Options Traders Busy at Newmont Mining Corp.
by Option Review - November 9th, 2010 4:04 pm
Today’s tickers: NEM, CALM, XRX, MCD, AEIS & JNPR
NEM - Newmont Mining Corp. – The gold producer’s shares started strong this morning, but earlier gains quickly gave way to losses and shares are currently down 3.00% to stand at $60.75 as of 3:25 pm in New York. Options on gold companies as well as options on a number of ETFs tracking miners and gold producers were very active today after gold prices climbed to new highs this morning. During the first couple of hours of the session one bullish trader utilized long-dated call options to position for Newmont Mining’s shares to potentially rally to new heights by expiration in January 2012. The investor purchased 5,800 deep in-the-money calls at the January 2012 $57.5 strike for a premium of $12.23 each, and sold the same number of calls at the higher January 2012 $67.5 strike at a premium of $7.53 apiece. The net cost of putting on the spread amounts to $4.70 per contract. The trader is therefore prepared to make money should NEM’s shares trade above the average breakeven price of $62.20 through January 2012 expiration. Maximum potential profits of $5.30 per contract pad the investor’s wallet if Newmont’s shares jump 11.1% over the current price of $60.75 to surpass $67.50 ahead of expiration day.
CALM - Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. – Options on the largest egg seller and distributor in the U.S. are more active than usual today perhaps on news the Jackson, Mississippi-based firm recalled more than a quarter of a million eggs purchased from Ohio Fresh Eggs because they may be contaminated with Salmonella. Cal-Maine Foods was reportedly alerted to contamination issues with the eggs by the FDA this past Friday. CALM’s shares reacted positively to the news this week, rallying more than 12.0% off Monday’s intraday low…
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DiggRIMM Bear-Butterfly Strategist Prepares for the Worst
by Option Review - August 31st, 2010 4:22 pm
Today’s tickers: RIMM, HRB, CAT, DF, XLE, SKS, OCR & NEM
RIMM – Research in Motion, Ltd. – Shares in BlackBerry maker, Research in Motion Ltd., took a severe beating today after a Sanford C. Bernstein Ltd. survey revealed more firms are choosing rival devices such as the iPhone, a sign the firm is relinquishing its share of the corporate market to its competitors. RIMM’s shares dropped 6.30% to an intraday- and new 52-week low of $42.72 in the final hour of trading. The price of the underlying stock, which reached a 13-month high of $88.08 on September 23, 2009, has since collapsed 51.5% lower to reach today’s value of $42.72. But, one options trader populating the longer-dated January 2011 contract today positioning for RIMM’s shares to nearly halve again by expiration. The investor initiated a bearish put butterfly spread, buying 1,100 puts at the January 2011 $27.5 strike for premium of $0.80 apiece, selling 2,200 puts at the January 2011 $22.5 strike for premium of $0.37 per contract, and buying 1,100 puts at the January 2011 $17.5 strike for premium of $0.18 each. The net cost of the spread amounts to $0.24 per contract. The investor stands prepared to accumulate profits if shares of the mobile device maker plummet 36.2% from the current price to breach the effective breakeven point at $27.26 by expiration day. Maximum potential profits of $4.76 per contract are safe inside the trader’s piggybank if the Canadian company’s shares collapse 47.3% lower to settle at $22.50 at expiration. The majority of options traders populated the near-term September contract where the September $40/$42.5/$45 strike puts were the most active.
HRB – H&R Block, Inc. – Bearish investors bombarded the provider of tax, banking, business and consulting services in afternoon trading after Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services lowered its rating outlook on the company to stable from positive. The downgrade weighed heavily on HRB’s shares, which fell as much as 6.20% to an intraday- and new 52-week low of $12.54. Shares are currently down 4.95% at $12.71 with one hour remaining before the closing bell. Given the new 52-week low of $12.54, HRB’s shares are down 21.5% since trading at $15.97 on August 2, 2010. The stock has lost a total of 46.15% of its value since January 21, 2010, when shares reached the current 52-week high of $23.29. Investors wary of continued bearish movement in…
Bulls Target Newmont Mining Corp. Call Options as Shares Near All-Time Highs
by Option Review - June 18th, 2010 4:16 pm
Today’s tickers: NEM, RIG, CAL & EWZ
NEM – Newmont Mining Corp. – Gold producer, Newmont Mining Corp., enticed bullish options strategists to the arena in the first half of the trading session with shares of the underlying stock rallying nearly 3.00% to a new 52-week high of $61.46 as of 12:15 pm (ET). Investors expecting the price of Newmont’s shares to continue to appreciate ahead of July expiration, and potentially break straight through its all-time high of approximately $62.72 secured back in early 2006, purchased approximately 1,300 call options at the July $65 strike for an average premium of $0.74 apiece. Call buyers at this strike price are poised to profit if shares of the gold company surge 6.95% to surpass the average breakeven price of $65.74 ahead of expiration day next month. Longer-term bullish behavior observed today took place at the sky-high September $75 strike where it looks like 2,000 calls were picked up at an average premium of $0.54 per contract. Investors long the calls make money if the gold producer’s shares jump 22.9% to trade above the average breakeven price of $75.54 by September expiration.
