Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish stance on American Express (NYSE:AXP).

And retail traders should know.

We noticed this today when the trades showed up on publicly available options history that we track here at Benzinga.

Whether these are institutions or just wealthy individuals, we don't know. But when something this big happens with AXP, it often means somebody knows something is about to happen.

So how do we know what these investors just did?

Today, Benzinga's options scanner spotted 10 uncommon options trades for American Express.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 30% bullish and 60%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 4 are puts, for a total amount of $377,701, and 6 are calls, for a total amount of $243,858.

Predicted Price Range

After evaluating the trading volumes and Open Interest, it's evident that the major market movers are focusing on a price band between $130.0 and $250.0 for American Express, spanning the last three months.

Analyzing Volume & Open Interest

In today's trading context, the average open interest for options of American Express stands at 942.2, with a total volume reaching 92.00. The accompanying chart delineates the progression of both call and put option volume and open interest for high-value trades in American Express, situated within the strike price corridor from $130.0 to $250.0, throughout the last 30 days.

American Express Option Volume And Open Interest Over Last 30 Days

Largest Options Trades Observed:

About American Express

American Express is a global financial institution, operating in about 130 countries, that provides consumers and businesses charge and credit card payment products. The company also operates a highly profitable merchant payment network. Since 2018, it has operated in three segments: global consumer services, global commercial services, and global merchant and network services. In addition to payment products, the company's commercial business offers expense management tools, consulting services, and business loans.

Following our analysis of the options activities associated with American Express, we pivot to a closer look at the company's own performance.

Where Is American Express Standing Right Now?

• With a trading volume of 1,733,134, the price of AXP is up by 0.8%, reaching $233.41.
• Current RSI values indicate that the stock is is currently neutral between overbought and oversold.
• Next earnings report is scheduled for 18 days from now.

Options are a riskier asset compared to just trading the stock, but they have higher profit potential. Serious options traders manage this risk by educating themselves daily, scaling in and out of trades, following more than one indicator, and following the markets closely.