Press Release
Use Volatility In Your Favor With Robinhood Options Trading In April, Volatility Index VIX Hit Highest Mark
–News Direct–
By Meg Flippin, Benzinga

Thanks to their large upside potential, many seasoned traders choose to trade options to play the markets. Fintechs like Robinhood have made accessing the market easier for seasoned traders to fine-tune their strategies, building based on their trading level.
With inflation remaining stubborn, the markets appearing to be waiting for the Federal Reserves next move on interest rates and the U.S. about to enter what is expected to be a polarizing presidential election, volatility has been high. In April, the VIX Index which Wall Street uses to gauge volatility in the market hit its highest level since late October 2023, when the Israel-Hamas conflict began. Year-to-date, the VIX Index is up more than 12%.
Options Abound With Options Trading
While volatility may scare buy-and-hold investors, for active options traders, some look at it as an opportunity. After all, with options trading, investors can engage in a variety of diverse strategies that have the potential to work in all sorts of market conditions, whether it's speculating stocks will go up or down based on their bearish and bullish outlooks. Options are also cheaper than buying shares outright, creating leverage, which means the gains on your investment could be amplified as can losses. However, options expire, and you can lose your entire investment in a short period of time. Some strategies present a potential for substantial or even unlimited losses.
Then there are the hedging capabilities that come with options, which can help mitigate the dangers of high-risk, high-reward instruments. If an investor is worried a stock is going to fall they can purchase puts that enable them to sell the stock at a strike price, regardless of where the stock falls prior to expiration of the option. The same cant be said of stocks. If shares tank, you dont have any downward protection other than to sell and limit your losses. However, if the stock goes up or doesnt move prior to expiration, the option will expire worthless and the loss is equal to the premium paid.
Leveling The Playing Field For Options Investors
Accessing options trading is getting even easier thanks to Robinhoods trading platform. Not only do customers get access to options but also advanced charts, including the ability to track and modify technical indicators such as moving average, relative strength index and moving average convergence divergence. Furthermore, there are no contract fees.*
Other powerful features of Robinhoods platform include the ability to save and monitor options contracts to see hypothetical returns and options rolling in which you can seamlessly adjust and extend your positions. And lets not forget 24-hour support. If you have a question on your option strategy even in the wee hours of the morning, Robinhood has you covered.
Even retirement accounts and cash account holders can trade options with Robinhood. The same cant be said of some of Robinhoods rivals.
Robinhoods efforts to improve access are not surprising. For some time now, the company has been on a mission to level the playing field when it comes to investing by providing access to an array of investment and retirement products, keeping costs down and commissions at zero (other fees apply). Take Robinhood Gold for one example. Gold subscribers get 5% APY on uninvested cash in their brokerage account, a 1% boost on brokerage transfers and instant deposits.
None of this is lost on options traders, which is why that part of Robinhoods business is growing, and options traders are taking note. Robinhood is making moves to grow its market share even more. We want to be number one in the active trader market. So active traders are very important for us, Robinhood CEO Vladimir Tenev said in a recent interview. They care about very specific things like performance, pricing, user experience. And we're making lots of investments there both in the user experience and in new product innovations that other competitors don't offer, 24-hour market being a great example there.
Options trading is growing in popularity as regular retail investors learn its virtues. Robinhood wants to be a leader in the space and is pulling out all the stops to achieve that.
Featured photo by Nicholas Cappello on Unsplash.
Benzinga is a leading financial media and data provider, known for delivering accurate, timely, and actionable financial information to empower investors and traders.
This post contains sponsored content. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice.
Disclaimer:
*There are no contract fees charged directly by Robinhood. However Robinhood does pass through certain fees charged by securities regulators and exchanges.
Commission-free trading of stocks, ETFs and options refers to $0 commissions for Robinhood Financial self-directed individual cash or margin brokerage accounts that trade U.S. listed securities and certain OTC securities electronically. Keep in mind, other fees such, Gold subscription fees, wire transfer fees, and paper statement fees may apply to your brokerage account. Please see Robinhood Financial's Fee Schedule to learn more.
Options trading entails significant risk and is not appropriate for all customers. Customers must read and understand the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options before engaging in any options trading strategies. Options transactions are often complex and may involve the potential of losing the entire investment in a relatively short period of time. Certain complex options strategies carry additional risk, including the potential for losses that may exceed the original investment amount.
Robinhood Financial does not guarantee favorable investment outcomes. The past performance of a security or financial product does not guarantee future results or returns. Customers should consider their investment objectives and risks carefully before investing in options. Because of the importance of tax considerations to all options transactions, the customer considering options should consult their tax advisor as to how taxes affect the outcome of each options strategy. Supporting documentation for any claims, if applicable, will be furnished upon request.
Rolling options does not ensure a profit or guarantee against a loss. An investor may also end up compounding their losses. By rolling out, the duration is extended, which can also increase risks as there's more time for the underlying security's price to move unfavorably.
One of the key downsides of options vs stocks is that options contracts expire over time. For puts, If the stock price is at or above the strike price, the option expires worthless, and you can lose the money you paid for the options contract.