RIG – Transocean Ltd. – Shares of the international provider of offshore drilling services for oil and gas wells are currently up sharply by 7.85% to stand at $53.31 just before 12:30 pm (ET). RIG’s shares have roared back to life recently, rallying 28.55% in the past couple of weeks, from a 2-year low of $41.88 on June 9th, up to an intraday high of $53.84 today. Bullish options players populating the stock today are positioning for RIG’s shares to rebound higher by July expiration. Optimistic investors picked up approximately 1,000 calls at the July $55 strike for an average premium of $2.12 apiece. Traders long the July $55 strike calls profit if RIG’s shares rally another 7.15% from the current price of $53.31 to trade above the average breakeven point to the upside at $57.12 by expiration day next month. Buying behavior spread to the higher July $60 strike where at least 1,200 call options were purchased at an average premium of $0.73 per contract. Investors holding these contracts make money if shares of the underlying stock surge 13.9% to surpass the average breakeven price of $60.73 by July expiration. The overall reading of options implied volatility on Transocean plunged 17.1% to 61.61% by 12:35 pm (ET). The current 61.61%…
Options on Halliburton Get Messy
by Option Review - April 29th, 2010 4:20 pm
Today’s tickers: HAL, IPG, AMGN, BP, COF, FXI, OMX, NEM & FSLR
HAL – Halliburton Co. – Making sense of options activity on oil company, Halliburton Co., this afternoon is difficult due to the chaotic and seemingly pattern-less trading taking place on the stock. Investors exchanged more than 200,000 contracts on HAL by 3:00 pm (ET), which represents approximately 37% of total existing open interest on the stock of 541,062 contracts. Frenzied options trading was catalyzed by news the firm is assisting in ongoing investigations regarding the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as HAL reportedly provided a variety of oilfield services to Deepwater Horizon rig, which is the rig that caught fire and sank last week. Options volume and options implied volatility on Halliburton jumped while its shares slipped 6.3% to $31.26. The surge in demand for option contracts on the stock, coupled with uncertainty regarding possible repercussions stemming from HAL’s connection to the situation in the Gulf of Mexico, lifted the overall reading of options implied volatility 25.4% to 44.13% as of 3:25 pm (ET). Trading activity is heaviest in the May contract with decent volume building in both call and put options. Some bearish investors bracing for continued share price erosion purchased about 2,200 puts at the lowest available strike – the May $25 strike price – for an average premium of $0.16 apiece. Buying interest in put options was also apparent at the May $26 strike where 1,800 puts were picked up for an average premium of $0.20 each. May $29 strike puts were the most heavily trafficked as more than 16,700 contracts changed hands by 3:22 pm (ET), versus previously existing open interest of just 2,743 contracts at that strike. But, the put action was certainly not one-sided as investors took to buying and selling the contracts, with buyers gaining the right to sell the stock at $29.00, and sellers receiving an average premium of $0.81 per contract in exchange for bearing the risk of having shares of the underlying stock put to them at $29.00. Similar two-way trading traffic in calls took place at out-of-the-money strike prices as some traders threw in the towel on bullish stances expiring in May. Meanwhile, contrarian players purchased out-of-the-money calls, perhaps to prepare for a potential rebound in the price per share ahead of expiration next month.
IPG – Interpublic Group of Cos., Inc. – Advertising and…
Gold-Bull Buys Call Spread on Newmont Mining Corp.
by Option Review - March 2nd, 2010 4:15 pm
Today’s tickers: NEM, EWZ, ZION, JCP, PCX, TSL, NTRI, TIVO, SQNM & KR
NEM – Newmont Mining Corp. – Shares of the gold mining company are up 2.90% to $51.74 this afternoon as gold stocks across the board rallied along with the price of the previous metal. Newmont’s shares recovered significantly since reaching a low point for the year 2010 of $42.87 back on January 29, 2010. The current price per NEM share of $51.74 represents an impressive 20.65% rally over its January low of $42.87. One options trader populating our screens today expects the good times at Newmont Mining to continue through March expiration. The investor purchased a debit call spread by picking up 5,000 calls at the March $55 strike for a premium of $0.52 apiece, marked against the sale of 5,000 calls at the higher March $57.5 strike for $0.17 each. The net cost of the transaction amounts to $0.36 per contract. The trader is prepared to pocket maximum potential profits of $2.14 per contract should Newmont’s shares rally another 11.15% to $57.50 by expiration day. Shares of the underlying stock must increase at least 7% from the current price in order for the call-spreader to breakeven on the trade at $55.36 per share.
EWZ – iShares MSCI Brazil Index ETF – Bearish options positioning on the Brazil exchange-traded fund, which generally reflects the price and yield performance of securities in the Brazilian market as measured by the MSCI Brazil index, indicates one investor is bracing for a pull back in the price of the underlying shares by April expiration. Shares of the underlying fund are trading 1.85% higher to $70.97 with approximately forty-five minutes remaining in the session. The trader sold 10,000 calls at the April $72 strike for a premium of $2.55 apiece in order to partially offset the cost of purchasing 10,000 put options at the lower April $70 strike for $2.73 each. The investor paid a net premium of $0.18 per contract for the bearish risk reversal transaction. The pessimistic play yields profits to the trader if shares of the EWZ trade beneath the breakeven price of $69.82 ahead of expiration in April. We note that shares traded as low as $62.79 on February 8, 2010, and failed to rally above $70.00 until the current session’s breakout.
ZION – Zions Bancorp. – A bullish options player celebrated the 2.80% rally in ZION’s share…
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Philip R. Davis is a founder Phil's Stock World, a stock and options trading site that teaches the art of options trading to newcomers and devises advanced strategies for expert traders...
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