A record-breaking week for options powers S&P 500 surge; volatility gauge is near 2026 low

Cnbc · Aug 08, 2026 · 487 words · By Oliver Renick

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Stock market bulls got some huge affirmation this week as the S&P 500 made all-time highs, options volumes set records, and shares of this year's star IPO – SpaceX – stabilized and rallied despite its earnings report and the end of its first lockup period.

Claims checked 19

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

On Friday, the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) fell to its lowest level since January as the S&P 500 added 0.6%, bringing the week's advance to 3.6%.

Common ground

More than four million S&P 500 index calls traded on Cboe Global Markets Tuesday as the benchmark gauge surged above 7,700 for the first time in history.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this stock_market_performance story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that That's because of 94,000 open puts?
How does this story connect stock_market_performance with Options Trading Data over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/08/record-breaking-week-for-options-powers-sp-500-s…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 19 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 9

info Single Source 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified By Reference 2

check_circle Corroborated 2

cancel Disputed 1

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Claim 1: “That's because of 94,000 open puts”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 2: “Zero-day-to-expiry call options accounted for 2.4 million trades in the S&P 500 on Tuesday, also a record”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found regarding 0DTE call options reaching 2.4 million trades.

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Claim 3: “The most popular strike in the State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) by combined open interest of both puts and calls is the 760-strike”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 4: “S&P 500 earnings are on pace to grow 47% in the second quarter, which would be the biggest since the rebound from Covid in 2021, according to FactSet”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 5: “The ratio of puts to calls among all options plunged to 0.83, the second-lowest recorded”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found regarding the put-to-call ratio plunging to 0.83.

cancel

Claim 6: “shares of this year's star IPO – SpaceX – stabilized and rallied despite its earnings report and the end of its first lockup period”

DISPUTED

Sources contradict the outcome of the SpaceX lockup/earnings period. One source mentions SpaceX 'overcame an important hurdle' in the lockup expiration, while another states 'SpaceX Shares Are Crashing Back Near $100 Per Share', contradicting the claim that shares 'stabilized and rallied'.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — SpaceX is scheduled to report its first earnings as a public company on Tuesday. While newly public companies traditionally prevent insiders from trading for the first 180 days after the I.P.O., Space…
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/technology/spacex-lockup-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — SpaceX just passed its first lockup expiration, but its float will more than triple before the end of 2026. SpaceX recently overcame an important hurdle in the expiration of its first lockup period on…
https://www.fool.com/investing/2026/08/12/1-ai-stock-buy-bef…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — SpaceX is scheduled to report its first quarterly earnings as a public company on August 4, followed by a reported first lockup expiry around August 6 that could free up to 911.5 million shares, or up…
https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/spacex-sha…

schedule

Claim 7: “The ratio in open interest of calls is in the 95th percentile”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 8: “The 10-year Treasury yield stopped its ascent at 4.7%”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 9: “the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) advancing more than 7% on the week”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 10: “On Friday, the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) fell to its lowest level since January”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While evidence defines the VIX and Cboe, no specific data was found regarding the VIX falling to its lowest level since January on a specific Friday.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (formerly CBOE Holdings and Chicago Board Options Exchange) is an American financial exchange operator. In the U.S., it owns the largest exchange for trading in options, wher…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cboe_Global_Markets

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — In financial mathematics, the implied volatility (IV) of an option contract is that value of the volatility of the underlying instrument which, when input in an option pricing model (usually Black–Sch…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Implied_volatility

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — VIX is the ticker symbol and popular name for the Chicago Board Options Exchange's CBOE Volatility Index, a popular measure of the stock market's expectation of volatility based on S&P 500 index optio…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VIX

