Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish stance on Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS).

And retail traders should know.

We noticed this today when the positions showed up on publicly available options history that we track here at Benzinga.

Whether these are institutions or just wealthy individuals, we don't know. But when something this big happens with MS, it often means somebody knows something is about to happen.

Today, Benzinga's options scanner spotted 22 options trades for Morgan Stanley.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 40% bullish and 54%, bearish.

Out of all of the options we uncovered, there was 1 put, for a total amount of $27,648, and 21, calls, for a total amount of $1,160,794.

Expected Price Movements

After evaluating the trading volumes and Open Interest, it's evident that the major market movers are focusing on a price band between $90.0 and $115.0 for Morgan Stanley, spanning the last three months.

Insights into Volume & Open Interest

In today's trading context, the average open interest for options of Morgan Stanley stands at 8782.15, with a total volume reaching 9,068.00. The accompanying chart delineates the progression of both call and put option volume and open interest for high-value trades in Morgan Stanley, situated within the strike price corridor from $90.0 to $115.0, throughout the last 30 days.

Morgan Stanley Option Volume And Open Interest Over Last 30 Days

Biggest Options Spotted:

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley is a global investment bank whose history, through its legacy firms, can be traced back to 1924. The company has institutional securities, wealth management, and investment management segments. The company had over $4 trillion of client assets as well as over 80,000 employees at the end of 2022. Approximately 50% of the company's net revenue is from its institutional securities business, with the remainder coming from wealth and investment management. The company derives about 30% of its total revenue outside the Americas.

Present Market Standing of Morgan Stanley

• With a volume of 1,361,506, the price of MS is up 0.41% at $99.99.
• RSI indicators hint that the underlying stock may be overbought.
• Next earnings are expected to be released in 60 days.

Options trading presents higher risks and potential rewards. Astute traders manage these risks by continually educating themselves, adapting their strategies, monitoring multiple indicators, and keeping a close eye on market movements. Stay informed about the latest Morgan Stanley options trades with real-time alerts from Benzinga Pro.