IWM, QQQ, SPY and Apple | Q3 vs. Q4 2022 Holdings Comparison: What Changed?

The third quarter of 2022 saw some major changes in the holdings of funds, as reported in the 13F filings of the quarter. The comparison between Q3 and Q4 2022 shows interesting movements in holdings across the leading funds, including IWM, QQQ, SPY, and Apple. Let's take a closer look at the major changes and explore what they could mean for the market.

The first notable change concerns the ISHARES TR fund, whose holdings of put options for Q3 2022 were 2,273,800 shares. However, this number jumped to 2,743,300 in Q4 2022, representing over a 27% increase in shares. The value of these holdings also grew from $374,995,000 to $478,321,000 over the same period, proving the bullish trend within the market.

In contrast, INVESCO QQQ TR saw zero holdings of put options in Q3 2022, but this number rose to 956,000 shares in Q4. Even though the value of these holdings was not reported, this holder now seems more inclined towards a bearish bias than before.

As for SPDR S&P 500 ETF TR, Q3 had no holdings of stocks, but Q4 saw 168,057 shares added, with a reported value of $64,270,000. There's little indication of the direction these holdings will take currently, but it could be a sign of potential bullishness for the fund.

When it came to individual stocks, Apple took a hit with put option holdings, with the sharpest drop amongst the analyzed funds. From 486,400 shares of put options in Q3 2022, this number plummeted to 39,000 shares in Q4, reflecting a significant decline of over 92%. The value of these holdings also fell dramatically from $67,219,000 to just $5,067,000 in the following quarter.

Microsoft also reduced its holdings of put options on a similar scale. In Q3 2022, the fund reported 209,400 shares of put options, but this number fell sharply to just 14,600 in Q4 2022. This decline represented a 92.8% drop, with the value of these holdings plummeting from $48,767,000 to just $3,501,000.

In contrast, Apple's call option holdings saw an increase of approximately 1.3% from 184,900 in Q3 2022 to 225,00 in Q4. However, the value of these holdings also fell from $25,552,000 to $2,923,000, representing an overall decline of over 88.6%.

Despite the negative movements in holdings for some companies, many others experienced promising growth. For instance, Verizon Communications saw an increased number of call options holdings from 131,100 to 21,100 shares for Q3 and Q4 2022, respectively. Similarly, NVIDIA Corporation call options holdings increased from 37,000 to 2,800 shares, with a total value of $4,491,000.

In conclusion, the Q3 vs. Q4 2022 comparison showcased some fascinating movements in holdings of funds across the market. While some individual companies faced significant declines, many others saw an increase in their holdings, particularly in the call option category. Investors must keep these holdings' changes in mind when assessing the market's overall performance, diversifying their investment portfolios, and making vital business decisions.