Risk of VIX options:
The prices of VIX options can fluctuate significantly and thus increase the risk for investors.
The VIX is a synthetic value that is calculated on the basis of option prices. Investors who invest in VIX options should therefore be aware of the special features of this asset class.
In some market situations, the VIX and thus also the prices of VIX options may not move in the expected direction. This means that in some cases VIX options may not help to reduce the risk of a portfolio, but rather increase it.
VIX options generally have a term of only a few months and are therefore more suitable for short-term trading.
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View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/use-volatility-in-your-favor-with-robinhood-options-trading-in-april-volatility-index-vix-hit-highest-mark-337548674
Benzinga
COMTEX_453285838/2655/2024-06-03T09:43:17
About Author
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
Press Release
Anthony D Galluccio Shares “The Art of the Pivot” and a Grounded Approach to Managing Setbacks
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The Cambridge-based attorney and former mayor focuses on managing adversity, perspective, and long-term service to children and families.
Massachusetts, USA, 10th March 2026, ZEX PR WIRE — Anthony D Galluccio is sharing a practical view of leadership built around a simple idea: the ability to pivot matters most when circumstances change and the stakes are real.
Rather than treating setbacks as failures, Galluccio frames them as integral to his growth and opportunity to discover new experiences. No one chooses adversity but it will find you. Some adversity involves your own doing and correction. Other adversity is out of your control. In either case you better embrace it and find opportunity in it fast. In his view, pivoting is adjusting quickly, finding opportunity and digging deep into the value set that defines your success. For me hard work and relationships are my life blood and sustenance during any adversity.
“The art of the pivot is not about reinventing yourself every time something gets hard,” Galluccio said. “It is about responding with clarity, reaffirming your values, changing what you can and moving on quickly from what you can’t change. It means keeping perspective but also being able to block out the noise and stay focused on the battle in front of you.

Why this matters now
Pivoting in personal and professional life also has alignment with public policy and land use permitting. Permitting is fluid as it runs with democratic zoning changes and public opinion. You have to be fluid all the time. Similarly, public policy is also always evolving and has to be responsive to new challenges and data. Public education, technical education, workforce development, immigrant communities, serving low income children with cancer and housing constantly involve new challenges. For Galluccio, topics like this are not abstract. They connect directly to years of involvement with organizations serving vulnerable populations, where the consequences of disruption are immediate and personal.
He points to that reality as the reason he keeps returning to the same themes: staying fluid, adversity, perspective, and the opportunity to choose a better response even when outcomes are uncertain. To really embrace the fluidity of a pivot you must embrace and almost enjoy the challenge of adversity.
The core message: the pivot is disciplined, not dramatic
Galluccio describes a pivot as a focused response to a changed situation, not a sudden overhaul. He says the strongest pivots involve the biggest challenges.
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Perspective over panic
Step back before reacting. Separate the moment from the full story. -
Opportunity in the chaos
Circumstances changed but look for new opportunity -
Action without ego
Let go of what is not working. Move toward what does, without protecting a storyline. -
Dig Deep
Values over emotion. Dig into your core values
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In his view, the pivot becomes a leadership skill only when it is paired with follow-through. Anyone can talk about change. The harder task is to act on it steadily.
Managing setbacks in practice
Galluccio’s approach to setbacks is practical and repeatable. When circumstances shift, he recommends focusing on decisions that restore control and reduce noise:
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Separate emotion from decision-making
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Re-check the facts before acting
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Identify what can still be controlled today
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Write the next step in a single sentence and take it
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Stay consistent with core commitments, even during disruption
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Get the whole team moving forward with a new strategy
He describes this as a way to protect momentum. Not through intensity, but through clarity and consistency.
Service as a long-term teacher
Galluccio’s perspective has been shaped by decades of civic and community involvement, including long-term service with organizations supporting vulnerable communities. He served for 15 years on the board of Hildebrand Family Self Help Center, a large transitional family housing nonprofit, and for five years on the board of Centro Latino in Chelsea, a human service agency serving mostly new immigrants.
He says that kind of work changes how a person thinks about adversity. It is not a temporary phase. It is part of life for many families, and it calls for leaders who can adjust, respond, and keep showing up.
About Anthony D Galluccio
Anthony D Galluccio is a Cambridge-based attorney and law partner with a background in public service and a focus on municipal and land use permitting law. He served on the Cambridge City Council from 1994 to 2007, was Mayor of Cambridge from 2000 to 2001, and served as a Massachusetts state senator from 2007 to 2010, where he chaired the Massachusetts Senate Higher Education Committee. He manages Galluccio Assoc Inc a 501c3 charity, Ashleys Angels supporting childhood cancer in the Dominican Republic and Hope for the holidays. He has also served in long-term community leadership roles, including board service with Hildebrand Family Self Help Center and Centro Latino Of Chelsea. Anthony also coaches youth and high school sports and has for decades.
About Author
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
Press Release
Christopher O’Reilly of West Palm Beach Makes the Case for Follow-Through as a Career Strategy
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Christopher O’Reilly, a marine technician and former yacht captain based in West Palm Beach, Florida, shares why consistent communication and patient follow-through build more durable careers than credentials alone.
