Near-Term Bulls Shop Around for Call Options at Newell Rubbermaid
by Andrew Wilkinson - December 1st, 2010 4:22 pm
Today’s tickers: NWL, GRS, OIH, HIG, EWZ, MBT & XOP
NWL - Newell Rubbermaid, Inc. – The global marketer of everyday commercial and consumer products popped up on our ‘hot by options volume’ market scanner during the second half of the trading session due to bullish activity in the December contract. Shares in Newell Rubbermaid are up 3.35% to stand at $17.33 with 45 minutes remaining before the final bell. Options traders exchanged more than 3,460 call options at the December $17.5 strike, versus previously existing open interest of just 980 contracts. It looks like more than 3,000 of the calls were purchased for a premium of $0.35 per contract. Plain-vanilla call buyers are prepared to make money should shares increase another 3.00% to exceed the effective breakeven point to the upside at $17.85 ahead of December expiration day. Rubbermaid’s shares last traded above $17.85 as recently as November 5, 2010.
GRS - Gammon Gold, Inc. – Bullish players picked up call options on the gold mining company today with shares of the Halifax, Nova Scotia-based firm climbing 1.2% to $6.77 in the final hour of the session. Investors expecting Gammon’s shares to extend gains purchased more than 3,000 calls at the January 2011 $7.0 strike for a premium of $0.43 apiece. Call buyers at this strike are poised to profit should shares in Gammon Gold surge 9.75% over the current price of $6.77 to surpass the effective breakeven point at $7.43 by January expiration. More than 3,280 calls changed hands at the Jan. 2011 $7.0 strike, which is more than six times the number of contracts represented by the 531 lots of previously existing open interest at that strike. Bullish sentiment spread to the March 2011 $7.5 strike where another 1,000 call options were purchased for premium of $0.48 each.…
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Contrarian Player Plants Bull Call Spread on Seed Maker Monsanto Co.
by Andrew Wilkinson - September 29th, 2010 6:23 pm
Today’s tickers: MON, EWZ, XLB, HPQ, V, BCSI & SLB
MON - Monsanto Co. – Shares of the maker of genetically modified seeds seemed to be recovering at the start of the current session following Tuesday’s horrendous performance wherein the stock fell as much as 9.80% from an intraday high of $52.64 to a low of $47.50. MON’s shares managed to rebound 4.50% off Tuesday’s low of $47.50 to briefly touch an intraday high of $49.62, although the rally proved to be short-lived and shares are down 1.00% at $48.25 as of 3:15 pm ET. Though MON was unable to keep hold of earlier gains, one contrarian player is optimistic that Monsanto’s shares will reverse course and head back up by November expiration. The investor purchased a call spread, buying 5,000 calls at the November $55 strike at a premium of $0.85 each, and selling the same number of calls at the higher November $60 strike for a premium of $0.27 apiece. Net premium paid to establish the transaction amounts to $0.58 per contract. Thus, the investor is ready to make money should Monsanto’s shares surge 15.20% over the current price of $48.25 to surpass the effective breakeven point on the spread at $55.58 by November expiration. Maximum potential profits of $4.42 per contract are available to the bullish player if MON’s shares jump 24.35% to trade above $60.00 by expiration day.
EWZ - iShares MSCI Brazil Index ETF – Investors are placing near-term bearish bets on the Brazil fund this afternoon by selling calls to finance the purchase of put spreads in the October contract. The large pessimistic plays could be the work of traders hedging long positions or the mark of outright bearish bettors expecting the price of the underlying fund to slip lower ahead of expiration next month. Shares of the EWZ, an exchange-traded fund designed to replicate the price and yield performance of publicly traded securities in the aggregate in the Brazilian market – as measured by the MSCI Brazil Index, rallied…
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Butterflies, Straddles and Spreads, Oh My!
