Analysts at Barclays are weighing in on Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) suppliers Cirrus Logic, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRUS), Skyworks Solutions Inc (NASDAQ:SWKS), and QUALCOMM, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM). Here's a quick roundup of today's brokerage notes on CRUS, SWKS, and QCOM.

• CRUS is 0.7% higher at $53.65 after Barclays raised its price target on the stock to $45 from $38. Cirrus Logic, Inc. has been on a tear, adding nearly 82% so far this year and tapping a 20-year high of $58.08 last month. Currently, seven out of nine analysts rate the stock a "buy" or better, without a "sell" in sight, but there is still room for more bullish attention, as the average 12-month price target sits just overhead, at $55.57. Meanwhile, options traders have reached a call-skewed extreme -- though volume has been light on an absolute basis. At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), CRUS' 10-day call/put volume ratio of 7.94 represents an annual peak.

• SWKS received a price-target hike to $85 from $74, boosting the shares 1.3% to $77.68. The past 12 months have been choppy for the stock, which is sitting nearly in line with its year-over-year breakeven mark. Skyworks Solutions Inc has made some progress lately, though, outperforming the S&P 500 Index (SPX) by more than 20 percentage points over the last three months. And the brokerage bunch is largely in SWKS' bullish corner, with 74% of those tracking the shares handing out a rating of "buy" or better.

• QCOM is in the midst of its 4G/5G Summit in Hong Kong, where the company has already announced a slew of new technologies to be rolled out in the next few years. Meanwhile, the stock is getting a 1% boost to $65.83 after Barclays raised its price target to $65 from $50. QUALCOMM, Inc. has had a strong year so far, adding 31.7% on the charts. But not everyone is confident more gains are ahead. Nearly half of analysts currently rate QCOM a "hold" or "strong sell." Plus, near-term options traders have been more put-heavy than usual. The stock's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 0.81 sits near the top quartile of its annual range. Of course, much of the sentiment toward QCOM at the moment could be reflective of recent M&A chatter. 

Don't miss the market's next move! Sign up now for Schaeffer's Midday Market Check

Ahead of tomorrow's mystery event, Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is 1.7% higher at $197.31, and its options are trading at 1.2 times the expected intraday pace. Naturally, speculation is heating up about what CEO Elon Musk could reveal on Wednesday, with the possibilities including the release of Autopilot 2.0 or details on the Model 3's dashboard. Speaking of the Model 3, TSLA recently told prospective buyers that new orders for the sedan won't ship until mid-2018, at the earliest.

Turning to the options pits, the October series is highly popular, accounting for all but one of the 10 most active strikes. Digging deeper, the 202.50 call occupies the top spot, and International Securities Exchange (ISE) data confirms the vast majority of the contracts have been bought to open. By purchasing these out-of-the-money (OOTM) calls, traders foresee TSLA toppling $202.50 by Friday's close, when the front-month series expires.

Of course, call buying isn't anything new for Tesla options traders. During the past two weeks, speculators at the ISE, Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) have picked up roughly 46,000 calls. Moreover, the stock's 10-day call/put volume ratio of 1.10 ranks in the call-tilted 62nd annual percentile. Underscoring this call bias is TSLA's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 0.92, which sits in the low 15th percentile of its 12-month range -- indicating open interest in the front three-months' series is more call-skewed than usual.

That's not to say everyone's a fan of TSLA. In fact, nearly 24% of the stock's total float is sold short. At the equity's average daily trading pace, it would take just over two weeks to buy back these positions. Also falling on the skeptical side of the aisle are analysts, with 14 of 17 doling out a "hold" or worse assessment.

Lately, Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has done little to dispel these doubts. Since topping out just shy of $270 in early April, the shares have surrendered close to 27% of their value. Not to mention, TSLA stock recently gave up its perch atop the round-number $200 level. Given this dismal technical backdrop and high short-interest levels, it's possible some of the aforementioned call buyers -- especially those targeting deep OOTM strikes -- could be short sellers seeking an upside hedge.

