Heavy Call Activity On Goodyear Looks For Stock To Rebound
by Option Review - April 8th, 2013 1:44 pm
Today’s tickers: GT, PIR & LINTA
GT - Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. – Shares in the tire manufacturer have declined nearly 15% since the start of 2013, but options activity on the stock this morning suggests some traders are positioning for the price of the underlying to rebound during the next six weeks. Goodyear’s shares are up 0.80% today at $12.26 as of 11:40 a.m. ET, after the stock last week touched down at a fresh six-month low of $11.96. Overall options volume on the tire maker is up sharply versus the stock’s average daily volume today, with trading in calls far outpacing activity in puts on the name. The May $13 strike calls are most active, with upwards of 25,000 lots in play as of midday in New York versus open interest of just 729 contracts. It looks like most of the $13 calls were purchased for an average premium of $0.35 apiece, thus positioning buyers to profit at expiration should shares in Goodyear rally 9.0% over the current price of $12.26 to top the average breakeven point at $13.35 by May expiration. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is scheduled to report first-quarter earnings at the end of the month.
PIR - Pier 1 Imports, Inc. – A burst of upside call buying on home furnishings retailer, Pier 1 Imports, this morning suggests at least one trader is angling for a near-term rally in the stock. Shares in Pier 1, up 1.8% today at $22.22, have gained 20% since this time last year. Bullish bets on the specialty retailer look for shares in the name to potentially increase to fresh 52-week highs by April expiration. The April $23 strike calls attracted the most volume, with more than 1,100 lots in play versus open interest of 382 contracts. Most of the $23 strike calls appear to have been purchased at a premium of $0.30 apiece, and make money as long as shares in Pier 1 rise another 5.0% to settle above $23.30 at expiration. Pier 1 reports…
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Toeing the Line Tuesday – Constructively Bullish?
by phil - July 3rd, 2012 8:28 am
As I said yesterday, we're still looking "constructively bullish" on our Big Chart as long as we hold those lines:
Looks can, of course, be deceiving. Keep in mind that this entire pop to form the right-hand top of a very nasty "M" pattern, that can take us right back to the June lows by the end of the month, is the result of the G20 holding hands and singing Kum Ba Yah – along with a few hundred Billion in extra stimulus and, of course, RULE CHANGES that create stealth stimulus.
So, when you have a leak in a $60Tn pool and the water level is down to $55Tn and you pour in $12Tn worth of stimulus and, 3 years later, the water level is only back to $59Tn – do you say "all we need is another Trillion and we're done" or should you be looking for the leak that continues to drain $8Tn over 3 years from the Global Economic Swimming Pool?
If we don't address the problem (unemployment, inadequate tax collections) – we're never going to find a lasting solution, are we?
On the other hand, if your pool is leaking at a rate of $8Tn over 3 years, that's "only" $222Bn a month so any month you dump more than $222Bn worth of Global Stimulus into the pool, you will see the economic levels rising and you can declare things to be "fixed" and all the bulls can jump in and play again until the next time the activity levels get dangerously close to the line at which the pumps seize up and then we have more meetings and do it all over again.
We have to accept the fact that our "leaders" are unwilling or unable to fix the actual leak and this is essentially the cycle we will have to put up with. If we assume we have an infinite amount of stimulus to keep pumping our economic pool back up – then this system is just fine but, judging from the way they had to scrape up this recent few hundred Billion – do we even have enough ($1.2Tn) fresh water to get us through the end of the year?
As planned in yesterday's pre-market post, we cashed in our DIA $129 calls in the morning and that left us a bit bearish in our small portfolios.…
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Monday Market Momentum – Use It Or Lose It
by phil - July 2nd, 2012 7:13 am
Now we need follow-through.
I think we've already blown the opportunity. In Stock World Weekly we discussed the stealth bailouts jammed into the Transportation bill on Friday which rightly sent the markets flying higher into the close of the quarter (I know quelle suprise!). As noted by David Fry, GS was working hard behind the scenes to make sure that, in the end, Germany toe'd the line.
For the year so far, the Dow is up 3.89%, S&P is up 6.66% (so you KNOW Goldman is involved), the Nasdaq is up 10.81%, NYSE 2.33% (all of it gained on Friday) and the Russell 6.15%. See how great everything is?
We took the money and ran, again, as we hit some clear resistance lines (see SWW) on our Big Chart and there was no sense risking a 10% gain in our first week in our new $25,000 Portfolio with the July 4th holiday coming up (we have a half-day tomorrow and we're closed on Wednesday).
