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Short-term options traders are targeting Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Netflix, Inc. (NFLX)
The 20 stocks listed in the table below have attracted the highest total weekly options volume during the past 10 trading days. Names highlighted are new to the list since the last time the study was run, and data is courtesy of Schaeffer's Senior Quantitative Analyst Rocky White. Two names of notable interest are iPhone creator Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and streaming entertainment provider Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX).
Last week, short-term traders took a shine to weekly 1/9 107-strike calls on AAPL. The stock settled last Friday at $112.01, so those calls expired comfortably in the money.
In today's session, shares of Apple Inc. are off 1.4% at $110.48. The front-month January 2015 112-strike call is most active, as 15,814 contracts have been exchanged so far -- with volume almost evenly split between the bid and ask prices. Meanwhile, 30-day at-the-money implied volatility on AAPL has jumped to 38.1%, marking its highest point of the past 52 weeks.
As for NFLX, options players have been relatively upbeat lately. During the past 10 sessions, speculative players on the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) have bought to open 1.16 calls for every put on the stock. This ratio arrives in the 85th annual percentile, revealing a stronger-than-usual skew toward calls over puts.
Similar to AAPL, though, it's a front-month strike that's most active in NFLX's options pits today. More than 1,500 contracts have traded so far at the January 2015 320-strike put, with the majority crossing at the ask price. Netflix, Inc. shares are off 2.4% at $321.45 at last check, so this put option is just narrowly out of the money.