China announced that it would temporarily halt additional tariffs on U.S.-made autos
Shares of Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) are up 1.5% at $8.62 in early trading -- bucking the broad-market trend lower -- after China confirmed that it would postpone additional tariffs on U.S.-made cars for another three months. Ford Motor's Joe Hinrichs, president of the Americas unit, said, "We are very encouraged by China's announcement today."
Ford stock has been in a steady decline since its June highs, and is down about 31% this year. F hit an eight-year low of $8.17 on Oct. 24, and subsequent rebound attempts have stalled in the $9.50-$9.90 area, now home to the equity's 100-day moving average .
Analysts have been cautious about the stock, with eight of 11 doling out a tepid "hold" rating. Likewise, its consensus 12-month price target of $9.99 represents just a 15.5% premium to F's current levels. Again, however, the shares would need to topple aforementioned resistance in order to break into double-digit territory.
Amid concerns about the U.S.-China trade war, option bears have been swarming the stock. On the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), the equity's 10-day put/call volume ratio of 1.59 is in the 98th percentile of its annual range. This indicates traders have bought to open Ford puts over calls at a much faster-than-usual clip on the past two weeks. Echoing that, Ford's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 0.81 sits in just the 89th percentile of its annual range, indicating that near-term traders have rarely been more put-biased in the past 12 months.