Wide World of Options: Using a Scalpel, Not a Sledgehammer: The Rise of Derivative ETFs

Wide World of Options: Using a Scalpel, Not a Sledgehammer: The Rise of Derivative ETFs

Host Mark Benzaquen sits down with Sara Levin, Managing Director, ETF and Derivative Trading at WallachBeth Capital, for her very first podcast appearance. Fresh off moderating a panel at the Options Industry Conference, Sara breaks down the rapid growth of derivative ETFs — from buffer and defined outcome strategies to FLEX options and box ETFs. She explains how the ETF wrapper has made sophisticated derivatives accessible to both retail and institutional investors, why education remains essential as these worlds collide, and what it really means to take a scalpel rather than a sledgehammer to the market.

Wide World of Options: The Oxygen of Markets: Making Sense of Volatility

In this episode, host Mark Benzaquen sits down with Steve Sosnick, Chief Strategist at Interactive Brokers, to explore the evolution of volatility from a simple pricing input to a full-fledged asset class. Steve breaks down the VIX, pushes back on the "fear gauge" label, and shares how investors at every level are using volatility-linked products to hedge risk and capture opportunity — before the conversation takes a lighter turn on life, karaoke, and loving what you do.

Wide World of Options: The New Frontier: Crypto, Prediction Markets, and the Regulators Watching It All

From election contracts to crypto derivatives, a new generation of markets is raising complex questions about oversight, jurisdiction and investor protection. In this all-new episode of Wide World of Options, former CFTC commissioner Dawn Stump sits down to explore how these products work, who's watching and where the regulatory lines are still being drawn.

Wide World of Options: Demystifying AI in Options Trading

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the world of options trading but what does that actually mean? In this episode of Wide World of Options, host Mark Benzaquen welcomes Financial AI founder and CEO, Pouya Taahol, as he breaks down how investors are using machine learning, predictive analytics, and automation, and explores the questions every trader should be asking. Whether you're new to options or a seasoned investor, this is your guide to understanding one of the biggest shifts happening in financial markets today.

Wide World of Options: Path Dependency: When Getting from Point A to Point B Isn't Always a Straight Line

In investing, we're often fixated on outcomes, where a stock starts and where it ends up. But how a stock gets from one price to another can matter just as much as the destination itself. In this latest episode of the Wide World of Options podcast, host Mark Benzaquen welcomes guest Jay Soloff of Investor's Alley to discuss Path Dependency and how it can shape risk, investor behavior, and real-world returns in ways that a simple beginning and ending price can never fully capture.