The following stocks had notable activity in their options during the past week: $PBTH (8/7): Active day in the Calls. 500 AUG 5.0 strike Calls (stock at $6.86) were purchased for 2.05 or $102,500 – buyer makes money if stock trades north of $7.05 by August expiration. Also, 500 FEB14 7.50 strike Calls were sold […]
Week’s Option Activity (7/29~8/2)
The following stocks had notable activity in their options during the past week: $IBB (7/30): 2,500 SEP 190.0/(180.0) strike Put spreads (ETF at $197) were bought for 2.30 or total debit of $575,000. The SEP 190.0 strike Puts were bought for 4.00 and the SEP 180.0 strike Puts were sold for 1.70 against. Buyer makes […]
Week’s Option Activity (7/23~7/27)
The following stocks had notable activity in their options during the past week: $XOMA (7/23): 2,000 SEP/OCT 5.0 strike Call Time spreads (stock at $5.08) were bought for 0.35 or $70,000 net debit. The SEP 5.0 strike Calls were sold for 0.60 ($120,000 proceeds) and the SEP 5.0 strike Calls were bought for 0.95 ($190,000 […]
Week’s Option Activity (7/15~7/19)
The following stocks had notable activity in their options during the past week: $NEPT (7/16): 16,000 (separated into trades of 6,000 and 10,000) AUG 4.0 strike Calls (stock at $3.71) were sold for 0.20 or total proceeds of $320,000. This trade is most likely a covered Call trade of an existing long stock position. $BCRX […]
Week’s Option Activity (7/8~7/12)
The following stocks had notable activity in their options during the past week: $CLDX (7/8): 1,000 AUG 22.0 strike Calls (stock at $21.27) were sold at 1.10 for total proceeds of $110,000. Seller makes money as long as stock trades less than $23.10 by August expiration. This trade is most likely paired with an equivalent […]
Week’s Option Activity (7/1~7/5)
The following stocks had notable activity in their options during the past week: $CLDX (7/1): 7,000 JUL 2.50 strike Calls were bought (stock at $3.25) for 0.90 or $630,000. Buyer makes money if stock is greater than $3.40 by expiration. Also, 4,900 AUG 2.50 Calls were sold for 1.00 or $490,000 total proceeds. Seller makes […]
Week’s Option Activity (6/24~6/28)
The following stocks had notable activity in their options during the past week: $SGEN (6/24): 3,000 SEP 35.0 strike Calls were sold (stock at $30.30) for a credit of 1.20 and 1.25 (1,200 @ 1.25, 1,800 @ 1.20) or $366,000. At the (approximate) same time, 3,000 SEP 25.0/20.0 strike Put spreads were bought for 1.15 […]
Week’s Option Activity (6/3~6/7)
The following stocks had notable activity in their options during the past week: $AFFY (6/3): 3,000 JAN14 2.0 strike Calls were purchased (stock at $2.08) for a debit of 0.45 or $135,000. Buyer makes money if stock is greater than $2.45 by expiration. Stock was subsequently de-listed from the NASDAQ on June 6. Oops. $CHTP […]
Week’s Option Activity (5/20~5/24)
The following stocks had notable activity in their options during the past week: $JAZZ (5/20): 4,000 SEP/JUN 55.0 strike Put Time spreads were traded (stock @ $58.36) for a net debit of 3.15 or $1,260,000. Specifically, 4,000 JUN 55.0 strike Puts were sold for 1.15 against a purchase of 4,000 SEP 55.0 strike Puts for […]
Week’s Option Activity (5/13~5/17)
The following stocks had notable activity in their options during the past week: $OPTR (5/13): 2,250 SEP 17.50 strike Calls were sold against equal number of purchased JUN 12.5 Puts (stock @ $12.81) for total debit of 0.85 or $191,250. Trade most likely a hedge of an existing long stock position. $MNTA (5/13): 926 JAN14 […]
Week’s Option Activity (5/6~5/10)
The following stocks had notable activity in their options during the past week: $HOLX (5/7/13): 3,900 DEC 22.0/18.0 strike Strangles were purchased for a net debit of 2.05 or a total cost of $799,500. DEC 22.0 Calls were bought for 1.00 and DEC 18.0 strike Puts were bought for 1.05 (stock at $20.66). Buyer makes […]
Option Basics (4): Expiration and Other Basics
Option Expiration It is important to quickly discuss the finer points of Option Expiration. Options expire on the Saturday immediately following the 3rd Friday of the expiration month. This sounds confusing but it is not – if you look at a calendar, it is quite simple. The September 2010 Series expire on Saturday September 18, […]
Week’s Option Activity (5/1~5/3)
The following stocks had notable activity in their options during the past week: $ASTX (5/1/13): 2,000 OCT 6/9 strike Call spreads (stock @ $6.88) were purchased for a net debit of 0.80 or total cost of $160,000. Buyer makes money if stock is greater than $6.80 by expiration. $NBIX (5/2/13): 1,874 JUN/AUG (long – front […]
Option Basics (3): Volume and Open Interest
The other basic information included in an Option Chain is Volume and Open Interest. Volume is easy to understand: it represents the total number of options traded for each Strike during a day (just as the volume for a stock represents the total number of shares traded during a day). For example, the SEP 16.0 […]
Option Basics (2): The Option Chain
A good way to learn about options is to study the topic in the actual format used in a real-life trading situation: from the Option Chain. When you trade options, you will trade from Option Chains contained on your broker’s website. The Exhibit below provides an example of a basic Option Chain for ABC stock […]
