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VT 
Meta Platforms Faced a Stock Drop
The Federal Reserve made a 25-basis-point interest rate cut but signalled a cautious stance on further cuts in December. Yields on US treasuries with terms from 12 months to 10 years increased by over 2%, following the announcement. The Dow Jones and S&P 500 experienced declines, while the NASDAQ Composite gained 0.55%.
The Federal Reserve’s message has created significant uncertainty, making a December rate cut less likely. With bond yields rising after the announcement and the VIX volatility index jumping over 15% yesterday to close at 22.5, we should expect choppy markets in the weeks ahead. This environment is ideal for strategies that profit from either specific directional bets or elevated volatility.
Alphabet’s strong performance, particularly its 34% cloud revenue growth, sets it apart from its peers. Recent industry reports from Q3 2025 showed Google Cloud’s market share grew to 12%, signaling it is effectively gaining on competitors. We see this as an opportunity to establish bullish positions, such as buying November call options or selling put credit spreads to capitalize on its upward momentum.
Strategies for Microsoft and Meta
Conversely, the negative reactions in Microsoft and Meta present a different opportunity despite their strong revenue figures. The 7% drop in Meta has likely inflated option premiums, making a neutral strategy like an iron condor attractive to collect premium while betting the stock trades in a range. For Microsoft, the disappointment in its cloud growth suggests a bearish put spread could be effective if the stock continues to underperform.
The Fed’s cautious stance suggests a headwind for the broader S&P 500. We anticipate the market will be highly sensitive to the next Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) inflation report for September, which is the Fed’s preferred gauge. Until that data is released, buying protective puts on an index ETF like SPY for late November could be a prudent hedge against a market downturn.
This clear split in Mag 7 performance creates an ideal setup for a pairs trade. We can isolate the market-beating strength of Alphabet by going long GOOGL calls while simultaneously shorting a weaker name like META with puts. We’ve seen this pattern before, such as in late 2018, when Fed uncertainty led to a sharp market downturn where stock-specific fundamentals became paramount.