by Andrew Wilkinson - July 14th, 2010 4:40 pm
Today’s tickers: HRS, EWZ, RSH, PNRA, IVN, LO & DOW
HRS – Harris Corp. – A three-legged bullish play on the international communications and information technology company that serves government and commercial markets around the world indicates one option strategist expects shares of the underlying stock to rally significantly by expiration day in February 2011. Harris Corp.’s shares are up 0.95% at $44.46 just before 2:30 pm (ET), but earlier in the session rallied as much as 1.8% to an intraday high of $44.84. HRS shares moved higher on news the firm recently won a number of large contracts. One such contract is a 30-month, $25-million contract under the Network-Centric Solutions contract vehicle, which requires Harris to upgrade network infrastructure at 15 National Guard sites. Harris Corp. popped up on our ‘hot by options volume’ market scanner in the first half of the trading day following the implementation of a three-legged bullish transaction. The investor responsible for the trade essentially sold puts to finance the purchase of a debit call spread. In doing so, the trader sold 1,500 puts at the February 2011 $35 strike for a premium of $1.75 per contract, purchased 1,500 calls at the February 2011 $45 strike for a premium of $4.65 each, and sold 1,500 calls at the higher February 2011 $55 strike for premium of $1.20 apiece. The net cost of the transaction amounts to $1.70 per contract. Thus, the options player is poised to profit as long as Harris Corp.’s shares rally 5.00% over the current price of $44.46 to surpass the effective breakeven point at $46.70 by expiration day. The investor walks away with maximum potential profits of $8.30 per contract if HRS shares surge 23.7% to trade above $55.00 by February 2011 expiration. The short put stance at the February 2011 $35 strike implies the investor is happy to have 150,000 shares of the underlying stock put to him at $35.00 each should the puts land in-the-money by expiration day.
EWZ – iShares MSCI Brazil Index Fund – An investor itching for a rally in shares of the Brazil ETF purchased a bullish call butterfly spread in the August contract this afternoon. Shares of the EWZ, an exchange-traded fund designed to correspond to the price and yield performance of publicly traded securities in the aggregate in the Brazilian market, as measured by the MSCI Brazil Index, fell 1.05% to trade at…
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Options Tacticians Target Pfizer, Inc.
by Andrew Wilkinson - July 2nd, 2010 4:45 pm
Today’s tickers: PFE, EWZ, BAC, JNPR, RHB, GENZ, MRVL & SKX
PFE – Pfizer, Inc. – Options strategists initiated diverse transactions on the global pharmaceutical company today with shares of the underlying stock slipping 0.75% lower to arrive at $14.12 in afternoon trading. One investor expecting Pfizer’s shares to remain range-bound through August expiration sold a straddle, while a pessimistic trader enacted a ratio put spread in the January 2011 contract. The short straddle took place at the August $15 strike where approximately 10,000 calls were sold for an average premium of $0.27 apiece, in conjunction with the sale of about 10,000 in-the-money puts for an average premium of $1.28 each. The straddle-seller pockets a gross premium of $1.55 per contract on the transaction, keeping the full amount of premium received if Pfizer’s shares settle at $15.00 at expiration. Shares must rally 6.2% in the next couple of months to reach $15.00 by expiration day in August. The short stance taken in both call and put options expose the responsible party to potentially devastating losses in the event that shares swing dramatically in either direction away from the $15.00 strike price. Losses accumulate for the straddler if PFE’s shares rally above the upper breakeven price of $16.55, or should shares slip beneath the lower breakeven point at $13.45 ahead of expiration. In longer-dated January 2010 options, a bearish trader wary of continued erosion in the price of Pfizer’s shares established a ratio put spread. The investor purchased 10,000 puts at the August $14 strike for a premium of $1.47 each, and sold 20,000 puts at the lower August $11 strike for a premium of $0.49 a-pop. Net premium paid for the transaction amounts to $0.49 per contract. The trader is poised to profit if shares of the pharmaceutical company decline 4.3% from the current price of $14.12 to breach the effective breakeven point on the spread at $13.51 by January 2011 expiration day. Maximum available profits of $2.51 per contract pad the investor’s wallet if Pfizer’s shares plummet 22.00% to settle at $11.00 at expiration.
