Archive for December 4th, 2008
TJX (TJX)
Options flow in TJX is 7x normal today with significant put trading as shares trade near $19.90, down 1.04 . Briefing notes a downgrade from Jefferies this morning, and most of the put volume is due to a bearish ratio spread in which a customer bought 3000 Dec 20 puts for 1.45 against a sale [...]
UST Inc (UST) $68.99 +0.47%
UST (UST, chart, volatility) is up 28 cents to $68.95 and volume in the options market is running 21 times the usual on heavy selling of January 65 puts. Several large blocks traded for 45 cents a contract this afternoon and, with Altria (MO) expected to close the deal on its acquisition of UST within [...]
US Airways Group Inc (LCC) $7.10 +15.11%
US Airways (LCC, chart, volatility) and some of the airlines are getting a lift from falling crude oil prices Thursday (see 1:30 Comment). The AMEX Airline Index (.XAL), a cash settled index of 13 airline stocks, is up .90 to a three-week high of 21.23. Shares of US Airways are up 86 cents to $7.03 [...]
Magna International Inc (MGA) $27.86 +2.09%
Magna International (MGA, chart, volatility) is up 42 cents to $27.71 the day after being mentioned in a CNN Money piece titled, Buy American? Betting on a Big Three Bounce. According to Paul La Monica, “Ed Maraccini, a portfolio manager with Optique Capital Management in Milwaukee, said his firm owns auto-parts manufacturer Magna International and [...]
Juniper Networks Inc (JNPR) $15.84 -4.97%
Juniper Networks (JNPR, chart, volatility) options are trading 4 times their normal pace, with 22,000 contracts on the tape at midafternoon. Shares are trading off 5.8%, near 15.70 and flow shows buyers of Dec 16 calls and puts in an aggressively legged straddle bought for 2.65 6000x just after 10am when shares were near 16.06. [...]
United States Oil Fund LP (USO) $35.91 -5.62%
The US Oil Fund (USO) is breaking to new record lows, as crude oil gets that sinking feeling once again Thursday. Crude is down $2.65 to $44.14 a barrel and recently hit four-year lows of $43.79. Volume in the US Oil Fund is runing twice (200 percent) of the expected for this time of day, [...]
NRG Energy Inc (NRG) $21.98 -4.85%
Volume in electric utility NRG Energy (NRG, chart, volatility) is running at three times the normal levels, with 6,700 puts and 1,275 calls traded. The top trade of the day is a block of 6,000 January 25 puts traded on the AMEX at 11:30. It hit on the offer for $4.00 and is possibly tied [...]
Macrovision Solutions Corp (MVSN) $10.55 -0.66%
Business Software Developer Macrovision (MVSN, chart, volatility) implied volatility is moving higher. Shares are down 8 cents to $10.54 and implied vols in the December 12.5 calls, the day’s most actives, is 115 percent, up from about 85 the day before. 1,100 contracts have traded and today’s total volume of 1,200 contracts represents three times [...]
Starbucks Corp (SBUX) $8.84 +2.26%
Starbuck’s (SBUX, chart, volatility) shares are up 27 cents to $8.91 after the company’s CFO Alstead said at an investor meeting in New York that he found a way to save another $200 million through cost cuts. The lookie-what-I-found news sparked a rally in shares, which hit $9.41 in morning trading. It also triggered a [...]
