‘Tis The Season For…?

“Wealth is not about having a lot of money; it’s about having a lot of options.” – Chris Rock

Dear Trader,

Welcome to today’s edition of Wall Street Connected.

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday right around the corner and travel restrictions in place, ‘tis the season for internet retail.

You’ll notice internet retail is currently ranking #7 in total traffic by industry amongst financial professionals.

Of all the companies in the internet retail industry, Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) in particular caught our attention this week as the China-based internet retailer witnessed a surge in unusual options activity in recent trading days.

While Wall Street has traded fairly sideways this week, Emerging Markets and volatility have made for fast-moving trades amongst active traders, and volatility is currently ranking #17 in exchange traded fund surging traffic by financial professionals.

TrackStarIQ Data

Here are some highlights from FA searches this week:

RANK	TOP INDUSTRY (EQUITIES) BY FAs (Total Traffic) – This Past Week	TOP INDUSTRY (EQUITIES) BY FAs (Surging Traffic) – This Past Week	TOP SECTORS/CATEGORIES (ETFs) BY FAs (Total Traffic) – This Past Week	TOP SECTORS/CATEGORIES (ETFs) BY FAs (Surging Traffic) – This Past Week
1	Biotechnology	Book publishing	Equity – Large Cap Growth Equities	Real Estate – Global Real Estate
2	Auto Manufacturers	Management consulting services	Equity – Leveraged Equities	Equity – Water Equities
3	Software – Application	Communication services, misc	Equity – Technology Equities	Equity – Volatility Hedged Equity
4	Aerospace & Defense	Floor laying and floor work, misc	Equity – Consumer Discretionary Equities	Bond – National Munis
5	Electrical Equipment & Parts	Dental equipment and supplies	Commodity – Precious Metals	Equity – Foreign Small & Mid Cap Equities
6	Drug Manufacturers – Specialty & Generic	Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products	Equity – Small Cap Growth Equities	Bond – Emerging Markets Bonds
7	Internet Retail	Cable and pay television services	Equity – All Cap Equities	Real Estate – Real Estate
8	Semiconductors	Mortgage Finance	Equity – Materials	Equity – Consumer Discretionary Equities
9	Internet Content & Information	Communications equipment, misc	Equity – Health & Biotech Equities	Commodity – Oil & Gas
10	Credit Services	Analytical instruments	Equity – Energy Equities	Equity – Consumer Staples Equities
11	Diagnostics & Research	Medical Distribution	Volatility – Leveraged Volatility	Real Estate – Leveraged Real Estate
12	Oil & Gas E&P	Gold and Silver Ores	Equity – Alternative Energy Equities	Equity – Health & Biotech Equities
13	Software – Infrastructure	Publishing	Equity – Industrials Equities	Equity – Small Cap Value Equities
14	Conglomerates	Home Improvement Retail	Equity – Large Cap Blend Equities	Equity – Transportation Equities
15	Drug Manufacturers – General	Apparel Manufacturing	Equity – Asia Pacific Equities	Multi-Asset – Preferred Stock/Convertible Bonds
16	Medical Devices	Aerospace & Defense	Equity – Financials Equities	Volatility – Volatility
17	Specialty Retail	Plastics products, misc	Volatility – Volatility	Multi-Asset – Commodities
18	Consumer Electronics	Electrical Equipment & Parts	Commodity – Leveraged Commodities	Bond – Government Bonds
19	Entertainment	Waste Management	Equity – Small Cap Blend Equities	Equity – Small Cap Growth Equities
20	Communication Equipment	Pharmaceutical Retailers	Commodity – Agricultural Commodities	Equity – Inverse Equities

*- Surge data is based on the average traffic from the past two days compared to the average traffic from the previous market week.

What We’re Reading:

1. Signaling that Pfizer Inc. (PFE) and BioNTech SE ADR (BNTX) are nearing the finish line, the companies have announced plans to apply for emergency use authorization for their COVID-19 vaccine. Full story… 
2. Palantir Technologies (PLTR) announced it was chosen by the U.S. Army to receive one of two prototype contracts for a data security solution. Continue reading…
3. Bitcoin, ethereum and other cryptocurrencies have seen increasing attention from investors in recent days. Wall Street and its traditional banks are continuing to adjust to the shift. Check it out…

What We’re Watching:

As we enter the season of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, America’s #1 trader spotted dark pool activity on Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) this week…

And he made a video about it.

You can watch it here.

-InvestingChannel

P.S. The third Friday of each month is expiration day in the options market. On expiration day, expert option traders are prepared to act on volatility (full details).