Volatility Sellers Attack UltraShort S&P500 Calls
by Option Review - August 8th, 2011 4:07 pm
Today’s tickers: SDS, RIMM, KWK & XLB
SDS - ProShares UltraShort S&P 500 ETF – Roughly 50% of the S&P 500 Index rally from August 2010 through early-May has evaporated, with the market meltdown accelerating on the heels of the downgrade of U.S. debt. The VIX spiked to flash-crash levels today, and exceeded 40.95 earlier in the session as U.S. equities tumbled lower. However, barring a repeat of the flash crash or some other unforeseen piece of negative news, it looks like options strategists are positioning for investor fears to ease in the near term. Heavy out-of-the-money call selling on the SDS, an ETF corresponding to twice the inverse of the daily performance of the S&P 500 Index, was likely initiated by traders selling the spike in volatility. Shares in the SDS shot up 7.9% this afternoon to $26.52, the highest since November 2010. Volatility sellers targeted the August $30 strike most aggressively, selling some 45,000 contracts at that strike against paltry previously existing open interest of 1,651 contracts. Investors short the calls pocketed an average premium of $0.43 apiece, which they keep if shares in the SDS fail to rally above $30.00 at expiration. Traders have time on their side and may be able to buy back the calls, even if the S&P 500 Index continues to slide, at an advantageous price as long as volatility comes off in the next couple of weeks. Call selling spread to the August $31 strike, where nearly 10,200 contracts sold for an average premium of $0.32 each. Sellers dominated up at the August $32 and $33 strikes where some 2,600 and 6,100 calls sold for an average premium of $0.26 and $0.21, respectively. Volatility could come off should President Obama, one of the G7 leaders, the IMF, a central banker, or other government leader throw a few crumbs of optimism the market’s way this week to assuage investor fears. Meanwhile, closer-to-the-money call buying, on the other hand, indicates other strategists expect the S&P 500 Index…
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Bull Buys Call Spread as Arena Pharmaceuticals’ Shares Soar
by Option Review - July 23rd, 2010 4:25 pm
Today’s tickers: ARNA, CQB, GAP, KWK, MCD & FL
ARNA – Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. – Shares of the clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company shot up 10.7% today to an intraday high of $5.89, inspiring one options strategist to purchase a debit put spread in the October contract. Arena’s shares have increased significantly since an FDA advisory panel said it does not recommend rival Vivus’ obesity drug, Qnexa, receive FDA approval. The bullish options investor prepared for continued upward movement in Arena’s shares by purchasing 3,000 now in-the-money calls at the October $5.0 strike for a premium of $2.45 each, and selling the same number of calls at the higher October $7.0 strike at a premium of $1.45 apiece. The net cost of the transaction amounts to $1.00 per contract. Thus, the trader is prepared to make money should the biopharmaceutical firm’s shares rally 1.85% over the current price of $5.89 to trade above the effective breakeven price of $6.00 by October expiration day. The investor walks away with maximum potential profits of $1.00 per contract if Arena’s shares surge 18.85% to exceed $7.00 by expiration. In the nearer-term September contract, another bullish player opted to sell 2,700 puts at the September $2.0 strike to take in an average premium of $0.30 per contract. The put seller keeps the premium received on the transaction as long as Arena’s shares trade above $2.00 through expiration day in September. Options implied volatility on ARNA is higher by 14.1% to 101.05% as of 2:55 pm (ET).
CQB – Chiquita Brands International, Inc. – Call buying on the international marketer and distributor of bananas and fresh produce continues today with shares of the underlying stock trading higher by 3.15% to stand at $13.10 as of 1:20 pm (ET). Bullish traders started to buy November $12.5 strike calls yesterday afternoon as Chiquita’s shares rallied nearly 5.5% to end Thursday afternoon at an intraday high of $12.72. The company’s shares continued their ascension today, inspiring investors to build up bullish stances on the stock ahead of the second-quarter earnings report next Thursday. Investors purchased approximately 3,000 calls at the November $12.5 strike by 1:25 pm (ET) for an average premium of $1.73 apiece. Call buyers make money if Chiquita’s shares increase another 8.6% to surpass the average breakeven point at $14.23 by November expiration. Traders buying the calls on Thursday have a clear first-mover advantage because they paid an…
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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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Short Strangle Strategist Suggests Range-Bound Shares for China Fund
by Option Review - April 16th, 2010 4:12 pm
Today’s tickers: FXI, GFI, MCO, KWK, GME, JDSU & SVU
FXI – iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index Fund – A large-volume short strangle enacted on the FXI, an exchange-traded fund that tracks the price and yield performance of the FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index – an index designed to mirror the performance of 25 of the largest and most liquid Chinese companies, implies one big options player expects shares of the underlying fund to train within a specified range through May expiration. Shares of the FXI are down more than 4% to $42.12 as of 12:15 pm (ET). The strangle-player sold 25,000 calls at the May $44 strike for a premium of $0.93 each, and sold 25,000 puts at the lower May $42 strike for $1.09 apiece. Gross premium pocketed on the transaction amounts to $2.02 per contract. The investor responsible for the short strangle keeps the full $2.02 premium received today as long as the FXI’s share price remains with the range of $42.00 to $44.00 through expiration day next month. The short position in both call and put options exposes the trader to losses in the event that shares rally above the upper breakeven price of $46.02, or if shares slip beneath the lower breakeven price of $39.98, ahead of May expiration. Options implied volatility is up 11.4% to 30.82% as of 12:20 pm (ET).
GFI – Gold Fields Ltd. – Shares of the gold mining company are down more than 5.2% to $12.35 today, but bullish options trading on the stock suggests one trader is itching for a rebound in the price of the underlying shares by July expiration. Gold Fields received an upgrade to ‘outperform’ from ‘sector perform’ earlier in the week at RBC Capital. The optimistic individual sold 7,000 calls at the July $15 strike for a premium of $0.20 apiece in order to partially finance the purchase of the same number of in-the-money calls options at the April $12 strike for $0.90 each. The net cost of getting long the near-term in-the-money options amounts to $0.70 per contract. The parameters of this transaction somewhat mimic those of a covered call strategy. This is because the in-the-money calls in the April contract – assuming shares are able to resist slipping beneath $12.00 through the end of the trading session – allow the investor to take ownership of shares of the underlying stock at an effective price…
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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