Weekly calls were hot on Apple Inc. (AAPL) ahead of tomorrow's big product reveal
It was
off to the races for U.S. benchmarks today, as speculation swirled that China's dismal economic backdrop could prompt a new round of stimulus measures. Across all 12 options exchanges, 6.4 million calls crossed, compared to 6.0 million puts. The day's put/call volume ratio closed at 0.92.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) call players were
quick to target the weekly 9/11 series ahead of tomorrow's highly anticipated event, while
Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) saw
a rare surge in call volume, despite receiving a negative analyst note. Elsewhere,
Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MCHP) calls traded at nearly five times the average daily pace -- with the October 44 strike garnering the most attention -- after the company offered upbeat guidance and
received some love from the brokerage bunch.
Put players
continued to target Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE:CHK), with the contracts crossing at 1.5 times the average daily pace. It looks as if one speculator in particular may have initiated a massive
put ratio spread in the October series to bet on move to $6 over the next several weeks.
What a difference a day makes:
Yamana Gold Inc. (USA) (NYSE:AUY) tumbled today -- following a price-target cut at HSBC -- and put volume soared to five times what's typically seen.