EWZ – iShares MSCI Brazil Index ETF – Shares of the EWZ, an exchange-traded fund designed to provide investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance of publicly traded securities in the aggregate in the Brazilian market as measured by the MSCI Brazil Index, rallied 0.70% to $63.40 by 2:30 pm (ET). Despite…
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Bulls Target Newmont Mining Corp. Call Options as Shares Near All-Time Highs
by Andrew Wilkinson - June 18th, 2010 4:16 pm
Today’s tickers: NEM, RIG, CAL & EWZ
NEM – Newmont Mining Corp. – Gold producer, Newmont Mining Corp., enticed bullish options strategists to the arena in the first half of the trading session with shares of the underlying stock rallying nearly 3.00% to a new 52-week high of $61.46 as of 12:15 pm (ET). Investors expecting the price of Newmont’s shares to continue to appreciate ahead of July expiration, and potentially break straight through its all-time high of approximately $62.72 secured back in early 2006, purchased approximately 1,300 call options at the July $65 strike for an average premium of $0.74 apiece. Call buyers at this strike price are poised to profit if shares of the gold company surge 6.95% to surpass the average breakeven price of $65.74 ahead of expiration day next month. Longer-term bullish behavior observed today took place at the sky-high September $75 strike where it looks like 2,000 calls were picked up at an average premium of $0.54 per contract. Investors long the calls make money if the gold producer’s shares jump 22.9% to trade above the average breakeven price of $75.54 by September expiration.
RIG – Transocean Ltd. – Shares of the international provider of offshore drilling services for oil and gas wells are currently up sharply by 7.85% to stand at $53.31 just before 12:30 pm (ET). RIG’s shares have roared back to life recently, rallying 28.55% in the past couple of weeks, from a 2-year low of $41.88 on June 9th, up to an intraday high of $53.84 today. Bullish options players populating the stock today are positioning for RIG’s shares to rebound higher by July expiration. Optimistic investors picked up approximately 1,000 calls at the July $55 strike for an average premium of $2.12 apiece. Traders long the July $55 strike calls profit if RIG’s shares rally another 7.15% from the current price of $53.31 to trade above the average breakeven point to the upside at $57.12 by expiration day next month. Buying behavior spread to the higher July $60 strike where at least 1,200 call options were purchased at an average premium of $0.73 per contract. Investors holding these contracts make money if shares of the underlying stock surge 13.9% to surpass the average breakeven price of $60.73 by July expiration. The overall reading of options implied volatility on Transocean plunged 17.1% to 61.61% by 12:35 pm (ET). The current 61.61%…
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Quicksilver Resources, Inc. Options Activity Jumps Late in Session
by Andrew Wilkinson - June 4th, 2010 4:52 pm
Today’s tickers: KWK, MCCC, EWZ, NSC, HNT, EFA, JNJ, GT & LVS
KWK – Quicksilver Resources, Inc. – The independent oil and natural gas company’s shares recovered late in the session, adding 0.50% to stand at $12.18 as of 3:07 pm (ET), after commencing the trading day in the red by 0.30% to touch an intraday low of $11.75. Options investors all but ignored Quicksilver until this afternoon when both puts and calls in the July contract started to change hands. Roughly 10,000 puts were exchanged at the July $11 strike for an average premium of $0.44 apiece. Simultaneously, investors traded about the same number of calls at the higher July $13 strike for an average premium of $0.79 each. It looks like some options strategists populating KWK are selling strangles on the stock because they expect shares to trade within a specified range through expiration. Strangle-sellers pocket an average gross premium of $1.23 per contract, and keep the full amount received as long Quicksilver’s shares trade within the $11.00 to $13.00 range through expiration day. Investors short the strangle face losses should shares rally above the upper breakeven price of $14.23, or if shares slip beneath the lower breakeven point at $9.77 ahead of expiration. Other options strategists may be utilizing the same strike prices in the July contract to enact bullish risk reversals. Investors employing the risk reversal likely sold the July $11 strike puts in order to offset the cost of buying the July $13 strike calls. Average net premium paid for the transaction amounts to $0.35 per contract and positions traders to make money as long as Quicksilver’s shares rally 9.60% to exceed the average breakeven price of $13.35 by October expiration.
