Savient-Bull Buys Ratio Call Spread
by Andrew Wilkinson - December 18th, 2009 4:13 pm
Today’s tickers: SVNT, JBLU, ROST, RVSN, MRVL, RYL, ARIA, WLP, S, BCR & ORCL
SVNT – Savient Pharmaceuticals, Inc. – A ratio call spread implemented on biopharmaceutical company, Savient Pharmaceuticals, this afternoon indicates shares may shift higher by expiration in January 2010. SVNT’s shares increased 1% during the session to stand at $12.80. The spread involved the purchase of 2,400 calls at the in-the-money January 12.5 strike for an average premium of 1.34 apiece, marked against the sale of 4,800 calls at the higher January 14 strike for 62 pennies each. The net cost of the trade amounts to just 10 cents per contract. The investor responsible for the bullish play stands ready to accrue maximum potential profits of 1.40 per contract if the stock jumps to $14.00 by expiration. The increase in demand for option contracts on the stock boosted Savient’s option implied volatility reading 15% during the trading day from an opening reading of 75.22% to an intraday high of 86.56%.
JBLU – JetBlue Airways Corp. – Investors initiated bullish stances on JetBlue this afternoon despite the 2% decline in value of the underlying shares during the trading session to $5.48. Fresh call positions were taken in the March and June contracts by traders preparing for a JBLU-rally. A chunk of 5,000 calls were purchased at the March 6.0 strike for a premium of 40 cents per contract. The investor responsible for the transaction breaks even if shares of the airline increase 17% over the current price to $6.40 by March’s expiration. Option traders purchased at least 1,700 calls at the June 6.0 strike for 65 cents premium apiece. Profits accumulate if and when JBLU’s shares rise 21.5% to surpass the breakeven point at $6.65. The increase in investor demand for option contracts on the stock lifted option implied volatility 13.57% to an intraday high of 55.55%.
ROST – Ross Stores, Inc. – The second-largest off-price retailer of brand-name apparel and home accessories in the U.S. appeared on our ‘hot by options volume’ market scanner in late-afternoon trading. One investor established a ratio put spread on the stock in the February 2010 contract. Shares are down 1% to $43.88 with approximately one hour remaining in the trading session. The option trader purchased 2,000 puts at the in-the-money February 45 strike for 2.60 apiece, and sold 4,000 puts at the lower February 42.5 strike for 1.40 each. The investor…
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Investor Plants WFC Short Straddle – Set to Bloom in April 2010
by Andrew Wilkinson - November 20th, 2009 4:24 pm
Today’s tickers: WFC, IYT, RYL, YHOO, XLE, MU, ADCT, KBH, DELL, NE & GPS
WFC – Wells Fargo & Co. – Shares of the financial holding company surrendered 1.5% today to stand at $27.88. One investor initiated a sold straddle on WFC in the April 2010 contract. The trader sold 10,000 calls at the April 32 strike for 1.59 apiece in conjunction with the sale of 10,000 now in-the-money puts at the same strike for 5.81 each. The gross premium on the transaction amounts to 7.40 per contract. The investor will retain the full premium if shares settle at $32.00 by expiration. The premium received acts as a buffer against losses in the event that shares swing in either direction away from the $32.00-level. However, the trader will accumulate losses if shares breach the upper breakeven price of $39.40, or if shares decline beneath the lower breakeven point at $24.60, by expiration in April.
IYT – iShares Dow Jones Transportation Average Index ETF – The exchange-traded fund, which measures the performance of the transportation sector of the U.S. equity market, appeared on our ‘hot by options volume’ market scanner this afternoon after one investor initiated a bearish put play. Shares of the fund moved 0.5% lower to $70.53 during the session. The trader established a put spread by purchasing 5,000 puts at the December 70 strike for 1.80 each, and by selling the same number of puts at the lower December 65 strike for 40 cents apiece. The net cost of the trade amounts to 1.40 per contract and provides downside protection beneath the breakeven price of $68.60 down to $65.00 through December’s expiration.
RYL – The Ryland Group, Inc. – Shares of homebuilder and mortgage-finance company, Ryland Group, declined nearly 4% this afternoon to stand at $18.86. Investors exchanging options on the stock today spread pessimistic sentiment through to expiration December. Traders sold 10,000 calls at the December 19 strike for an average premium of 1.10 apiece. The full 1.10 premium pocketed by investors is retained in full as long as shares of RYL remain below $19.00 through expiration day. Call-sellers do not seem to expect that shares of Ryland will recover before the start of 2010.
