Bank stocks, particularly Morgan Stanley (MS) and Bank of America (BAC), are reaching record highs following their earnings reports.
Morgan Stanley reported adjusted third-quarter earnings of $2.80 per share on $18.22 billion in revenue, exceeding estimates. This marks the largest earnings beat in five years.
Options traders are actively participating, with 52,000 calls changing hands, 12 times the average intraday amount.
Most of the attention is focused on the October 175 call, where new positions are being bought to open.
Author's summary: Bank stocks drive Wall Street growth.