Quick overview
- The highest trading volume of $80 WTI crude oil call options since January occurred on Friday, driven by concerns over escalating tensions in the Middle East.
- Approximately 33,411 contracts of August 2025 $80 call options were traded, reflecting heightened market sentiment amid fears of disrupted oil exports.
- Oil prices surged 7% on Friday following Israeli airstrikes on Iran, with reports indicating that Iran plans to continue its military actions against Israel and U.S. bases.
- Israel’s recent air offensive aims to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, raising the risk of a broader conflict in the region.
The most $80 West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil call options were traded on Friday since January, as traders anticipated further price increases following Israeli airstrikes on Iran that raised concerns about a broader Middle East conflict.
A call option holder possesses the right to purchase the futures contract at a predetermined price and date, and an increase in volume can indicate the market’s sentiment.
According to data from the CME Group, Friday marked the highest trading volume of August 2025 $80 call options for WTI crude oil, with about 33,411 contracts traded out of a total volume of 681,000 contracts
The last time such a high level of trading was seen for $80 call options was on January 10, when 17,030 February 2025 $80 call options were traded from a total trading volume of 301,866 contracts.
Investor concerns that the conflict may significantly disrupt Middle Eastern oil exports were intensified by the airstrikes from Israel and Iran, which caused oil prices to surge on Friday, closing 7% higher. According to a report published on Saturday by Iran’s Fars news agency, which quoted senior Iranian military officials, Iran plans to continue its strikes against Israel and target U.S. bases in the area in the upcoming days.
Fars reported that “Iran’s strikes will continue and this confrontation will not end with last night’s limited actions, and this action will be painful and regrettable for the aggressors.” Their statement indicated that the war would “spread in the coming days to all areas occupied by this (Israeli) regime and American bases in the region.”
Israel launched its largest-ever air offensive against its longtime adversary on Saturday to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, raising the potential for a broader conflict as Iran and Israel persist in targeting each other.
Olumide Adesina
Financial Market Writer
Olumide Adesina is a French-born Nigerian financial writer. He tracks the financial markets with over 15 years of working experience in investment trading.
