Monday's Hottest Options: NU, BBW, and IVZ Lead the Volume Charge

Options markets were particularly active today across several Russell 3000 constituents, with three standout performers commanding trader attention.

Nu Holdings Ltd (NU) Dominates Options Trading

Leading the charge was Nu Holdings Ltd, where options activity reached an impressive 495,669 contracts representing roughly 49.6 million underlying shares. This marked a 146.9% surge versus the stock’s typical daily volume baseline of 33.7 million shares over the preceding month. The most concentrated positioning centered on the $18 strike calls set to expire January 16, 2026—these alone drew 54,999 contracts, translating to 5.5 million shares in notional value.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (BBW) Experiences Significant Options Movement

Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc generated substantial derivative interest with 10,025 option contracts traded, corresponding to approximately 1.0 million shares. This activity equated to roughly 203% of the company’s historical 30-day average daily share volume of 494,295. What does BBW mean in terms of options positioning? The data reveals concentrated bearish sentiment, with the $40 strike puts expiring June 18, 2026 capturing the lion’s share of flow at 4,901 contracts, or 490,100 underlying shares.

Invesco (IVZ) Rounds Out the Options Activity

Completing the trio was Invesco Ltd, where options contracts totaled 63,393, representing 6.3 million underlying shares—a 125.1% expansion relative to IVZ’s average daily volume of 5.1 million shares over the past month. Bullish positioning was evident, with the $27 strike calls dated January 16, 2026 accounting for 31,388 contracts, or approximately 3.1 million notional shares.

The disparity in options intensity across these three names—from NU’s near-150% above-average activity to IVZ’s more moderate 125% uptick—underscores varying investor conviction levels in these names today.