Sign up now for Schaeffer's Market Recap to get all the day's big stock movers, must-know technical levels, and top economic stories straight to your inbox.

Indian travel website MakeMyTrip Limited (NASDAQ:MMYT) announced that it will purchase sector peer ibibo Group in an all-stock deal that reportedly values the combined company at roughly $1.5 billion. After being halted earlier, MMYT has skyrocketed -- up 53% at $31.20, and fresh off a two-year high of $31.90 -- with both stock and options volume soaring.

With roughly 6 million MMYT shares traded at last check, stock volume has nearly tripled its previous annual high of 2 million shares, set on Jan. 8. Meanwhile, in the option pits, volume is running at 58 times its usual intraday pace. Although with just 1,857 contracts on the tape -- also a 52-week peak -- volume is still light on an absolute basis.

Drilling down even more, puts are trading at 241 times what's typically seen at this point in the day, and the 724 contracts that have changed hands easily surpass the previous annual high of 405 puts, notched on Nov. 17. Calls still outnumber puts, however, with 1,133 contracts traded at last check -- and call volume on track to notch a 12-month high of its own.

Even before today's surge, MMYT's near-term option traders were already call-biased. The stock's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 0.27 sits lower than 93% of all other readings from the past 12 months, indicating calls almost quadruple puts among options set to expire in three months or less. Nevertheless, even the most populated strike on MakeMyTrip Limited's (NASDAQ:MMYT) -- the November 22.50 call -- is home to fewer than 750 contracts outstanding.

Find out where the Dow lands right after the closing bell. Sign up now for Schaeffer's Market Recap

Michael Kors Holdings Ltd (NYSE:KORS) is up 1.9% at $47.41, getting a boost from unsubstantiated takeover rumors. The M&A rumblings also have the stock's call options trading at nearly quadruple the usual intraday rate, and dwarfing puts by a more than 9-to-1 margin. In fact, KORS' intraday put/call volume ratio of 0.11 ranks just 1 percentage point from an annual low.

Drilling down to individual strikes, the most active option is the October 48 call. All signs point to buy-to-open activity, suggesting traders think KORS will muscle atop $48 by Friday's close, when the front-month series expires.

Bullish betting has been popular in the stock's options pits for a while, too, per data from the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX). Specifically, KORS sports a 10-day call/put volume ratio of 3.37, outstripping 89% of all readings from the past year.

A look at the charts reveals why options traders may be hopeful about the stock's prospects. KORS has tacked on over 18% on a year-to-date basis. Plus, the shares are on the verge of taking back their perch atop the 50-week moving average, which acted as dependable support throughout the summer months.

Having said that, the rest of Wall Street is far from sold. Nearly 11% of KORS' available float is sold short, which would take 7.2 sessions to cover, at the stock's usual trading volumes. Plus, 14 of 18 analysts rate the shares a "hold" or a "strong sell." From a contrarian perspective, if Michael Kors Holdings Ltd (NYSE:KORS) continues to run higher, a capitulation among the doubters could add fuel to its proverbial fire.

Sign up now for Schaeffer's Market Recap to get all the day's big stock movers, must-know technical levels, and top economic stories straight to your inbox.

Crude oil has been in the spotlight recently, amid hopes for a production freeze among major oil producers. In fact, Mohammed Barkindo, an Organization of the Petroleum Countries (OPEC) secretary general, today waxed optimistic on a deal to limit production ahead of the highly anticipated producer meeting on Nov. 30 (though some oil executives in non-OPEC Russia vow to keep pumping crude regardless). Against this backdrop -- and in spite of a historically rough few months ahead -- large speculators are diving into oil positions, and United States Oil Fund LP ETF (USO) options activity just sounded a signal not seen since 2013.