The only trades we left active in the $25KP was 5 OIH July $35 calls at $1.25 (still $1.25), 10 DIA July $129 calls at $1.10 (now $1.35) and 10 SQQQ July $49/53 bull call spreads at $1 (now .75) we added later in the day to protect them in case we had a big dip this week. If we make it through Friday above the lines on our Big Chart – then we will continue to be "constructively bullish" and we'll be happy to deploy more cash but, into 2 days off – NO THANKS!
In fact, as we're already up 22% on the DIA calls – if we get another pop this morning, those are likely to come off the table as well. After all, how much money should you expect to make in 48 hours? This is a very unnatural and manipulated market and it's great to play it – as long as you keep that in mind! The danger comes when you delude yourself that this is some kind of "investing" environment when it's actually just gambling ahead of Q2 earnings reports – that could send us right back into a tail-spin.
Or, maybe not – as a key amendment to the Transportation Bill will add Billions of Dollars in profits to the S&P 500 by allowing Corporate Pension Plans to use the average…
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Bank of America Bull Sets Up Shop in August Contract Calls and Puts
by Option Review - June 9th, 2011 6:09 pm
Today’s tickers: BAC, VRTX, SKX & GT
BAC - Bank of America Corp. – Pessimism on the financial sector overflow-eth as of late and shares in Bank of America currently hover just above fresh 2-year lows, but for one contrarian strategist it looks like now is the perfect time to bet big on a BAC-rebound. Shares in Bank of America lost 31.4% of their value since mid-January, sliding to as low as $10.50 before rising 1.50% this afternoon to $10.70. Hoping to see shares in the financial services company recover by the dog days of summer, it appears one big player employed a three-legged bullish spread using August contract call and put options. The investor picked up 25,000 calls at the August $11 strike for a premium of $0.46 each, sold the same number of calls up at the August $14 strike at a premium of $0.02 per contract, and sold 25,000 puts at the August $9.0 strike for a premium of $0.14 a-pop. The net cost of the transaction reduces to $0.30 per contract and prepares the trader to profit should BAC’s shares rally 5.6% over the current price of $10.70 to breach the effective breakeven point at $11.30 by August expiration day. The trader paid $0.30 per contract – or a total of $750,000 – for the spread, but stands ready to make as much as $2.70 per contract or $6.75 million if the price of the underlying soars 30.8% in the next couple of months to exceed $14.00 at expiration. The parameters of the transaction are such that the investor could lose more than just the three-quarters of a million dollars paid for the transaction. Short puts at the August $9.0 strike indicate the trader could have 2.5 million shares of the underlying put to him at $9.00 at expiration should the stock continue to deteriorate. But, the investor seems more than happy to bear such risk in exchange for the added financing provided by the third-leg of the spread.…
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Bullish Player Takes Profits, Injects Fresh Optimism in Sanofi-Aventis Options
by Option Review - May 10th, 2011 4:45 pm
Today’s tickers: SNY, DELL, HTZ & GT
SNY - Sanofi-Aventis – The French drug manufacturer popped up on our ‘hot by options volume’ market scanner this morning after one strategist extended bullish sentiment on the stock. Shares in Sanofi-Aventis rallied earlier in the session, but currently stand 0.35% lower on the day at $39.55 as of 11:30am in New York. The vaccines division of the pharmaceutical company, Sanofi Pasteur, said today it has received approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for its intradermal microinjection delivery system of its influenza vaccine, Fluzone. The vaccine was previously approved for intramuscular administration, but Sanofi said it plans to have the Fluzone Intradermal vaccine available to U.S. healthcare providers in time for the 2011-2012 influenza season. The bullish options trader responsible for nearly all of the day’s volume appears to be taking profits off the table on a previously established long call position. It looks like the investor originally purchased 2,000 calls at the May $37 strike for an average premium of $1.025 back on April 14 when shares in SNY were hovering around $37.54. Since the calls were purchased, shares in Sanofi rallied as much as 8.6% to touch a new 52-week high of $40.75 last Wednesday. Although shares are currently off last week’s high, the bullish trader was still able to rake in substantial profits on the long calls stance, selling all 2,000 of the May $37 strike calls this morning at a premium of $2.45 apiece. Net profits on the sale amount to $1.425 per contract. Next, the trader extended bullish sentiment on the drug maker, buying 2,000 fresh calls out at the June $40 strike for a premium of $0.40 per contract. The investor profits on the new batch of call options if shares in SNY increase 2.15% over the current price of $39.55 to surpass the effective breakeven point to the upside at $40.40 by expiration in June.…
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Netgear Options Pop as Shares Fly to All-Time High
