How to trade the S&P 500’s march to record highs using options as volatility remains elevated

Equity bears are growling, and bulls are sharpening their horns.

Block is the latest to get an S&P 500 nod, and its stock is climbing July 18, 2025
Robinhood misses out on S&P 500 inclusion once again, as Square parent company is chosen to replace Hess.
Emily Bary
‘We are acquaintances, not friends’: My neighbors need somewhere to stay after a house fire. Do I say yes? July 18, 2025
“We feel obliged to offer our house to this couple to live in while they deal with this horrible experience.”
Quentin Fottrell
I have early Alzheimer’s and my husband has stage 4 kidney disease. We just inherited $50K. How can this help us? July 18, 2025
“We have a 401(k) with $20,000, and $29,000 in a Roth IRA.”
Quentin Fottrell
My husband’s brother left his $600K estate to a friend. Can we contest the will? He experienced oxygen deprivation due to COPD. July 18, 2025
“Around 30 days before passing, he changed everything to go to a friend.”
Quentin Fottrell
Trump signs the Genius Act into law, in significant step for U.S. crypto regulation July 18, 2025
President Trump said the crypto industry was once “mocked and dismissed and counted out,” but now could become a big buyer of U.S. government debt.
Gordon Gottsegen
American Express earnings show healthy spending — including on these fancy categories July 18, 2025
Amex saw 7% growth in spending last quarter. Spending on front-of-cabin plane tickets was up even more than that.
Emily Bary
Was canceling Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ really about money? The numbers don’t entirely back it up. July 18, 2025
There is little in Paramount Global’s recent earnings report to indicate that the finances of its television division had eroded so precipitously that jettisoning one of its trademark programs would be a necessary solution.
Lukas I. Alpert
Traders in a critical corner of the bond market are back to flashing worries about long-run inflation July 18, 2025
Some market-based measures of future inflation are rising toward worrisome levels, with some strategists pointing to the potential for another round of unsettling tariff-driven price gains in the months to come.
Vivien Lou Chen
I’m doing Roth conversions, but my IRA balance keeps going up. When do I stop? July 18, 2025
Retirement blogger Fritz Gilbert is trying to reduce his future tax burden, but it’s surprisingly harder than he thought.
Beth Pinsker
Here’s what interest-rate changes may mean for bond returns as traders watch Fed July 18, 2025
The higher yields found in the bond market provide a bigger buffer against volatility compared with a few years ago — and greater potential for upside than downside as interest rates change, according to Vanguard.
Christine Idzelis