*Scanning all single-stocks subject to 2500 contracts minimum call or put volume

72,000 calls and 15,000 puts traded on Barrick Gold (ABX). Shares are down 18 cents to $48.16 and possibly falling in sympathy with Newmont Mining (NEM), which lost 3.3 percent after lowering its outlook for production for 2012. Gold is up $30 to $1661 an ounce. In options action, January 30 and July 33 calls are the most actives in ABX. A noteworthy spread also traded in the January 2014s after one player paid $3.05 for a 45 – 60 – 75 call fly, 5000X. The position seems to be targeting a move towards $60 (24.3 percent) through the 2014 expiration.

*Scanning all single-stocks subject to 2500 contracts minimum call or put volume

Sears Holdings (SHLD) is up $3.16 to $36.72 after an analyst appeared on CNBC and mentioned potential for the retailer to go private. Options volume is running 3X the daily average, with 44,000 calls and 16,000 puts traded in Sears so far. The top trades look like a Jan13 45 – 55 call spread bought for $3, 10000X to open. The position seems somewhat ambitious since the 45s are 22.5 percent out-of-the-money. However, the stock fetched more than $45 as recently as 12/23, the trading day before shares tumbled 27.2 percent on disappointing sales guidance. Today’s 2013 call spread trader is possibly looking for the stock to recapture that loss, and a bit more, in 2012. Meanwhile, implied volatility in SHLD continues to move higher — up 9 percent to 110 and new 52-week highs.

Carnival Cruise (CCL) shares are sinking today and implied volatility in the options on the stock is moving higher in the wake of the Italian cruise ship disaster off the coast of Tuscany. CCL is down $4.73 to $29.55 and morning trades on the stock include a multi-exchange sweep of 2650 Jun 30 puts at $2.60 when the market was $2.60 to $2.70. Data from one exchange is hinting at opening sellers. Feb 30 calls on the stock were actively traded early and seem to include a mix of action. 3332 traded (53 percent Ask) and the flow includes a sweep of 757 contracts at the $1.20 asking price, to open. However, the top trades in CCL are a Jan 27 – 32 put spread, sold at $2.30, 10000X and tied to 820K shares at $29.65, which is possibly a closing trade from mid-Nov (see 11/15 color) after the volatile move in the stock and ahead of this week’s expiration. Still, implied volatiilty in CCL has rallied 47.5 percent to 41, as investors now worry about the impact to the industry from the stricken Italian cruise liner. RCL sees higher options volume today as well. (Looks like the original spread was bought on 11/14 for about $1.23. It was a 1X2. In Flow Monitor (Premium), enter CCL, and then 1, and then + to see stories from the archives.)