Broadcom (AVGO) Stock Options Are Signaling Pensiveness. Here’s Why the Fear Might Be Unwarranted.

With fears of a bubble brewing in artificial intelligence consistently wreaking havoc on tech players in the fourth (calendar) quarter, semiconductor and software giant Broadcom (AVGO) has been put through the ringer. True, on a year-to-date basis, AVGO stock is doing well, gaining over 47%. However, in the trailing month, the security is down almost 10%.

What has regular, everyday investors freaked out is that even the smart money appears pensive. Take a look at Barchart’s options flow screener, which focuses exclusively on big block transactions likely placed by major institutions. On Dec. 8, a few days before its fiscal-fourth-quarter earnings disclosure, net trade sentiment stood at over $151.16 million. However, just 10 days later, net trade sentiment slipped to $148.84 million below parity.

Even though Broadcom beat on both the top and bottom lines, disappointments over a less-than-expected AI backlog, combined…