Yahoo for the trader who just put up a cool 270,000 contract trade on the PHLX on an otherwise low volume Monday with the broad averages near flat and vix up .79 to 17.89. On the PHLX the initiator paid (register to read more …) [...]

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Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) is up $2.98 to $105.64 and has now rallied 8.4 percent this week. One player in the options market seems to be anticipating additional gains in the Irving, TX oil and gas company and sold 5,000 (register to read more …) [...]

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Microsoft (MSFT) notched a new 52-week high today and is up 11 cents to $30. Shares have rallied 15.6 percent so far in 2012 and were helped by a better-than-expected Jan 19 earnings release. One player in the options market (register to read more …) [...]

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Apple Computer (AAPL) implied vols are falling to 52-week lows. Levels are down 4.5 percent to 17.5 and down 41.7 percent over the past 10 days. There was a big decline after earnings were reported on 1/24. To be specific, (register to read more …) [...]

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Big call buyer is back in BofA (BAC) Wednesday. Shares have added 25 cents to $7.38 and a 62500-contract block of Apr 8 calls is bought on the bank for 37 cents. The trade is tied to 2.3 million shares (register to read more …) [...]

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The top options trade so far today is in BofA (BAC), which is up 7 cents to $7.14, after one investor bought 62,500 April 8 calls on the stock for 28 cents per contract. The hefty trade is tied to (register to read more …) [...]

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The top equity options trade so far today is in Pfizer (PFE). Shares are down 34 cents to $21.24 and one of 22 Dow stocks trading lower after the pharmaceutical giant posted better-than-expected fourth quarter earnings and revs, but then (register to read more …) [...]

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BP is seeing relative strength and high volume today. The stock is up 59 cents to $44.73 on volume of 6.3 million shares, which is almost 3X the typical volume. Meanwhile, 48,000 calls and 9,360 puts traded on the oil (register to read more …) [...]

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Baidu (BIDU) seems to have caused some confusion by deciding to release its earnings a month later than usual. Some sources had today as the earnings released date. Another source had Feb 6. Truth be told, the Internet giant will (register to read more …) [...]

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Lorillard (LO), which saw increasing volume and higher implied volatility yesterday, is down another $3.75 to $107.63 on volume approaching 2 million shares, which is more than double the normal. The two-day 5.8 percent skid pushed shares of the cigarette (register to read more …) [...]

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