A Simple Habit with Long-Term Returns
Florida, USA, 10th March 2026, ZEX PR WIRE — In the marine trades industry, as in most professional fields, the gap between adequate and trusted often comes down to one thing: follow-through. Christopher O’Reilly, a West Palm Beach-based Marine Technician with Coastal Air Systems and former yacht captain, has spent years refining a professional philosophy centered on what happens after the main event concludes.
O’Reilly describes a specific example from his own experience. After a business meeting where he sensed the conversation was winding down, he chose not to push the interaction further. Instead, he sent a brief message of thanks after the meeting ended. He maintained contact. That connection eventually became a working relationship. The lesson, he says, is about respecting the other person’s time and trusting that genuine engagement creates its own return.
What Consistent Communication Looks Like on the Water
O’Reilly’s background in yacht captaining gave him an unusual classroom for professional development. Managing crews and vessel operations across South Florida and the Caribbean, he learned quickly that technical knowledge was the baseline expectation. What separated capable captains from trusted ones was clarity: clear expectations before a job began, honest updates during it, and reliable follow-up after.
He applies the same standard at Coastal Air Systems, where he brings an aviation-grade documentation approach to marine systems maintenance. The result, he notes, is fewer callbacks on completed work and more calls for new projects.
Three Habits O’Reilly Recommends
The approach O’Reilly describes is not complicated. It begins with confirming expectations before any task starts. It continues with honest updates when complications arise, rather than waiting for someone to notice. And it closes with a short acknowledgment after the work is done. That cycle, repeated consistently, builds a professional reputation that no single credential can replicate.
A Career Built in Stages
O’Reilly grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut, sailing on Long Island Sound and working summers at Riverside Yacht Club. He earned his Merchant Mariner Certification and built a career on private motor yachts, eventually captaining vessels up to 126 feet in length. In 2019, Select Yachts named him captain of the motor yacht Lady Sharon Gale. He later relocated to West Palm Beach, where he transitioned into the technical side of the marine trades.
He is active in the South Florida marine community and publishes writing on topics including big game fishing, vessel maintenance, and the Jupiter Inlet at chrisoreillypalmbeach.com.
Start with One Follow-Up Today
Consider the last professional conversation you left without closure. A short message, a simple acknowledgment, a direct confirmation of the next step — start there. Track how those small actions compound over the next thirty days.
About Christopher O’Reilly
Christopher O’Reilly is a Marine Technician with Coastal Air Systems in West Palm Beach, Florida. He is a former yacht captain with experience on motor yachts up to 126 feet across South Florida and the Caribbean. He writes on maritime topics at chrisoreillypalmbeach.com.
About Author
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
Press Release
Akram Alhamidi Shares a Practical Plan for Building a Business Without a Traditional Roadmap
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Akram Alhamidi, a self-employed entrepreneur from Petal, Mississippi, outlines the approach that took him from high school graduate to gas station chain owner in a matter of years.
Starting From a Real Need
Mississippi, USA, 10th March 2026, ZEX PR WIRE — When Akram Alhamidi graduated high school in 2020, he did not enroll in college or enter the workforce as an employee. He opened a gas station. The decision was straightforward in his telling: people need fuel, the business model is tangible, and the work of running it well is something you can learn by doing.
What followed was the expansion of that first location into a chain of operating gas stations in Mississippi, all managed by Alhamidi as a self-employed owner-operator.
What Made It Work
Alhamidi has spoken publicly about the role of consistency over inspiration in building his business. The gas station industry does not reward novelty. It rewards reliability: clean locations, functional equipment, attentive service, and steady management of daily operations.
For a founder without a formal business background, that meant learning every function of the business in real time. Pricing, staffing, logistics, customer experience. Each one became a lesson the business itself administered.
A Framework Others Can Apply
For those considering a similar path, Alhamidi’s experience points to a few practical principles. Start with a business that serves a clear, consistent need. Expect to learn by doing rather than by planning. Build the discipline to operate well on ordinary days, not just on days when momentum is high. Measure progress by what the business can do now that it could not do before.
These are not sophisticated frameworks. They are the operational realities of small business ownership, learned early and applied consistently.
The Ongoing Work
Alhamidi continues to develop his gas station business from Petal, Mississippi. His focus remains on expanding and stabilizing operations while maintaining the hands-on management approach that has defined his business since its founding.
Coverage of his entrepreneurial path has appeared in BM Magazine, Brainz Magazine, and IdeaMensch, each exploring how a young founder built a fuel retail chain without a formal business education or external funding announcements.
About Akram Alhamidi
Akram Alhamidi is a self-employed entrepreneur based in Petal, Mississippi. He is the founder and owner-operator of a chain of gas stations launched in 2020 following his high school graduation. Alhamidi manages his business operations independently and continues to expand his fuel retail presence in Mississippi. More about his background can be found through his featured profiles on BM Magazine and Brainz Magazine.
Start with one practical step this week: identify a business need in your community and research what it would take to serve it.
About Author
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
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