Financial Services
E Trade Financial Corporation (ETFC) $8.51 +6.11%
Etrade Financial (ETFC) adds 49 cents to $8.5 on heavy volume approaching 12 million shares on reports the online broker’s Chairman Frank Petrilli is replacing CEO Steve Frieberg, effective immediately. BGB Securities says the shake-up suggests a company sale is looming, but they expect little or no premium given worsening conditions at the firm (per [...]
Morgan Stanley (MS) $14.56 +2.97%
Morgan Stanley (MS) adds 43 cents to $14.57 and has now staged a two-week 15.2 percent rally. One player in the options market seized the recent strength to sell 25,000 Jan 17.5 calls on the investment bank at 52 cents per contract. It’s possibly a closing trade. Open interest in the Jan 17.5 calls on [...]
E Trade Financial Corporation (ETFC) $7.53 -2.84%
Etrade Financial (ETFC) trades down 21 cents to $7.54 and a 7600-lot of Sep 8 calls trades on the online broker for 28 cents per contract on ISE. Paper bought, to open, according to ISEE. More than 10,000 now traded against 79 in open interest. Today’s decline in the shares breaks a five-day 7.9 percent [...]
Knight Trading Group Inc (KCG) $7.18 -30.49%
While information on Knight Capital Group’s massive trading ‘glitch’ during the first 30mins of the day is still spotty, KCG shares are getting slammed, down nearly 27% to 7.49, after touching lows near 7.20 at 3:22pm. Option volume is extremely heavy at 105K (vs ADV below 300 contracts/day!) and puts lead calls 5:2 as ATMIV [...]
Green Dot Corporation (GDOT) $10.14 -56.50%
Green Dot Corp (GDOT), a Monrovia, CA financial services company, is the market’s biggest loser today — falling 56 percent to $10.26 in the wake of its earnings release. Recent trades on the stock include an Aug 10 – 22.5 put spread at $11.35, 1000X. Aug 22.5 puts are deep in-the-money and have 1,660 in [...]
Blackstone Group LP (BX) $13.96 +2.57%
Blackstone (BX) with relative strength today, up 28 cents to $13.89, and a 30,000-lot of Jan 15 calls trades on the private equity firm for 78 cents per contract on ARCA. A customer bought. It’s tied to 1.2 million shares at $13.83 and the hefty premium purchase comes as implied vols fall in BX options [...]
Blackstone Group LP (BX) $13.12 -0.27%
Big Print in Blackstone (BX) after an invetor bought 25,200 Jan14 $15 calls on the stock for $1.60 per contract. Another 1,500 were bought-to-open on ISE, according to ISEE data. Total volume in the contract is 28,000. Shares are off 3 cents to $13.12 on the day and 26 percent below the levels of 12 [...]
Morgan Stanley (MS) $12.41 -2.90%
Morgan Stanley (MS) is off 39 cents to $12.39 and testing its early-June lows near $12.30 per share. One player might be anticipating a bounce after a four-day 13.3 percent dive. 18,000 Jan 17.5 calls were bought on the stock midday Monday for 26 cents per contract. It possibly closes. Open interest is 70K and [...]
Fortress Investment Group LLC (FIG) $3.79 -0.26%
Fortress Investment Group (FIG) is flat at $3.80 and 28,000 Jan 5 calls are bought on New York-based asset manager for 12 cents per contract and probably closes positions opened in Nov (29th and 30th), when the Jan 3 – 5 strangle was apparently sold on the stock for $1 and $1.10. Puts are being [...]
