economy

Bears step up bets against high-yield sector, shaking up bond traders

The iShares iBoxx High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG) saw elevated put volume on Thursday.

Bears step up bets against high-yield sector, shaking up bond traders

TL;DR

  • Elevated put volume was observed in the iShares iBoxx High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG) on Thursday.
  • One investor made a $1.3 million purchase of 20,000 Jan. 27 75-strike puts.
  • Put volume was five times greater than call volume for HYG options.
  • Market participants suggest the Federal Reserve's regime change could be a catalyst for this bearish sentiment.
  • The continued sell-off in crude oil prices, impacting the energy sector which constitutes over 11% of HYG, is another potential reason.
  • The most active HYG option was the 77-strike put expiring Aug. 21, with 40,000 contracts traded.