The e-commerce name could sell 30% of its stake in Weibo to Shanghai Media Group
The shares of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA) are down 1.8% at $112.70 this morning. Today's dip comes after Bloomberg reported that the e-commerce giant is now thinking of selling 30% of its stake in Weibo (WB) to Shanghai Media Group, which is owned by the Chinese government. This update comes amid mounting regulatory pressures for both companies.
Alibaba stock had has a rough go on the charts, culminating in a Dec. 3, four-year low of $108.70. The equity today slipped below a recent floor at the $115 level, which had been supporting the shares since earlier this month, while overhead pressure at the $130 level looms above.
The options pits lean pessimistic. The equity's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) sits in the elevated 73rd percentile of readings in its annual range. This means near-term put open interest outweighs call open interest by a wider-than-usual margin.
It is also worth noting that the security's Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) sits at 87 out of 100. In other words, BABA has exceeded option traders' volatility expectations during the last 12 months.