by Option Review - April 29th, 2011 4:09 pm
Today’s tickers: NTGR, GT, DOW & S
NTGR - Netgear, Inc. – The maker of networking products for at-home and small business use reported better-than-expected first-quarter earnings on Thursday after the closing bell, and projected second-quarter sales of $270 million, which beat the consensus estimate of $240.3 million. Shares in the San Jose, CA-based company subsequently jumped 28.4% today to secure an intraday- and new all-time high of $43.67. Investors expecting the price of the underlying to trend higher through the next couple of months traded more than 2,800 calls at the June $45 strike on just 10 lots of previously existing open interest. The majority of the call options were purchased for an average premium of $1.35 each. Call buyers make money if shares in Netgear rally another 6.1% over today’s high of $43.67 to surpass the average breakeven price of $46.35 by expiration day in June. Meanwhile, pre-earnings report buyers of May contract call options have seen the value of their positions sky-rocket today. One trader appears to be taking profits, selling 50 now deep in-the-money calls at the May $31 strike for an average premium of $10.38 each, which he appears to have initially purchased for just $3.60 apiece on Thursday. Open interest levels at the two highest-available strike prices in the front month indicate call buyers paid as much as $0.35 per contract to buy fewer than 100 calls at each of the May $37 and $38 strikes earlier in the week. Today, these same calls tout asking prices of $4.60 and $3.80, respectively. Approximately 4,200 call and put options have changed hands on Netgear just before 1:00pm on overall previously existing open interest of 5,678 contracts on the stock.
GT - Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. – Shares in the largest U.S. tire manufacturer shot up…
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eBay Call Options Active Ahead of Earnings
by Option Review - April 25th, 2011 5:40 pm
Today’s tickers: EBAY, NTAP, GT & BONT
EBAY - eBay, Inc. – At least one bullish options strategist is positioning for a rally in eBay’s shares ahead of the company’s first-quarter earnings report after the final bell on Wednesday. Shares in the operator of online marketplaces increased as much as 3.1% during the first half of the session to secure an intraday high of $32.94. It looks like one or more investors initiated debit call spreads, buying around 2,000 calls at the June $34 strike for an average premium of $1.04 per contract, and selling roughly 2,000 calls up at the June $36 strike at an average premium of $0.44 apiece. The average net cost of buying the spread amounts to $0.60 per contract. Thus, investors employing call spreads start making money in the event that eBay’s shares rally another 5.0% over today’s high of $32.94 to surpass the average breakeven price of $34.60 by expiration day in June. Maximum potential profits of $1.40 per contract are available on the position if the price of the underlying stock jumps 9.3% to exceed $36.00 at expiration. EBAY’s shares secured a 52-week high of $35.35 back on February 17, 2011.
NTAP - NetApp, Inc. – The provider of enterprise storage and data management software and hardware products and services appeared on our scanners today after sizable prints popped up in long-dated call and put options. Shares in NetApp are currently up 2.1% at $52.10 just after 11:45am. The stock was upgraded to ‘Outperform’ from ‘Sector Perform’ with a 12-month target share price of $64.00 at Pacific Crest this morning. Activity in NetApp LEAPS indicates one options player expects the price of the underlying to improve going forward. It looks like the trader initiated a bullish risk reversal, selling approximately 5,500 puts at the…
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Bulls Position for Near-Term Rally in TJX Companies
by Option Review - January 5th, 2011 4:58 pm
Today’s tickers: TJX, TIVO, BP, CSC, ANF, GT & OCR
TJX - TJX Companies, Inc. – Near-term bullish options traders are betting on a rebound in shares of the operator of the largest off-price retail chains, T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, by picking up call options in the January contract this afternoon. Shares in TJX Companies fell 1.30% in the final hour of the session to $43.01, recovering off an earlier intraday low of $42.55. TJX shares are down 4.0% since December 30, and have lost a total of 8.9% since November 5, 2010, when shares touched a 6-month high of $47.21. Investors positioning for a rally in TJX Companies are perhaps hopeful shares will rebound following the release of December same-store sales data. Optimistic traders scooped up more than 2,600 calls at the January $44 strike for an average premium of $0.49 apiece. Call buyers at this strike stand ready to accrue profits should shares rise 3.4% to exceed the average breakeven price of $44.49 ahead of January expiration. Bullish sentiment spread to the higher January $45 strike where nearly 1,000 call options were purchased at an average premium of $0.24 a-pop. Higher-strike call buyers make money if TJX shares rally 5.2% to trade above the average breakeven point at $45.24 before the contracts expire in a couple of weeks.
