Options Strategist Who Coined `50 Cent' Has Left Macro Risk

(Bloomberg) -- Pravit Chintawongvanich, whose opining on options and other derivatives made him one of the best-known voices in volatility markets, has left Macro Risk Advisors, his employer of the last five years.

Chintawongvanich, who chronicled the exploits of traders who became known as the “VIX Elephant” and “50 cent,” left the New York-based research firm to pursue other opportunities, Macro Risk Advisors said in a statement. He had been head of derivatives strategy.

Among his discoveries were data footprints left by anonymous traders placing giant bets in VIX options. Someone he dubbed the “VIX Elephant” sold about 260,000 March $15 calls on Feb. 6, while buying the same number of March $25 calls and March $12 puts, one day after a record rally in the options benchmark.

In June 2017, he drew attention to a potential “acceleration event” for the VelocityShares Daily Inverse VIX Short-Term ETN that could spark market turmoil, which ultimately came to pass on Feb. 5.

Before joining Macro Risk Advisors, Chintawongvanich had worked at RBC Capital Markets focusing on equity derivatives trading and risk management.

Vinay Viswanathan, who was hired by Macro Risk Advisors in March, will assume the role as a derivatives strategist. He previously worked at Spot Trading LLC.

To contact the reporters on this story: Lu Wang in New York at lwang8@bloomberg.net, Luke Kawa in New York at lkawa@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Courtney Dentch at cdentch1@bloomberg.net, Chris Nagi, Richard Richtmyer

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