The latest Commitment of Traders (CoT) report indicates that large speculators have the biggest oil position since 2014. Of course, back then, crude oil futures were trading at nearly double their current price -- around the $100-per-barrel marker. This signals some exuberance among large speculators, possibly hoping for an OPEC deal.

Meanwhile, the USO daily put/call volume ratio jumped to 7.61 on Monday, marking just the third time since 2010 the ratio exceeded 7.0, according to Schaeffer's Quantitative Analyst Chris Prybal. The activity was driven by big buy-to-open action at the out-of-the-money April 2017 10-strike put.

Following the two other "signals" -- both in the third quarter of 2013 -- USO was much lower than usual, particularly at the four-month (84-day) marker. The exchange-traded fund (ETF) averaged a loss of 10.82% four months after its two elevated put/call volume signals, compared to its at-anytime average loss of 3.02%, going back to 2006. It's not much better going five months (126 days) forward, with USO averaging a loss of 8.53% -- more than twice its average anytime loss of 4.15%. Of course, considering there have been only two other instances of these elevated ratios, we can't jump to any concrete conclusions.

We should also note that the other two signals came in July and August, just before the seasonally worst time for USO. In fact, the ETF averages a negative monthly return in each month from August to January, according to Prybal. On the flip side, March is USO's best month, historically.

At last check, the shares of United States Oil Fund LP ETF (USO) were 0.5% higher at $11.43. The ETF has added close to 50% since its February all-time low of $7.67, though its upward momentum in May-July stalled in the overhead $12 region. In the short term, we'll be keeping an eye on USO and the energy sector as a whole, with the aforementioned OPEC meeting on tap and crude oil futures at a critical juncture over the next two quarters.

Let us help you profit from market volatility. Target big gains in short order with a 30-day trial of Schaeffer's Weekly Volatility Trader!

Analysts are weighing in on restaurant operator Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG), credit card concern Visa Inc (NYSE:V), and tech stock Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO). Here's a quick roundup of today's bearish brokerage notes on CMG, V, and YHOO.

• CMG saw its rating lowered to "underperform" from "market perform" at Raymond James, which said the company's sales reduction due to a recent rash of food-borne illnesses could represent "a new normal." Along the same lines, RBC slashed the stock's price target to $465 from $485, following in the bearish footsteps of Nomura. It's been a rough year for Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., which has lost almost 45% year-over-year at $396.88. This has worked out well for short sellers, of which there are many. One-fifth of CMG's float is sold short, which would take about a week to buy back, at the stock's usual trading volume. Looking ahead, Chipotle will report earnings next Tuesday night.

• V announced a CEO succession plan last night. Goldman Sachs responded with a $1 price-target cut to $96, still in all-time-high territory for the shares. Overall, it's been a solid if unspectacular year for Visa Inc stock, which has added 5.5% in 2016 at $81.82, just a stone's throw from its Sept. 22 record peak at $83.79. Options traders have been bracing for a pullback, though, per data from the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX). Specifically, V's 50-day put/call volume ratio of 0.89 ranks just 3 percentage points from an annual high. Turning to the fundamental front, Visa will report earnings next Monday evening.

• YHOO saw its rating lowered to "hold" from "buy" at Needham, which cited worries that Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) could walk away from or renegotiate its acquisition price due to a previously undisclosed 2014 hacking event. Needham said its concerns have been exacerbated by the "fact that YHOO canceled its 3Q16 earnings call," which originally would've followed tonight's scheduled data release. Yahoo! Inc. shares were last seen at $42.18.

Find out where the Dow lands right after the closing bell. Sign up now for Schaeffer's Market Recap

U.S. stocks are trading higher as stocks react to an onslaught of earnings reports. Among equities in focus today are bank stock Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS), healthcare company UnitedHealth Group Inc (NYSE:UNH), and fellow blue chip International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM).

