Image Source: Pixabay

In this episode of Macro-To-Micro Options Power Hour from Sep 17, 2025, Samantha LaDuc and Hans Albrecht discuss the Fed’s 25 bp rate cut, why Powell’s guidance hints at a stagflation risk, and how that collides with an AI-driven profit story that still powers mega-cap tech. 

They lay out the near-term setup: extreme options vol compression, upside call skew, CTAs poised to flip if negative gamma triggers, and macro catalysts like government-shutdown risk, rising jobless claims, a softer real-GDP trend, the dollar/yields, and an over-owned AI complex (with China headwinds for NVDA). 

Samantha argues it’s “time to protect” into month-end/OPEX—favoring SPY/QQQ put spreads and watching VIX, DXY, and the 10-year—while Hans sees ongoing AI productivity tailwinds but still adds hedges, noting rotation risk and the possibility of a sharp mean-reversion pullback before year-end. 

Video Length: 00:56:18

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