Whale resurfaces as Facebook, Amazon see big bets in options market

Trades in which tens of millions of dollars were spent betting on the biggest American technology companies have again surfaced in the options market, weeks after the Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group was linked to similar wagers.

Amazon.com, Facebook and Netflix were among companies that saw block trades of call contracts Thursday, representing speculation on movements in their shares through the first months of next year. Call options are bullish bets by themselves but can also be paired with other positions as part of a hedge.

The identity of the buyer wasn’t known. Analysts noted a resemblance to a series of