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Options
Basics of Hedging, Part 2: Covered Calls

Basics of Hedging, Part 2: Covered Calls

Most investors know that volatility can inflict pain on even the best holdings. So today we're continuing a series of posts on using options to hedge. Last time we considered buying puts for protection. Today we'll look at selling covered calls for protection. Owning...

Traders Think Mega Bank Is Boxed In: Options Recap

Traders Think Mega Bank Is Boxed In: Options Recap

The country's No. 2 lender was met with shrugs after raising its dividend last week, and now traders are looking for the stock to remain under pressure. Check out this giant transaction in Bank of America (BAC), the biggest in the entire options market yesterday: A...

Basics of hedging, part 1: Puts

Basics of hedging, part 1: Puts

Market volatility is one the biggest headaches for investors. You can make very good choices on stocks or exchange-traded funds (ETFs), researching the fundamentals and knowing their opportunities. But then a tornado of movement hits and all that hard work turns into...

Medical device giant targeted for breakout: Options recap

Medical device giant targeted for breakout: Options recap

Medical-device giant Medtronic (MDT) has gone nowhere for the last two years, but options traders are looking for a breakout. About 25,000 August 90 calls were bought on Tuesday for $0.74 -- pretty noteworthy for a company that averaged only 10,000 contracts per...

How a bull’s playing sneaker earnings: Options recap

How a bull’s playing sneaker earnings: Options recap

Last quarter iconic sneaker maker Nike (NKE) surprised to the upside. One big options trader seem to expect more good news  tomorrow night. Here's a breakdown of the complex, high-risk complex strategy that appeared yesterday afternoon: 4,100 6-July 73.50 calls were...

Options action: How red can a blue chip get?

Options action: How red can a blue chip get?

Disclaimer: This post is intended for educational purposes and is not a trade recommendation. Options trading may not be suitable for all investors. It was once the world's biggest company, but bears are circling. General Electric (GE) got cut in half last year, and...

Oil bears double downside bet in key ETF: Options recap

Oil bears double downside bet in key ETF: Options recap

Disclosure: This post is intended for educational purposes only. Options trading may not be suitable for all investors. We just wrote about the drop in oil as the market braces for potential supply increases at next week's OPEC meeting. Almost simultaneously, a big...

Where options traders are mining for a rally

Where options traders are mining for a rally

Someone wants to turn iron into gold with options. Here's the large bullish trade detected yesterday in Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF): 25,000 August 8 calls bought for $1.29. 25,000 August 8 puts sold for $0.28. 25,000 June 7 calls sold for $1.96 as an existing position...

Bulls stick with copper bigwig: Options recap

Bulls stick with copper bigwig: Options recap

Only a week ago, Freeport McMoRan (FCX) was the target of a large bullish options trade. Today the copper giant is seeing more of the same. Activity hit fast and furious in FCX's July 16 calls out of the gate this morning. Large blocks changed hands for $2.20 to...