$TSLA call prices rise

Shares of Tesla (TSLA) have been rising, delivering big gains to upside option positions.

On Apr. 9, Market Rebellion’s Unusual Activity programs detected the the purchase 35,608 May $225 calls for $31.00 to $33.09 with shares at $228.16. The volume was well above the contract’s previous open interest of 1,439 which indicated that this was a new position.

Those calls traded for as much as $59.35 today, a 79.36% return, while the stock rose 24.32% in the same time frame, a large move but nowhere near that of its options on a relative basis.

Long calls lock in the price where investors can buy a stock, letting them position for a rally at limited cost with the potential for significant leverage. They carry less risk than owning shares because the most that can be lost is the price of the options no matter how far the stock might fall.

TSLA was last down by 2.53% at $279.93.