With recent action being confined to a very narrow trading range option traders have turned to playing the dividend game. Of the 10 most active listed options yesterday 8 were related to stocks going ex-dividend today. They included, Philip Morris , I mean Altria (MO), Blackstone (BX) Coke (KO) Merk (MRK) and the Nyse-EuroNext (NYX). [...]
With the S&P 500 churning in this no-man’s land between 1115 and 1125 implied volatility, as measured by the VIX has held steady possibly as traders keep bids on the index options ahead of tomorrow’s jobs data. But a look at individual issues show’s a different story as some of the largest option transactions involve [...]
The stock market is sitting solidly higher allowing the VIX to contract 25 to 19.22 and the equity only put/call ratio has moved to a neutral 0.56 compared to the 20-day moving average of 0.71.
Leading enterprise software firm Oracle (ORCL) won’t report earnings until March 15 but it appears investors are not waiting to hear what it has to say before placing bullish bets. Even as the shares slip some 2% to $24.25 in today’s weak tape the option activity is decidedly bullish. At midday option volume is some 4x [...]
Rubber sandal maker Croc’s (CROX) is set to report earnings after the bell tomorrow and shares just saw a spike and a surge in call option activity. The stock traded as high as $7.83 which is just shy of the 52-week high set back in October but has since retreated to $7.45 a share. Option volume [...]
After closing at 19.94 yesterday the consumer confidence induced sell-off – and at this point almost anything would suffice for as a reason to pullback after seven of nine days of gains– has prompted the VIX firmly back above the magical 20 level this morning. The S&P 500 now sits back at it 100-day moving [...]
Heading into midday option activity is running some 18% above the 30-day daily average and it is not all due to tomorrow’s impending expiration. The S&P 500 Index options (SPX) have already traded 300,000 contracts or some 25% above average. And while the February expiration does cease trading this afternoon which would generate some closing [...]
The options market is relatively quiet today with many of the largest transactions closing existing positions as traders reassess the situation and reset their positions following yesterday’s tumble. Heading into the noon hour option volume is running about 15% the 20-day daily average. Interesting statistic from Trade Alert highlights the growing popularity and importance of ETFs [...]
It took only two days for the S&P 500 to go from the precipice of a technical breakdown below its 100-day moving average back near 50-day moving average where sellers would be laying in wait.
Despite the huge swing to negative sentiment in the past two weeks today’s option activity is not only leaning towards bullishness but has a genuine speculative nature. The has the VIX declined another 6% to 21.30 today bringing back below the level of two Monday’s ago before it spiked up to 28 level. Some of the [...]
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