearly two to one, and the total call premium paid on these stocks is at least four times the amount of puts.
One notable exception is the largest group – Nvidia. Jensen Huang’s AI Leaders’ implied volume is lower than the SMH ETF, likely because the stock is much slower moving and is about $3 below its all-time high in October.
Nvidia, 6 months
At least one large trader took advantage of these relatively cheap options, buying 7,500 $230 exercise calls expiring on May 15th. This is a $413,000 trade betting on a 13% rise from here. NVDA’s call volume is approximately three times that of puts. The company is scheduled to announce its financial results on May 20th.
