SpaceX just obliterated Facebook's 14-year options record by more than 4X — 1.6 million bets in a single day

SpaceX’s newly listed shares drew extraordinary speculative demand as options trading began, with more than 1.6 million contracts changing hands on day one, far surpassing Facebook’s 364,000-contract debut record from 2012. The article says SpaceX priced its IPO at $135 a share, raised roughly $75 billion, and traded around $202 by Tuesday’s close, about 50% above the offer price. The surge underscores how retail-driven options activity and short-dated contracts have reshaped market behavior since the pandemic. The piece cautions that high volume does not automatically signal bullish positioning, since traders were active in both calls and puts, and some activity may reflect hedging ahead of lock-up expiration. Overall, the story highlights intense investor enthusiasm and elevated volatility around SpaceX’s debut, reinforcing its status as a major market event and a test case for retail speculation in newly public stocks.