Trading Tips Blog

Long-dated call buying rises after earnings beat. Shares of Target (TGT) rose to a new 52-week high after a great earnings report, and many traders made bets on how long the rally would last. With many trades expiring in the next few weeks, a surge of volume on the April 2020 $150 calls looks interesting. It’s a bet on shares rallying another $25, or 20 percent, in the next 148 days, and the 550 options trading over the prior open interest of 114 ...
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Surge in call options expiring Friday. Over 122,140 contracts expiring on Friday at a $42 strike price for Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) changed hands—a 25-fold surge in volume over the prior open interest of 4,800. Shares of the company currently trade at $41, meaning a 2.4 percent increase in shares in the next two trading days is necessary for the options to move in-the-money. If that doesn’t happen, the option will expire worthless. The company has rallied strongly recently, with Read More

Bet on push back to 52-week lows. The March 2020 $30 put options on Unum Group (UNM) saw over 2,400 contracts trade against a prior open interest of 145—making for a 17-fold surge in volume. The short trade is already about $1.00 in-the-money as shares currently trade around $29.00. The option would need to see shares slide another $1.50 or so before today’s put buyer started to really start making a profit at expiration in the next 122 days. Unum group provides financial protection ...
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Long-dated put options see heavy volume. Although consumer tech giant Apple (AAPL) is having a pretty good year, at least one trader is betting on a pullback. That’s based on the 40-fold surge in volume on the February 2020 $240 put options. With shares of the company around $264, that’s a bet on shares dropping nearly 10 percent. Over 11,000 of those contracts traded against a prior open interest of just 300— indicating a massive bet on a modest drop in shares. Read More

Bet on further move higher after Disney+ launch. The September 18th, 2020 $180 call options on The Walt Disney Company (DIS), saw over 2,100 contracts trade, a 12-fold surge in volume. Given the current share price of $147, the option will close in-the-money if shares rally over 22 percent in the next 10 months. Shares of Disney have already jumped this week as the company announced that its streaming service, Disney+, was so popular that it already has 10 million subscribers. The media ...
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These fast-growing companies could shake off the low-growth fears in tech and head higher. All sectors of the market go in and out of favor. For the past few years, however, the usually high-flying technology names have stalled. That’s likely due to fears of a slowing economy and the trade war issue that seems to be holding things back. While that’s given value investments some time to shine, nothing lasts forever, and a number of fast-growing tech companies could beat the slow ...
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Call buyer bullish into 2022. The January 21st, 2022 $57.50 call options on Intel (INTC), saw over 1,400 contracts trade, a nine-fold surge in volume from the prior open interest. Although the option has 799 days until expiration, the chipmaker’s shares are right at the $57.50 price, which means this option should move dollar-for-dollar higher with shares in the next 26 months, less any decline in time premium. At a price of around $9.20 per contract, the trade allows the call buyer to ...
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Executive Chairman adds 5,000 shares. Glade Knight, Executive Chairman of Apple Hospitality REIT (APLE), added another 5,000 shares to his holdings, shelling out just over $81,000. The latest buy leaves him with over 10,407,000 shares. This adds to other buying from directors earlier in the year. Insider data for the past three years shows numerous insider buys at the company, with zero sales. Insiders own over 6 percent of the company. The real estate trust, which operates 235 high-end ...
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