TIVO - TiVo, Inc. – Massive prints in deep out-of-the-money call options on TiVo today appear to be the work of outright bullish players speculating that shares in the television technology firm could more than double by May expiration. Shares in TiVo are up sharply by 8.07% this afternoon to stand at $9.78 as of 2:40pm in New York. TiVo, Inc. is participating in the Citi 21st Annual Global Entertainment, Media and Telecommunications Conference today. Investors hoping to see TiVo’s shares rebound to prices not seen since April of 2010 purchased debit call spreads during the first half of the trading session. Approximately 20,000 calls were picked up at the May $17.5 strike for an average…
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Demand for Puts Pops at Regions Financial as Shares Slide Lower
by Option Review - November 18th, 2010 4:25 pm
Today’s tickers: RF, YHOO, ORLY, CTV, HNZ, STX, SMH & GT
RF - Regions Financial Corp. – Bears are piling into put options on Regions Financial Corp. today after Fitch Ratings cut Alabama’s biggest lender by two levels to –BBB, citing concerns the firm may post additional losses. Regions’ credit rating was also downgraded two notches to Ba3 from Ba1 at Moody’s yesterday. Shares have been hammered lower over the past four weeks, and today declined as much as 7.22% to touch an intraday- and new 52-week low of $5.14. Today’s low of $5.14 marks a 46.5% decline since October 21, 2010, when shares touched an intraday high of $7.53. Investors expecting shares to extend losses over the next several months purchased large numbers of put options on the stock. Bearish players picked up at least 9,000 puts at the December $5.0 strike for an average premium of $0.28 each and purchased approximately 10,000 puts at the lower December $4.0 strike at an average premium of $0.20 apiece. Lower-strike put buyers are positioned to profit should Regions’ shares slide another 26% below today’s intraday low point of $5.14 to breach the effective breakeven point on the downside at $3.80 by expiration day in December. Pessimism spread to the January 2011 $4.0 strike where another 3,800 put options were coveted at an average premium of $0.20 a-pop. The surge in demand for put options coupled with growing uncertainty regarding the fate of RF’s shares going forward helped lift the stock’s overall reading of options implied volatility 27.4% to 90.77% by 3:50 pm in New York.
YHOO - Yahoo!, Inc. – Shares in Yahoo! are up 5.35% to $17.01 as of 2:40 pm in New York, but earlier rallied as much as 6.315% to hit an intraday high of $17.17. Call options on…
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Quicksilver Resources, Inc. Options Activity Jumps Late in Session
by Option Review - June 4th, 2010 4:52 pm
Today’s tickers: KWK, MCCC, EWZ, NSC, HNT, EFA, JNJ, GT & LVS
KWK – Quicksilver Resources, Inc. – The independent oil and natural gas company’s shares recovered late in the session, adding 0.50% to stand at $12.18 as of 3:07 pm (ET), after commencing the trading day in the red by 0.30% to touch an intraday low of $11.75. Options investors all but ignored Quicksilver until this afternoon when both puts and calls in the July contract started to change hands. Roughly 10,000 puts were exchanged at the July $11 strike for an average premium of $0.44 apiece. Simultaneously, investors traded about the same number of calls at the higher July $13 strike for an average premium of $0.79 each. It looks like some options strategists populating KWK are selling strangles on the stock because they expect shares to trade within a specified range through expiration. Strangle-sellers pocket an average gross premium of $1.23 per contract, and keep the full amount received as long Quicksilver’s shares trade within the $11.00 to $13.00 range through expiration day. Investors short the strangle face losses should shares rally above the upper breakeven price of $14.23, or if shares slip beneath the lower breakeven point at $9.77 ahead of expiration. Other options strategists may be utilizing the same strike prices in the July contract to enact bullish risk reversals. Investors employing the risk reversal likely sold the July $11 strike puts in order to offset the cost of buying the July $13 strike calls. Average net premium paid for the transaction amounts to $0.35 per contract and positions traders to make money as long as Quicksilver’s shares rally 9.60% to exceed the average breakeven price of $13.35 by October expiration.
MCCC – Mediacom Communications Corp. – Shares of the firm engaged in the development of cable systems serving smaller U.S. cities are flat on the day at $6.28 in late afternoon trading. MCCC popped onto our ‘hot by options volume’ market scanner earlier in the session after one options investor exchanged a chunk of 4,000 calls on the stock in the October contract. The calls traded to the middle of the market at the October $7.5 strike for a premium of $0.25 apiece. The investor may be buying the contracts, in which case he is bullish on Mediacom and expects shares to rally sharply ahead of expiration in five months time. A long call…
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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...
Ilene is editor and affiliate program
coordinator for PSW. She manages the site
