Upside panic - shorts carried out on stretchers

Never forget
Seasonality is strong going into year end, but are we front running it?
Source: Equity Clock
Where are the "max longs"?
Question: "What is your current equity positioning or sentiment in historical terms, expressed from most bearish (0th percentile) to most bullish (100th percentile)?"
Source: JPM cross-asset survey
Spot up, volatility up
SPX call chase panic in a pic. Market up and volatility up is the classical sign of people forced to buy upside exposure. Chart shows the SPX December 4500 call.
Source: Bloomberg/@danny_kirsch
It hurts
1. Hedge funds closing crowded rate hike bet related equity positions aggressively.
2. Russell squeezing...but huge pain seen in large and mid cap stuff. "The crowded spread for stocks >$5Bn with the crowding spread in both US and Europe reaching below -1.75%" writes UBS.
Very busy risk managers trying to "tame" the VaR today.
Source: UBS
SPX above the 100 day
Haven't seen the SPX trade well above the 100 day moving average in a while. First bigger resistance around the 4520 area.
Source: Refinitiv
Time to talk about 16k
NASDAQ is up 12% from October 26 lows. We are well above the 100 day, and approaching the huge 16k rapidly...
Source: Refinitiv
Massive put hate
Who needs puts when the market squeezes higher? Put call ratio collapsing as markets squeeze brutally higher. We are not there yet, but getting closer...
Source: Tradingview
The convexity implosion
SPX convexity has been repriced "violently" lower over the past weeks. All options have come down in price, this time puts as well. Goldman's derivatives guru Garrett also notes: "… this is one of the few times since 1996 that puts fall in the "cheap" category." Problem is bears are carried out on stretchers...Chart shows 6w ATM volatility normalized change over 2 weeks.
Source: GS
THE chart
The US 10 year trading below the massive 4.5% level, crushing the trend line that has been in place since May. Note we are below the 50 day, but well above the 200 day still.
Source: Refinitiv
Lower rates is so consensus
Everybody believes in the rates moving lower thesis.
Source: BofA
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