• GS is up 2.3% at $172.91, after delivering an earnings beat -- just the latest in a series of solid bank results. Increased trade revenue, along with cost-cutting measures, helped GS achieve its second straight quarterly win. The shares of Goldman Sachs Group Inc are now trading in territory not charted since January, and have added 25% since their post-"Brexit" low of $138.20 on June 27. Some option bulls are likely cheering today's earnings win, with GS's 50-day call/put volume ratio at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) of 2.37 sitting in the 87th percentile of its annual than range, suggesting a larger-than-usual appetite for bullish bets of late.
  
  
• UNH is up 5.9% at $142.09, after delivering an earnings beat and upwardly revising its full-year forecast. UNH is now up over 20% in 2016, and is within striking distance of its all-time high of $144.48, tagged in mid-July. Meanwhile, in UnitedHealth Group Inc's option pits, puts have been the name of the game as of late, with UNH's 10-day ISE/CBOE/PHLX put/call volume ratio of 1.72 sitting in the 69th percentile of UNH's annual range.
  
  
• IBM is sitting out the blue-chip earnings rally, down 3.9% at $148.67, after reporting its 18th straight quarter of declining revenue. Although the tech stock's revenue did beat analyst expectations, operating gross margin fell in the quarter. Since delivering earnings last night, IBM has been hit with no fewer than five price-target cuts, including a slash to $135 from $140 by Barclays. The stock is still up 8% in 2016, but is currently on pace to close below its 32-week moving average for the first time since early March. Near-term IBM traders have been especially put-skewed as of late, with International Business Machines Corp. sporting a Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 1.29, which sits higher than 87% of all other readings from the past 12 months. 

Stay on top of overnight news & big morning movers. Sign up now for Schaeffer's Opening View.

Domino's Pizza, Inc. (NYSE:DPZ) reported its third-quarter results ahead of the open, including earnings and revenue that easily topped analysts' expectations. Also assisted by a price-target hike to $152 at Nomura, the shares are 5.4% higher at $160.22 -- and just off a brand new all-time high of $161.41. The news may have some recent option bears kicking rocks this morning, and the action is already heating up in DPZ's options pits.

Jumping right in, DPZ calls are trading at roughly 17 times the usual intraday pace, with 3,500 contracts on the tape so far -- putting call and total options volume on track for annual highs. Most active are the October 160 and 165 calls. It's possible some bullish speculators may be purchasing new positions, betting on the stock to extend its rally through week's end, when the front-month series expires

Meanwhile, the recent trend in DPZ's options pits has been put buying. In fact, options traders have purchased more than five of the stock's puts for each call over the past 10 sessions on the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX). The resulting put/call volume ratio of 5.12 sits just 5 percentage points from an annual high. If these are "vanilla" bears, they're likely getting burned on today's bull gap.

But it's also possible these put buyers aren't truly bears. With DPZ trending higher on the charts this year, shareholders may have picked up protective puts to hedge their long positions against downside risk. Adding credence to this theory, peak open interest currently resides at DPZ's deep out-of-the-money December 140 and 130 puts, which are more likely to be protective rather than speculative in nature.

Outside of the options pits, some bears got out in the nick of time. Short interest on DPZ fell by nearly 15% during the most recent reporting period, and now represents just 5.2% of the equity's total float. However, analysts have been lukewarm -- at best -- toward the stock. Of 13 brokerage firms tracking DPZ, only two rate it better than a "hold." Plus, the average 12-month price target of $153.25 sits at a discount to current trading levels. This leaves the door wide open for future upgrades and price-target hikes -- something that's already starting to happen, based on the aforementioned Nomura note.

Overall, DPZ has had a strong year from a technical perspective, adding over 44% in 2016. Leading up to earnings, the shares had found a foothold above the round $150 level, which also corresponds with the rising 50-day moving average. Of course, given today's upside action, Domino's Pizza, Inc. (NYSE:DPZ) looks to be leaving both levels in the dust.

Sign up now for Schaeffer's Market Recap to get all the day's big stock movers, must-know technical levels, and top economic stories straight to your inbox.

