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Options
Back from the Dead? High-Stakes Options Trade in Hospital Space

Back from the Dead? High-Stakes Options Trade in Hospital Space

A hospital company drowning in liabilities just reported good results. Now a trader is using options to position for a comeback. Here's a breakdown of the strategy detected yesterday afternoon in Community Health (CYH): 20,000 September 4 puts were sold for...

Metals on the Move as Dollar Takes a Hit

Metals on the Move as Dollar Takes a Hit

Metals came back from the long weekend with a bang as money poured into gold and copper. Globex's gold futures (@GC) traded almost 333,000 contracts yesterday, the busiest session since October 11. Prices also advanced 1.7 percent, their biggest gain of the...

Energy Bulls Target Obscure Canadian Firm: Options Recap

Energy Bulls Target Obscure Canadian Firm: Options Recap

Energy stocks are rallying this week, and one big investor is targeting an obscure Canadian producer. Roughly 83,000 March 9 calls were bought this morning in Cenovus Energy (CVE), which extracts oil from Alberta's tar sands. The big blocks priced for $0.27 and...

Options Recap: Traders See Maximum Altitude for Key Airline

Options Recap: Traders See Maximum Altitude for Key Airline

Someone seems to think a major carrier may have reached its maximum altitude for now. Check out the large options trade yesterday in American Airlines (AAL): A block of 37,778 March 36 puts was bought for $1.37. At the same time, a matching number of March 37 calls...

Big Hedge Detected in High Flying Sector

Big Hedge Detected in High Flying Sector

Regional banks are one of the strongest groups this year, and now a big investor seems to be hedging a large position. Check out the options activity in the SPDR S&P Regional Bank ETF (KRE) yesterday: A block of 39,265 April 51 puts was bought for $1.16. An equal...

Options Recap: Can a Megabank Keep Running?

Options Recap: Can a Megabank Keep Running?

Bank of America (BAC) had a monster rally this week, and options traders are looking for the lender to keep running higher. Here's a breakdown of a big transaction detected late yesterday morning in BAC: A block of 23,000 March 26 calls was sold for $2.80 and an equal...

Big Trade Sees Bottom in Energy Giant: Options Recap

Big Trade Sees Bottom in Energy Giant: Options Recap

Energy stocks are bouncing from long-term lows this year, and one big investor has called a bottom in a key servicing name. Schlumberger (SLB) touched a 13-year low under $35 last month. Today, a large block of puts got sold at that level as a trader looked for the...

Bulls See More Bounce in Energy Space: Options Recap

Bulls See More Bounce in Energy Space: Options Recap

Energy stocks have gone from bad to good in the New Year, and one options trader is looking for the bounce to continue. Check out the activity yesterday in Oklahoma City-based driller Devon Energy (DVN): A block of 20,000 April 28 calls was bought for $1.48 in a new...

Hedging With Puts Amid Market Volatility

Hedging With Puts Amid Market Volatility

Stocks just finished their most tumultuous period in years. If there was ever a time for hedging with options, this was it! After all, volatility can be a big pain for investors. You do your research to identify promising companies or exchange-traded funds (ETFs)....