MCCC – Mediacom Communications Corp. – Shares of the firm engaged in the development of cable systems serving smaller U.S. cities are flat on the day at $6.28 in late afternoon trading. MCCC popped onto our ‘hot by options volume’ market scanner earlier in the session after one options investor exchanged a chunk of 4,000 calls on the stock in the October contract. The calls traded to the middle of the market at the October $7.5 strike for a premium of $0.25 apiece. The investor may be buying the contracts, in which case he is bullish on Mediacom and expects shares to rally sharply ahead of expiration in five months time. A long call…
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Emerging Markets ETF Optimist Buys Ratio Call Spread
by Phil - June 1st, 2010 4:19 pm
Today’s tickers: EEM, PFE, XLF, DELL, NWL, QCOR, SHOO, EWZ, SLB, DOW & TEX
EEM – iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index ETF – Contrarian options activity on the EEM, an exchange-traded fund designed to produce investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, points to optimism the fund’s shares may rebound sharply by July expiration. Shares of the emerging markets ETF are down 1.10% to stand at $37.68 just before 3:30 pm (ET). One bullish strategist positioning for a rally in the next couple of months purchased a ratio call spread on the fund. The investor picked up 3,000 calls at the July $38 strike for an average premium of $2.05 each, and sold 6,000 calls at the higher July $41 strike for a premium of $0.73 apiece. The net cost of the transaction amounts to $0.59 per contract. The trader responsible for the ratio spread makes money as long as shares of the EEM rally 2.41% to surpass the effective breakeven price of $38.59. Maximum available profits of $2.41 per contract pad the investor’s wallet if, by expiration, shares of the emerging markets fund rally 8.80% to $41.00. Shares of the EEM last traded at $41.00 back on May 4, 2010.
PFE – Pfizer, Inc. – Shares of the research-based global pharmaceutical company earlier rallied slightly to an intraday high of $15.42, but slipped lower in afternoon trading to stand 0.40% lower on the day at $15.17 as of 2:45 pm (ET). Bullish options activity took place on the stock despite the slight share price erosion suggesting one investor expects Pfizer’s shares to rebound sharply by September expiration. The optimistic individual purchased a debit call spread, picking up roughly 4,000 calls at the September $17 strike for an average premium of $0.30 each, and selling about the same number of calls at the higher September $19 strike for an average premium of $0.06 apiece. The investor paid a net $0.24 per contract to establish the spread. Pfizer’s shares must rally 13.65% over the current price of $15.17 in order for the investor to break even on the transaction at $17.24. Shares must surge 25.25% to exceed $19.00 before the trader accrues maximum available profits of $1.76 per contract.
XLF – Financial Select Sector SPDR – A put spread on the XLF, an exchange-traded fund designed to yield investment results that correspond…
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Goldman Sachs Put Provokes Interest
by Andrew Wilkinson - May 21st, 2010 5:48 pm
Today’s tickers: GS, ACAS, EWZ, EEM, & ALL
GS – Goldman Sachs – Proving that option trading constantly offers opportunities for investors, today’s trade on actively traded investment banker, Goldman Sachs falls under the “did-you-know?” category. Of course we all know about the SEC’s recent clampdown on the banker and the embarrassing revelations about what Fabulous Fab’s emails to his girlfriend said, yet the share price remains buoyant at $142.54 and has rallied 4.7% in today’s activity. So the outlier trade involving a 2,000 lot spread in the January 2011 contract drew our attention. On the bold face of things the spread appears to be a bearish play just like any other put spread, but the investor plumped for the $50 and $25 strikes to play Goldman’s fortunes. But upon a review of time and sales data it appears that this investor wrote the spread by selling 2,000 puts at the $50 strike for $1.40 in exchange for 2,000 puts priced at $1.00 at the $25 strike. Assuming that Goldman’s shares don’t face a wipeout to the tune of 65% between now and expiration in seven months, this investor gets to keep $1.00 per contract for a total premium of $200,000. We didn’t know that. The elevated reading of options implied volatility – near 83% in the case of the $50 strike put – has clearly set this investor’s mind racing.
