Large Insider Purchases Contrast Extreme Bearishness In Herbalife

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on December 3, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) I was absolutely fascinated by a recent Seeking Alpha piece titled “The Surprising Truth Behind Herbalife Put Volume.” It is a revealing treatise and a cautionary reminder of why traders must … Read more

Monster Spike On Mild FDA Letter Setup By Previous Fear-Based Trading

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on November 28, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) On October 25th, I noted how intrepid traders had loaded up on November $45 puts ahead of news that Monster Beverage Corporation (MNST) was implicated in a lawsuit over the death … Read more

Cognizant Technology Breaks Out, Defying Recent Volume In Put Options

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on December 6, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) This is a quick follow-up to last week’s piece on Cognizant Technology (CTSH): “Cognizant Technology ‘On Watch’ For A Sell-Off Based On Put Option Volume.” At the time, I observed a … Read more

Cognizant Technology “On Watch” For A Sell-Off Based On Put Option Volume

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on November 28, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) In late July, Cognizant Technology (CTSH) was consolidating after a steep post-earnings sell-off in May. At the time, I argued this marked an opportunity to start accumulating the shares (see “Planning … Read more

T2108 Update (December 5, 2012) – Indecision, A Crushed Apple, And Falling Copper

(T2108 measures the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages [DMAs]. It helps to identify extremes in market sentiment that are highly likely to reverse. To learn more about it, see my T2108 Resource Page. You can follow real-time T2108 commentary on twitter using the #T2108 hashtag. T2108-related trades and other trades … Read more

Lessons Learned As Apple Earnings Deliver Dream for Options Sellers

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on October 26, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) After Apple (AAPL) re-opened for after-hours, post-earnings trading, I could tell the reaction would be mild when the stock barely dropped below $600 and immediately bounced. {snip} Regardless, anywhere around current … Read more

Lessons Learned From Earnings Trades For Google and Chipotle

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on October 22, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} Google (GOOG) GOOG was a stock that had a lot of momentum off the summer lows although it still trailed the NASDAQ (QQQ) year-to-date. Ironically, GOOG finally caught up to … Read more

Chart Review Update: Netflix Surge Closes Post-Earnings Gap Down

Just last week, I noted how Netflix (NFLX) neatly confirmed a bearish abandoned baby top with another earnings implosion. However, I did not discuss in more detail the implications of the stock’s strong bounce from its lows on the day although I tweeted about it. The following day, NFLX had a strong day marginally closing … Read more

Google’s Pre-Earnings Mystery At $800

Google (GOOG) reports earnings tonight (October 18th). I ran out of time for running my “earnings trade template,” but I wanted to take a few minutes to post some interesting observations on GOOG options. These may become good references for the next round of earnings. (See “Chipotle Bears Ready For Another Poor Earnings Performance But … Read more

Yelp.com Rally Creates Good Risk/Reward for Playing Persistently Large Options Skew

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on August 30, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) When I wrote “Wide Options Skew Heightens Risks Of Trading Yelp.com Lockup Expiration,” my main point was that Yelp.com (YELP) put options seemed too expensive to take the risk of playing … Read more