- Solve real problems with our hands-on interface
- Progress from basic puts and calls to advanced strategies
Interactive Options Course
Posted June 3, 2026 at 12:14 pm
In this IBKR Midweek Minute, Scott Bauer of Prosper Trading Academy joins Jeff Praissman to break down the latest market action, from AI-fueled tech rallies and energy sector strength to surprising opportunities in retail. They also explore the growing disconnect between low market-wide volatility and extreme individual stock swings, plus what traders should watch ahead of the upcoming nonfarm payrolls report.
The following is a summary of a live audio recording and may contain errors in spelling or grammar. Although IBKR has edited for clarity no material changes have been made.
Hi, everyone. This is Jeff Praissman with the Interactive Brokers Podcast. It’s my pleasure to welcome back to the podcast studio Scott Bauer from Prosper Trading Academy. Hey, Scott, how are you?
Jeff, I am great. It’s summertime. How you doing?
I’m good. And for our listeners, Scott joins us basically every other week, comes in the studio. We do a quick talk on the markets, a quick update about the past week, what to look forward to for the next week, and provides a lot of great material for us on our site, ibkr.com. You click the Education, the Campus, or even go to prospertrading.com. But, Scott, as we usually do, let’s kind of start off with the past week and what were some of the biggest individual stock movers this week, and what was driving that momentum?
It’s still really in the tech and even energy space. So a company like Marvell, right? Which I don’t want to say out of the blue, but Nvidia came out with some really positive news, and we saw Marvell just skyrocket. HPE, Hewlett-Packard, one of the names that maybe has been left in the dust, all of a sudden they came out mentioning AI, blah, blah, blah, and the stock’s up 25%. MongoDB, MDB, this thing had a range after earnings, and it’s trading about 360 right now. This thing traded down to 260, up to 420, now sitting right kind of in the middle there. So we’re still seeing these wild swings in the tech AI space. Also energy. Some of the energy stocks have really been moving as well.
Yeah, I was gonna say, AI and energy have been at the top of the list for quite a while, right? Like AI, everyone, you mention AI, like you said, and all of a sudden things are to the moon. And energy, obviously, with everything going on in the world too, is a hot topic.
Are there any other kind of investment themes that you’re seeing some movements in momentum, or anything else kind of popping up? Or is it really kind of sticking to the AI and energy area?
They’re getting all the top billing here. But I think it’s definitely worthwhile to look at some of the retailers that maybe got beaten up a little bit and are, in my opinion, worth really looking at some upside, like Costco and Walmart. We talk about the K-shaped economy, and if there’s really two stocks out there, two retail stocks that stand to benefit, I think Costco and Walmart are those two. Costco just traded down under 950 or so off of those highs. Looks really bright to me. Same with Walmart.
Yeah. And as long as you get a $1.50 hot dog deal at Costco, you’re good to go, right?
I prefer the pizza slice.
Yeah, pizza’s good. I definitely miss the pizza. So a week ahead, though, right? Obviously, there’s always tons of data being released, and we’re just in a data-driven world. And this is something you and I always kind of discuss. Which upcoming data releases may have the potential to move equities the most?
Well, Friday we get non-farm payrolls, right? So everybody’s gonna be looking at that one. And I think it’s going to be very important, just given where the Fed stands, where Warsh is. I think it is maybe a little bit overblown just because there is so much focus. But now that the inflation data’s behind us, NFPs is really gonna be it. And we’ll see how the market reacts because we want a lot of jobs created out there. I’m not so sure that the market’s gonna react nicely to that, though.
Right. And finally, something that’s near and dear to both our hearts: volatility. How did that perform over the past week, and are traders kind of giving any expectations where they expect it to go over the next five days?
Jeff, there is a massive dispersion in the marketplace when we talk about volatility. We can look at the VIX, which is trading the lowest that it’s traded since January, somewhere in the 15 handle. But at the same time, individual stock volatility is the highest it’s ever been. The dispersion between those two, so the difference, is the highest it’s ever been.
So what that tells us is, if you look at the VIX being muted, maybe there’s less of a macro concern. But when you look at these individual stock volatilities, people, investors, traders, retail, are just looking for these continuous big moves in either direction.
That’s actually a really interesting point, just that kind of macro versus micro outlook on volatility too.
Exactly. Exactly. And this is, I think, in the last three years, since actually CBO started measuring this, the widest disparity it’s ever been.
Well, Scott, this has been great, as always. Love having you come in, talk about the markets. And for our listeners, you can find more from Scott Bauer and Prosper Trading at prospertrading.com and also on our website, interactivebrokers.com. Click on Campus, find some great webinars, articles, past podcasts.
And until next time, Scott, thanks again for swinging by the studio.
Thanks so much, Jeff.
Yep.
The analysis in this material is provided for information only and is not and should not be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any security. To the extent that this material discusses general market activity, industry or sector trends or other broad-based economic or political conditions, it should not be construed as research or investment advice. To the extent that it includes references to specific securities, commodities, currencies, or other instruments, those references do not constitute a recommendation by IBKR to buy, sell or hold such investments. This material does not and is not intended to take into account the particular financial conditions, investment objectives or requirements of individual customers. Before acting on this material, you should consider whether it is suitable for your particular circumstances and, as necessary, seek professional advice.
The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Interactive Brokers, its affiliates, or its employees.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Trading Stock, Stock Options, Cryptocurrencies, and their derivatives involves a substantial degree of risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Currently, cryptocurrencies are not specifically regulated by any agency of the U.S. government. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Prosper Trading Academy LLC provides only training and educational information. By visiting the website and accessing our content, you are agreeing to the terms and conditions.
Join The Conversation
For specific platform feedback and suggestions, please submit it directly to our team using these instructions.
If you have an account-specific question or concern, please reach out to Client Services.
We encourage you to look through our FAQs before posting. Your question may already be covered!