
Unusual Options Activity: Mastercard Incorporated (MA)
Shares of credit card giant Mastercard (MA) have been sliding over the past month. However, one trader sees the potential for a move higher in the coming few months. That’s based on the November $355 calls. With 77 days until expiration, over 17,960 contracts traded against a prior open interest of 110, for a 163-fold explosion in volume. The buyer of the calls paid about $13.85 to make the trade. With shares around $350, the option is nearly at-the-money. Over the past ...
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Investor Knee-Jerk Reactions Create Buying Opportunities
Some investors are a nervous bunch. They’re always looking for a reason to sell off shares. They can be human, or simply algorithms looking for trading opportunities based on negative headlines. The latter may have recently prevailed, when a high-end semiconductor firm saw its shares drop 5 percent on a day. The reason? Some company insiders sold shares. Never mind that most tech executives are given shares for performance, and have many reasons to sell. The company? NXP Semiconductor (NXPI). Shares dropped ...
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Insider Trading Report: FMC Corporation (FMC)
Carol Davidson, a director at FMC Corporation (FMC), recently picked up 1,500 shares. The buy increased her stake by nearly 50 percent, and came to a total purchase price of just over $140,000. She was joined by the company CEO, who bought shares last week, picking up 1,1100 shares at a price of nearly $100,000. This marks the first insider buy at the company since late 2018. Otherwise, company insiders have been steady sellers of shares. Overall, company insiders own 0.7 ...
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Unusual Options Activity: Vinco Ventures (BBIG)
Shares of product research company Vinco Ventures (BBIG) have quadrupled in recent sessions. One trader sees the possibility for a surge even higher. That’s based on the October $20 calls. Over 10,173 contracts traded against a prior open interest of 111, for a 92-fold jump in volume. The buyer of the calls paid about $1.33 to make the trade. With shares trading around $10 on Wednesday, they’d need to rally over 100 percent in the next 43 days before expiration for the ...
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The Payment Wars Heat Up a Notch
The past few years have seen an explosion in payment apps. Each have their similarities and differences, from traditional wealth transfers to the ability to buy cryptocurrencies to offering payment plan options. That latter category is exploding in growth, with a number of firms offering “Buy Now Pay Later” or BNPL services. Of the many companies offering this service, one just inked a major deal with the world’s biggest retailer, Amazon (AMZN). The company partnering with them is Affirm Holdings (AFRM). The ...
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Insider Trading Report: Ralph Lauren Corp (RL)
Hubert Joly, a director at Ralph Lauren Corp (RL), recently bought 8,400 shares. The buy increased his stake by 47 percent, and came to a total price of just over $990,000. This marks the first insider buy since last October. Overall, insiders have been sellers of shares on a regular basis, with few insider buys on a regular basis. Company insiders own about 1.1 percent of the company. Insiders who have been selling are missing out. Shares are up 72 percent ...
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Unusual Options Activity: Apple (AAPL)
Consumer tech giant Apple (AAPL) has been pushing to new highs in recent weeks. One trader sees the trend continuing throughout the month of September. That’s based on the October 1 $180 calls. With 30 days until expiration, over 35,270 contracts traded against an open interest of 269, for a massive 131-fold jump in volume. The buyer of the calls paid about $0.23 to make the trade. While shares have moved higher in recent sessions, they currently trade around $153. Shares would ...
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The Ultimate Semiconductor Shortage Play
The latest statements from companies relying on semiconductors for operations is still grim. A shortage persists, and likely won’t be fully resolved this year. That’s likely to impact everything from consumer electronics this holiday season (it’s coming sooner than you think), to the production of new automobiles. While a number of companies are working to ramp up production, the actual physical manufacturing is likely resulting in delays, as only a few organizations can actually manufacture at scale. These few players likely ...
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