Quantum computing stocks are ripping higher Monday morning, driven less by fresh headlines and more by aggressive options positioning. A cluster of speculative names jumped double digits as traders piled into calls shortly after the opening bell.
Options traders take the wheel
Shares of D-Wave Quantum $QBTS ( ▼ 3.5% ) , IonQ $IONQ ( ▼ 2.08% ) , Rigetti Computing $RGTI ( ▼ 5.51% ) , and Quantum Computing Inc. $QUBT ( ▼ 1.79% ) are all sharply higher, with gains ranging from roughly 12% to nearly 20%. The common thread is one-way traffic in the options market, with put-to-call ratios sitting well below their 20-day averages just minutes into the session, signaling traders are overwhelmingly betting on further upside.
Not much news, plenty of momentum: D-Wave did announce that a senior executive will present at CES on January 7, but that update barely moved the stock in premarket trading. The real lift came once regular trading began and options activity exploded, pulling the entire quantum group higher along with it.
Still a long road back
Even with today’s surge, these stocks are still clawing back from steep losses suffered since October, when speculative tech peaked across the market. Momentum is clearly back in the short term, but repairing the broader drawdown will take more than a single session of options-driven enthusiasm.