This article talks about how some people are buying and selling options for a big company called eBay. Options are like special contracts that let you buy or sell something at a certain price, but you don't have to do it. They also show which prices are popular among traders. The article tells us about the most interesting trades they saw in the past month and gives some basic information about eBay as a company. Read from source...

- The title is misleading and sensationalized. It suggests that there was some unusual or abnormal activity in eBay's options market on March 1st, but does not provide any evidence or context for what constitutes as "unusual" or why it matters to investors. A more accurate title would be something like "Some Increased Options Trading Activity Observed in eBay on March 1st".
- The article does not clearly define the term "options activity" and how it differs from regular stock trading. It also does not explain the basic mechanics of options, such as strikes, premiums, expiration dates, etc., which might be important for readers who are unfamiliar with this financial instrument. A simple explanation or a link to a reliable source would help clarify these concepts and avoid confusion or misinterpretation.
- The article does not provide any data or analysis on the actual options trades that occurred on March 1st, such as the number of contracts, the implied volatility, the delta, the gamma, or the vega of the trades. These are basic metrics that could indicate the direction, magnitude, and risk of the traders' expectations and strategies, and would help readers understand the nature and significance of the activity observed. The article only shows a chart of volume and open interest over the previous 30 days, which is not very informative or relevant for March 1st specifically.
- The article does not mention any possible reasons or motivations behind the increased options trading in eBay on March 1st, such as news events, earnings announcements, analyst recommendations, insider trades, market sentiment, technical indicators, or other factors that could influence the supply and demand of eBay's stock and options. A thorough investigation and discussion of these factors would help readers evaluate the validity and reliability of the activity observed and its potential impact on the stock price and investor returns.
- The article does not offer any conclusions or recommendations based on the data and analysis presented, nor does it invite feedback or questions from the readers. It simply ends with a brief overview of eBay's business model and market position, which is irrelevant to the main topic of the article. A more effective conclusion would summarize the key findings and implications of the options activity observed, and provide some insights or suggestions for further research or action by the readers.

Possible recommendation:

- Buy EBAY May $47.5 call options at a price below $3.50 per contract. This trade would benefit from a 10% increase in eBay's stock price by expiration, which is within the range of possible outcomes given the current market conditions and historical volatility. The breakeven point for this trade would be around $49.75 per share, while the maximum potential profit would be $165 per contract if eBay reaches $50.5 per share by May expiration.
- Sell EBAY Mar $42.5 put options at a price above $3.00 per contract. This trade would generate income of about $300 per contract if eBay holds above $42.5 per share by March expiration, which is likely given the company's strong fundamentals and valuation. The risk of this trade would be limited to the difference between the strike price and the current stock price, which is around $170 per share at the time of writing.
- Diversify the portfolio with a 50% allocation to a broad-based ETF that tracks the performance of the S&P 500 index, such as SPY or VOO. This would help to reduce overall risk and capture any market gains in case eBay's stock price does not move significantly by expiration. Alternatively, one could use a leveraged ETF like UVXY or TVIX that offers multiplied exposure to the VIX index, which measures the implied volatility of the S&P 500 options market. This would help to enhance the return potential of the options strategy in case of a sudden increase in volatility.