Antitrust Scrutiny Pulls Put Traders to Alphabet Stock

Group 1 - The Department of Justice (DOJ) is considering breaking up Alphabet Inc due to a court ruling that found the company monopolized the online search market [1] - Alphabet's recent Pixel phone launch highlighted its Gemini technology, positioning the company as a leader in integrating artificial intelligence into smartphones [1] - Alphabet's stock (GOOGL) has seen a decline of 1.2%, trading at $162.20, after failing to maintain a rally above the $165 level, and has pulled back from an all-time high of $191.75 [1] Group 2 - The 50-day put/call volume ratio for GOOGL is higher than 97% of readings from the past year, indicating increased bearish sentiment among traders [2] - Today's options activity shows 54,000 puts traded, which is double the intraday average volume, with the August 160 put being the most popular contract [2] - Alphabet's stock has affordably priced premiums, as indicated by a Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 25%, ranking higher than just 21% of annual readings [2]