CS stock is testing familiar support amid another down day
Monday's broad-market sell-off sent the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) up more than 115% -- its biggest one-day gain ever. As such, the VelocityShares Daily Inverse VIX Short-Term ETN (XIV) -- an exchange-traded note issued by Credit Suisse Group AG (NYSE:CS) that mirrors the inverse performance of VIX -- was down 14.3% at 99 when the stock market closed, and plunged more than 80% in after-hours trading.
Credit Suisse -- which is the largest holder of the ETN -- issued a statement saying the bank has not suffered any trading losses due to the XIV implosion. Nevertheless, the Swiss lender this morning set a redemption date of Feb. 20, for the volatility note, well ahead of the Dec. 4, 2030, maturity date.
Against this backdrop, CS stock fell 4% yesterday, and is down another 1.3% today to trade at $18.37. The shares are now testing their year-to-date breakeven mark, as well as their 40-day moving average -- a trendline that helped support the stock during a mid-November retreat.
Options traders in recent weeks have been bracing for even stiffer short-term headwind, too. In the last 10 sessions, the stock's February 19 put has seen the biggest rise in open interest, and Trade-Alert indicates mostly buy-to-open activity here. While the lifetime of these front-month options encompasses the financial firm's Feb. 14 earnings report, the bank stock has closed higher in the session after earnings in each of the past four quarters.