Nvidia Shakes Up Semiconductor Space With Mellanox Bid

NVDA shares have consolidated below $160 recently

The shares of Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) are up 1.9% to trade at $153.36, after the chipmaker agreed to buy Israel-based Mellanox Technologies (MLNX) for $6.8 billion in cash, the largest deal in the company's history. Nvidia reportedly beat out rival Intel (INTC) for the bid in an effort to expand data center technology. However, the company's chief financial officer noted in a conference call that the deal still needs approval from the U.S. and China.

Since its Christmas Eve bottom at $124.46, Nvidia stock has added nearly 23%. For the past month, though, the shares have consolidated below the $160 level, home to their Nov. 16 bear gap lows. This was just one of several bear gaps in the fourth quarter of 2018, and the stock is down 37% in the past 12 months.

Nvidia options traders have been loading up on calls. At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), the equity's 10-day call/put volume ratio of 2.51 ranks 2 percentage points from an annual high. The high percentile indicates a much healthier-than-usual appetite for long calls over puts of late.

Plus, short-term option premiums look attractively priced at the moment. Specifically, NVDA's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 43% stands in the 24th annual percentile. This means that near-term options are pricing in relatively low volatility expectations.