Trading Tips Blog

Long-dated, in-the-money put trade suggests downside ahead. Over 1,100 contracts traded on the Nordstrom (JWN) April 2020 $40 put option, showing about a 7-fold increase over the prior open interest of 176 contracts. Given the $40 strike and shares trading around $38, the option is already about $2.00 in-the-money, and should move higher dollar-for-dollar with shares if they decline, less any loss in time premium. As the option trades around $5 per contract, it will make money for the buyer at expiration if ...
Read More About This

Sure, it seems like this stock market can continue to gradually move higher indefinitely. But investors looking for warning signs have gotten a big one in recent weeks. It’s a sign that’s popped up before in the markets that has signaled some poor performance ahead. Trading Tips’ Andrew Packer explains in our latest video ...
Read More About This

Bet on further rally this month. The December 20th $20 call options on JetBlue (JBLU) saw over 31,665 contracts trade hands, a 19-fold rise over the prior open interest near 1,700 contracts. The bet, expiring in 15 days, will be in-the-money if shares can rise another $1.00 from their current price near $19.00. The buyer paid $0.25, or $25 per contract, so any move higher in JetBlue shares could lead to a big percentage return in the next few days, even if shares ...
Read More About This

Bet on shares rallying through January. The January 17th, 2020 $45 call options on Vicor Corporation (VICR) saw over 1,100 contracts trade hands against a prior open interest of just over 100, for a 10-fold rise in volume. In order for the option to move in-the-money in the next 44 days before expiration, shares of the company will need to rally about $4 per share from their current price near $41, about a 10 percent increase. Vicor, a manufacturer of modular power ...
Read More About This

Bet on shares moving 20 percent higher by late January. The January 17th 2020 $280 call options on Amgen (AMGN) saw a 21-fold increase in volume with over 3,100 contracts trading hands. Shares of the company would need to rally about 19 percent from their current price near $234 for this out-of-the-money call to expire with any value. The option buyer paid around $0.10, or just $10 per contract, so it’s a cheap bet on shares moving higher in the next few ...
Read More About This

Call buying indicates further rally this month. With 18 days until expiration, the December 20th $36 call options on Peloton Interactive (PTON) saw a 20-fold rise in volume, from 127 open contracts to over 2,600. As shares surged last week to $35, the option is merely $1 out-of-the-money, and a further rally could move it in-the-money. However, at a price over $2.15 per option, the option buyer needs to see shares rise to over $38 to make money at expiration. Peloton, a maker of ...
Read More About This

Bet on rally through December. Call options expiring on December 20th with a $21 strike price on iQIYI (IQ) saw a 73-fold rise in volume, going from 115 open contracts to nearly 8,500 contracts trading hands. With the trade expiring in 21 days, and as shares of IQ trader just under $20, it’s a bet that shares will rally about 6 percent in the next few weeks. Given that shares have traded as high as $29 in the last ...
Read More About This

Bet on drop in the next week. Put options expiring on December 6th with a $117 strike on Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) saw an 89-fold surge in volume recently, going from 131 open contracts to over 11,675 contracts trade. The option, expiring in nine days, will likely expire worthless unless shares drop from their current price just under $120, about a 4 percent move in-the-money. At a cost of just $1.00, or $100 per contract, however, it’s an inexpensive bet on a drop. The ...
Read More About This