Third-quarter earnings season is getting into full swing, with the latest results from big bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS) helping to lift the Dow to a comfortable lead in early trading. Also in focus are quarterly reports from blue chip Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), motorcycle name Harley-Davidson Inc (NYSE:HOG), and investment firm BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK). Here's a quick look at how JNJ, HOG, and BLK fared in the earnings confessional, and how options traders are reacting to the stocks' respective post-earnings moves.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Shares of JNJ are down 2.2% at $115.85, after Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) announced it will begin to ship a discounted version of Johnson & Johnson's rheumatoid arthritis drug, Remicade, by late November. This is overshadowing JNJ's better-than-expected third-quarter earnings report, with the company unveiling an adjusted profit of $1.68 per share, on revenue of $17.82 billion. Longer term, JNJ is up 18% year-over-year, with today's pullback testing support at the stock's rising 160-day moving average.

In the options pits, volume is running at three times the average intraday pace -- with almost 18,000 contracts on the tape, versus an expected 5,293. Calls have the lead over puts, with 11,055 of the former and 6,639 of the latter traded. Meanwhile, in the wake of this morning's scheduled event, Johnson & Johnson's 30-day at-the-money implied volatility has plunged 7.8% to 14.7%.

Harley-Davidson Inc (NYSE:HOG)

After reporting a drop in third-quarter profit and sales amid what CEO Matt Levatich called "a fiercely competitive environment and an ongoing weak U.S. industry," HOG unveiled restructuring plans that includes a round of layoffs. At last check, HOG stock was up 6.1% at $52.73. More broadly, the security has added 45% since bottoming at a four-year low of $36.36 in January.

Options traders were initiating long calls over puts at a near-annual-high clip in the weeks leading up to today's results. At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), Harley-Davidson Inc's 10-day call/put volume ratio of 6.21 ranks just 4 percentage points from a 52-week peak. Today, HOG calls are crossing the tape at seven times what's typically seen at this point in the day, with 7,920 contracts traded, compared to around 4,166 puts.

BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK)

BLK said its third-quarter earnings came in above the consensus estimate, even though CEO Larry Fink said the low-interest environment has been "really tough for our clients," and that the "whole industry is facing what I would call turmoil." The stock is moving higher on the earnings beat, up 0.6% at $356.77. This positive price action is just more of the same for BLK, though, with the shares up more than 27% off their late-January lows near $280.

In BLK's options arena, volume is running at a faster-than-usual clip, although numbers are still light on an absolute basis. Around 700 total options have changed hands -- compared to an average daily volume of 613. Breaking it down even further, 395 BlackRock, Inc. calls are on the tape, versus 272 puts.

Schaeffer's Expiration Week Countdown subscribers just made 202% GAINS on Goldman Sachs (GS) calls! Sign up now for a trial subscription.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is in the bullish crosshairs this morning. The tech stock received price-target hikes at Deutsche Bank (to $108) and Stifel (to $130), with the latter representing annual-high territory. As such, the shares have added 0.4% to trade at $118.03 -- and it looks like a very opportune time to purchase short-term premium on AAPL options, from a volatility perspective.

The tech company is slated to report earnings one week from tonight, but as we noted last week, volatility expectations are relatively muted. Specifically, AAPL's Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) of 95 suggests the stock has tended to make bigger moves than what the options market has priced in during the prior year. What's more, the equity's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 25% ranks in the bottom quartile of its annual range, suggesting short-term contracts can be scooped up on the cheap, relatively speaking.

Speaking of which, it looks like options traders have been buying to open AAPL calls over puts at an extreme rate ahead of earnings. Specifically, the stock's 10-day International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) call/put volume ratio registers at an annual high of 2.56. Similarly, Apple's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) comes in at 0.61, in the low 27th annual percentile -- hinting at a pronounced call bias among options expiring in the next three months.