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 11: “the benchmark gauge surged above 7,700 for the first time in history”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources confirm the index surged above 7,700 for the first time, with one specifying it cleared 7,700 on August 3.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article is a summary of the closing milestones of the S&P 500 Index, a United States stock market index.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closing_milestones_of_the_S&P_…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The S&P 500 is a stock market index maintained by S&P Dow Jones Indices. It comprises 503 common stocks which are issued by 500 companies with large market capitalizations, including two share classes…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_S&P_500_companies

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The S&P 500 (Standard and Poor's 500) is a stock market index tracking the stock performance of 500 companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States that are considered to have large market ca…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S&P_500

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 12: “the S&P 500 made all-time highs”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the S&P 500 reached record levels, specifically mentioning it cleared 7,700 and closed at a record 7,798.99 on August 13.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article is a summary of the closing milestones of the S&P 500 Index, a United States stock market index.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closing_milestones_of_the_S&P_…

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 13: “Total open interest in the S&P 500 ended the week at 27.4 million contracts, in the 93rd percentile over the past year, according to Cboe”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 14: “That topped the previous record for call trading in May by 10%, according to exchange data”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim that Tuesday's volume topped the May record by 10% is mentioned in one source but not corroborated elsewhere.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The author of this video may or may not hold positions in the financial instruments discussed in this video.Trading involves a high level of risk. Future results can be dramatically different from the…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m0jkOzEIQQ

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Monday marked the second consecutive down session, and Tuesday's premarket set up the third. The context matters: the S&P 500 closed at a record 7,798.99 on Thursday, August 13, the first close ever a…
https://www.tradingnews.com/news/sp-500-7745-and-nasdaq-2664…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — S&P 500, Nasdaq set to add to records with two days left in AugustJobs report this Friday may determine future of Wall Street's rallyU.S. works to get Americans out of Afghanistan as Tuesday's deadlin…
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/30/5-things-to-know-before-the-…

info

Claim 15: “More than four million S&P 500 index calls traded on Cboe Global Markets Tuesday”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific figure of 'more than four million S&P 500 index calls' traded on Tuesday is reported in one source, but not corroborated by others.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The S&P 100 (Standard and Poor's 100) is a stock market index of United States blue chip large-cap (and/or mega-cap) stocks maintained by S&P Dow Jones Indices. The S&P 100 is a subset of the S&P 500 …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S&P_100

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — S&P Global Inc. (prior to 2016, McGraw Hill Financial, Inc., and prior to 2013, The McGraw–Hill Companies, Inc.) is an American publicly traded corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York. Its pr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S&P_Global

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 16: “the S&P 500 added 0.6%, bringing the week's advance to 3.6%”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

No evidence was found to confirm the specific percentage gains (0.6% Friday, 3.6% weekly) for the S&P 500.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — E-mini S&P, often abbreviated to "E-mini" (despite the existence of many other E-mini contracts) and designated by the commodity ticker symbol ES, is a stock market index futures contract traded on th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-mini_S&P

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — S&P 500 futures are financial futures which allow an investor to hedge with or speculate on the future value of various components of the S&P 500 Index market index. S&P 500 futures contracts were fir…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S&P_500_futures

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 17: “options volumes set records”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim that options volumes set records is explicitly mentioned in one news source ('A record-breaking week for options powers S&P 500 surge'), but other search results only provide general definitions of options.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In finance, an option is a contract which conveys to its owner, the holder, the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a specific quantity of an underlying asset or instrument at a specified st…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Option_(finance)

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · Explore the fundamentals of options, including types, spreads, and risk mitigation strategies. Learn the essentials of using options to leverage trades and hedge risks.
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/o/option.asp

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Discover Logi Options Plus, Logitech’s customization software for mice and keyboards. Personalize settings, create shortcuts, and enhance everyday productivity. Download now for free.
https://www.logitech.com/en-us/software/logi-options-plus

schedule

Claim 18: “The Corgi Lithography & Semiconductor Photonics ETF (EUV) added 13% in the period”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 19: “the biggest level for call buyers is the 785-strike, where there are 114,000 open calls”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.