Stubborn Put Option Action Continues in Cognizant Technology

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on December 12, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} It is CTSH’s sixth straight positive close on strong buying volume. CTSH has closed up 9 out of the last 10 trading days. Source: FreeStockCharts.com Despite the strength on display, … Read more

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

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

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

Wide Options Skew Heightens Risk of Trading Yelp.com Lockup Expiration

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on August 27, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) Yelp.com (YELP) has a float of 16.59M shares and shares outstanding of 61.2M. According to Eric Savitz, 52.7M shares (Class B) are available to start trading on August 29th as Yelp’s … Read more

T2108 Update (June 22, 2012) – Stop and Go Traffic

(T2108 measures the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages [DMAs]. 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 are posted on twitter using the #120trade hashtag) T2108 Status: 39.6% VIX Status: 18.1 … Read more

Shorts Back Off Lender Processing Services As Overall Prospects Continue To Improve

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on May 31, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} Since a spate of heavy call buying in February, short interest has taken a fresh plunge. It has now returned to levels last seen right before foreclosuregate exploded. Source: NASDAQ.com … Read more

Chart Review: Apple’s Revenge Part Two

It seems Friday’s stalemate was indeed a demonstration of Apple buyers finally putting up a fight. Apple’s stock is still in a short-term downtrend, but the trading action has been electrifying almost the entire way down. The wild swings and near symmetry of the move downward are the kind of “art” that only a chart … Read more