ACAS – American Capital Ltd. – Growing fears over a double-dip recession and what impact the strains to liquidity around the world’s credit markets have taken a hefty toll on American Capital. The company puts together employee and management buyouts using debt and equity financing. Arguably the company might suffer more than others if equity prices remain in the doldrums on account of a debt crisis in Europe. The recent recovery in its share price to $6.65 went up in smoke this week with shares slumping on Thursday to $4.37. One investor appears to have taken advantage the drop to place a bullish call spread using 7,500 call options in the November contract. The purchase of intrinsically valued $4.00 strike calls is matched against the sale of an equal amount of $5.00 calls. Resumption to normal business conditions would presumably see shares recover through this leaving the investor with a 55 cents per contract gain having spent a net 45 cents today to place this trade. Option implied volatility…
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Strangle Strategist Targets VeriSign Options
by Andrew Wilkinson - May 20th, 2010 5:47 pm
Today’s tickers: VRSN, CAT, EWZ & XCO
VRSN – VeriSign, Inc. – Symantec Corp. agreed to shell out $1.28 billion in cash to purchase VeriSign Inc.’s authentication services unit in a deal reportedly set to close by the end of September. Despite securing a buyer for its unit, which certifies that websites are legitimate and safe for online transactions, VeriSign’s shares are lower by 1.75% to stand at $27.50 as of 11:20 am (ET). VeriSign received an upgrade to ‘buy’ from ‘hold’ at Deutsche Bank today where analysts tout a 12-month target share price of $35.00 on the stock. One options strategist expecting shares of the underlying stock to remain range-bound through September expiration sold a strangle to reap the benefits of inflated options implied volatility. The investor sold 10,300 calls at the September $31 strike for a premium of $1.00 each and sold the same number of puts at the lower September $28 strike for $2.85 apiece. Gross premium pocketed on the transaction amounts to $3.85 per contract. The trader keeps the full premium received on the sale as long as shares trade within the range of the strike prices described through expiration. The short sale of both call and put options expose the investor to potential losses should shares rally above the upper breakeven price of $34.85, or if shares slip beneath the lower breakeven point at $24.15, ahead of expiration. Another investor opted to take profits off the table by selling a previously established long call position in the September contract. Perhaps the trader is taking in whatever profits are available now in case shares continue lower ahead of expiration. It looks like the investor originally purchased at least 15,000 calls at the September $28 strike for an average premium of $1.45 apiece back on April 15, 2010, when shares were trading at a volume-weighted average premium of $26.84. Today the options trader sold 15,000 calls at that strike for a premium of $2.15 each, receiving net profits of $0.70 per contract. In hindsight the investor could have raked in more substantial gains had he sold the calls yesterday when VeriSign’s shares surged to a 52-week high of $29.23 on the news Symantec Corp. agreed to buy out the authentication services unit at VRSN.
CAT – Caterpillar, Inc. – Options activity on the machinery manufacturer casts a glimmer of optimism on the stock despite the 4.45% decline…
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Smart Portfolio Management III – The $1,000,000 Portfolio (Members Only)
by Phil - May 15th, 2010 6:35 am
You can’t lose what you don’t have.
The reverse is true for people with Millions in a stock portfolio. Phil points out that the reson you don’t run a large hedge fund trying to make 100% gains is that the people who invest in those funds are more interested in what we call "preservation of capital" rather than generating wealth. Generally, the people who have $1M of investable cash to play the markets have already achieved a great deal of success, often by taking their own risks along the way. For most of us, $1M is hard to come by and, while we want to put that money to work – we certainly don’t want it wondering off and joining the circus.
As a high net-worth investor, you need to decide how to diversify your assets to suit your long-term goals. We’re not going to get into that here – let’s just say that if you want to gamble and go for some of our "more exciting" plays, perhaps allocate a portion of the portfolio to those. Whether that’s 5% or 10% or 30% is up to you but it is good to fence off your risk to a sensible, manageable amount that you really can afford to lose while keeping the bulk of your market allocation well diversified and well-hedged.
I have my own 5% Rule. Phil’s famous 5% Rule deals with the predictable movement of stocks in their trading ranges but my 5% Rule, which Phil also agrees with is simply "Do not put more than 5% of your portfolio in the stock of any one company!” This is so much easier said than done for many reasons!!
[1] Transition to Large Numbers
Moving from a 5 or 6 figure account to a 7 figure account has a profound impact on many traders. In fact, our friend Dr. Brett refers to the effect “performance anxiety” can have on a portfolio and notes that one of the causes is the responsibility felt by traders as larger dollar amounts are traded. Phil advocates a system of "purging" Short-Term Portfolio gains when they gets too large and shifting money into safer investments in a Long-Term Portfolio – it is good to have a strategy for balancing out your holdings, not just target goals.
While it might be acceptable to put 15% of your $10,000 portfolio on that long call you just KNOW will make money, it would be a big…
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Philip R. Davis is a founder Phil's Stock World, a stock and options trading site that teaches the art of options trading to newcomers and devises advanced strategies for expert traders...
Ilene is editor and affiliate program
coordinator for PSW. She manages the Favorites backup site
(