New Delhi, July 20 -- Ticker is a weekly newsletter by Vijay L Bhambwani. Subscribe to Mint's newsletters to get them directly in your email inbox.

Dear reader,

Last week, I wrote optimism was giving way to desolation. Bulls were showing a lack of conviction not seen for months. Traded volumes shrank sizeably, and take-home profits shrank significantly. It became a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. Traded volumes were poor because profits were meagre, and profits were meagre because traded volumes took a hit. This vicious circle will be broken only after traded volumes rise significantly. Where yields on theta decay (collecting premiums) on option writing are concerned, the low-hanging fruit has been picked already. The road ahead seem...