How could Apple be so stupid?
Let's see. You're a company running into serious global headwinds in a maturing (or mature market) that are raising huge doubts about your ability to increase unit sales quarter to quarter for your core product. You: a) Grimly admit that unit sales are stagnant and...
I’m selling my Amazon November 23 Puts today
When I bought the November 23 Puts (AMZN181123P01852500) with a strike price of $1852.50 on Amazon on Monday, October 22, I wasn't looking for a severe multiday sell off in the stock market that focused yesterday, October 24, at least, on growth stocks. Instead I was...
For another week when anticipated volatility is running high, here are three volatility plays
The financial markets are expecting another week of volatility almost as severe as last week. The futures market entered last week expecting a move of something like 70 points on the Standard & Poor's 500, according to calculations by Theo Trade. We got almost...
How low can volatility and the VIX go? And how fast?
Yesterday, October 16, the CBOE S&P 500 Volatility Index (VIX) fell 17.28% to 17.62. That's a huge drop from the closing local high of 24.98 on October 11. If the market's very, very positive reaction to Netflix earnings delivered after the close yesterday is any...
Buying Apple January 18 calls at $225 ahead of earnings
You may remember a pre-earnings trade that I advocated a few quarters back with Nvidia (NVDA) and a couple of other stocks. Well, I'm putting it on again today ahead of Apple's (AAPL) quarterly report now scheduled for October 30. I'm adding the January 18, 2019 call...
Selling VIX November 21 calls after volatility spike
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Holding Sangamo for a December catalyst
To subscribe to JAM you need to fill in some details below including, ahem, some info on how you'll pay us. A subscription is $199 (although if you're subscribing with one of our special offers it will be lower) for a year for ongoing and continuing access to the...
I almost pulled the trigger on my VIX Put complacency trade today–but not quite yet
I almost pulled the trigger and sold my VIX complacency trade today. On September 10 I added the December 19 Put on the CBOE S&P 500 Volatility Index (VIX) to my Volatility Portfolio with a strike of 13. The trade was coupled with a buy of the November 21 Call on...
Pioneer Natural Resources signs deal to cut fracking sand costs by 50%
It's always important to see who has the leverage--customers or suppliers--when costs start to rise. On the recent agreement between Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD), perhaps the dominant oil shale producer in the Permian Basin, and fracking sand producer U.S. Silica...
Oil climbs as Iranian exports plunge
West Texas Intermediate is up 1.32% to just below $70 a barrel ($69.82 at 3 p.m. New York time) today. International benchmark Brent crude is up 1.2% and is closing in on $80 a barrel ($78.99.) With almost 50 days to go before U.s. sanctions against Iran go into pull...
Do you have the patience for the Permian? Should you?
It hasn't exactly been a great few months oil shale producers in the Permian Basin. Shares of Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD), the biggest pure play on Permian oil, closed at $169.97 a share today, August 29, down from $212.31 a share on May 18. That's a decline of...Jim’s Stock Alerts
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