It's more of the same today, too, with calls roughly doubling puts -- 90,000 contracts to 47,000. However, the majority of the call options being exchanged belong to the front-month October series, which will expire Friday night, ahead of next week's earnings report.

High hopes aren't restricted to the options crowd, either. For instance, 28 of 33 analysts tracking AAPL rate it a "buy" or better. Plus, pessimism has been unwinding among short sellers. During the most recent reporting period, short interest dropped 9%, and now accounts for only 1% of the stock's outstanding float.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has done plenty to warrant this bullish attention. Since bottoming in May south of $90, the shares have been stair-stepping their way higher. In fact, over the past three months, AAPL stock has outperformed the broader S&P 500 Index (SPX) by more than 23 percentage points.

Sign up now for Schaeffer's Market Recap to get all the day's big stock movers, must-know technical levels, and top economic stories straight to your inbox.

Asian markets ended the day in positive territory, with a rise in crude oil futures giving stocks a boost. The U.S. dollar also weakened against a basket of foreign currencies, following Monday's soft manufacturing data and relatively hawkish comments from Federal Reserve Vice Chair Stanley Fischer.

Japan's Nikkei added 0.4%, even as the yen edged up. China's Shanghai Composite tacked on 1.4%, after data showed banks increased lending -- particularly to home buyers -- in September. Hong Kong's Hang Seng climbed 1.6% as casino stocks rebounded from Monday's losses, and South Korea's Kospi rose 0.6%.

In Europe, stocks are reacting to inflation data from the U.K., which showed consumer prices jumped by a better-than-expected rate of 1% in September -- its highest level since November 2014. A weaker U.S. dollar is also helping stoke a rally in energy and mining stocks -- and giving an assist to regional benchmarks. Despite a large drop for luxury goods stock Burberry, London's FTSE 100 was last seen up 1.2%. France's CAC 40 has added 1.4% and Germany's DAX is up 1.2%. 

Sign up now for Schaeffer's Market Recap to get all the day's big stock movers, must-know technical  levels, and top economic stories straight to your inbox. 

Analysts are weighing in on blue chip Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), streaming content stock Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX), and fast-food firm Del Taco Restaurants Inc (NASDAQ:TACO). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on INTC, NFLX, and TACO.

• INTC is pointed 1.6% higher pre-market, after Barclays upped its rating to "overweight" from "equal weight," and raised its price target to $45 from $38 -- territory not charted since late 2000. Given that the shares settled Monday at $37.29, they could make a run at their recent 15-year high of $38.36 today, with earnings scheduled after the close. Bullish options traders certainly wouldn't object. Intel Corporation has seen 1.65 calls bought to open for every put during the past 10 days at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX). The corresponding call/put volume ratio ranks in the top quartile of its annual range.

• NFLX is poised to gap 18.5% higher at the open, following a blowout earnings report and strong subscriber additions. Adding to the momentum, no fewer than 18 analysts raised their price targets on the stock, which could flirt with levels not seen since January and muscle into positive year-to-date territory. About the only detractor this morning has been Credit Suisse, which trimmed its price target on Netflix, Inc. to $130 from $132. Option bulls should be in good shape. Over the last 10 weeks, NFLX has racked up a call/put volume ratio of 1.38, outstripping 81% of all readings taken in the previous 12 months. Yesterday, the shares settled at $99.80, but a foray into triple digits is all but guaranteed at this point.

• TACO has advanced 8.1% in electronic trading, basking in the glow of an upbeat earnings report and positive analyst attention. Specifically, Piper Jaffray, Jefferies, and BTIG all boosted their price targets on the stock, which ended Monday at $12.63 -- up 18.6% year-to-date. An unwinding of short interest could contribute to additional gains for Del Taco Restaurants Inc, too. After all, 14.5% of the stock's float is sold short, which would take over two weeks to cover, at TACO's typical trading levels.

Don't miss the market's next move! Sign up now for Schaeffer's Midday Market Check