YHOO – Yahoo!, Inc. – We observed two different option strategies in play on Yahoo this afternoon. A large-volume sold strangle in the January 2011 contract suggests shares are likely to remain…
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Financial ETF Sees Sizeable Bull Call Spread
by Andrew Wilkinson - September 29th, 2009 4:19 pm
Today’s tickers: XLF, NKE, SLV, WAG, CVS, PSS, RYL & TCB
XLF - A large bullish trade just went across the tape on the Amex in the financial sector ETF in which a 50,000 lot call spread traded in the XLF at a 27 cent premium involving 17 and 19 strike calls. The underlying share price of $15.08 would need to rally 14.5% over the course of the next three months to allow this investor to break even. We make it mid-October last year that the XLF share price last popped above $17, while recent overhead resistance has restrained the bulls at $15.50. – Financial Select Sector SPDR –
NKE - Call options on the maker of footwear and apparel were in high demand today with shares of NKE up 1.8% to $60.02. Nike is schedule to release results for the first quarter after the closing bell today. Analysts are expecting the firm to report 97 cents per share on revenue of $4.9 billion. Option traders exchanged more than 17,400 calls at the October 60 strike on existing open interest at the strike of just 6,900 contracts. Approximately 8,100 of the calls were purchased for an average premium of 1.78 apiece. The October 60 strike calls have managed to land in-the-money this afternoon. However, investors long the calls will not begin to amass profits unless the stock rises another 3% to breach the breakeven point at $61.78. Another 6,050 calls were exchanged at the higher October 65 strike for an average premium of 40 cents apiece. The higher strike calls were both bought and sold by investors placing bets on Nike ahead of first-quarter earnings results. – Nike, Inc. –
SLV - One investor initiated a long-term bullish play on the silver exchange-traded fund amid a slight 0.25% dip in shares to $15.88. The trader looked to the November 16 strike to purchase 14,000 calls for an average premium of 90 cents apiece. At the same time, the investor spread the nearer-term purchase against the sale of 14,000 calls at the January 2012 20 strike for 2.80 per contract. The trader pockets a net credit of 1.90 per contract on the transaction. The investor is likely expecting the calls to land in-the-money by expiration in November. If this occurs, he may exercise the options and take delivery of the underlying shares for an effective price of $14.10 [$16.00 – 1.90 = $14.10]. If…
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Commodity bulls go call buying at DryShips and Schlumberger
by Andrew Wilkinson - March 19th, 2009 5:39 pm
Today’s tickers: DRYS, SLB, GE, EWZ, YHOO, BAC, C, FRE, MS, JPM & RYL
DRYS DryShips, Inc. – With the wind at its back, DryShips has experienced a 26% rally today to stand at $5.29. Investors were seen getting bullish on the drybulk carrier by purchasing call options across multiple contracts. Highly optimistic traders picked up more than 5,600 calls at the April 7.5 strike price for 39 cents each. In order to profit from the calls, shares would need to increase by an additional 49% from the current price in order to breach the breakeven point at $7.89 by expiration next month.
SLB Schlumberger Limited – When the closing bell tolls oil will likely remain above $50 for the second time since January 15th. SLB is riding the wave of higher oil prices today with shares up 5.5% to $45.30. A provider of project management and information solutions to clients in the oil and gas industry, SLB has seen its share price touch all the way down to $35.61 earlier this month. Hoping that the darkest days are behind Schlumberger, option traders picked up 14,000 calls at the April 50 strike price for a premium of 1.23 each. Shares will need to continue to rally by another 13% in order to surpass the breakeven point at $51.23 by expiration.
GE General Electric – Voicing loudly his opinion that the share price rally at GE won’t necessarily be long lasting, one option trader wrote the September 10/12 call spread 34,000 times earlier for a credit of 88 cents. Currently the rally is holding after comments from the company and shares are higher by 2% at $10.50. Higher premium calls at the 10 strike were sold in exchange for lower premium ones at the 12 strike. The size of the credit for bearing the risk of the trade determines that losses would accrue starting from a share price of $10.88 at expiration and would amass to a maximum of 1.12 per contract should shares rally to the upper strike or above.
EWZ iShares MSCI Brazil – As the U.S. markets travel downward, risk appetite has spread to emerging markets where such an appetite is more favorable today. Shares are up 2% for the ETF and option trades indicate bullish sentiment on EWZ. In the April contract traders shed more than 66,000 puts between the 28/36 strike prices, bringing in premiums ranging…
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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...
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