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...
Adding a buy on shares of Sangamo Therapeutics for Tuesday, September 11, in my Volatility Portfolio
On Monday September 10, I snuck a buy recommendation for shares of Sangamo Therapeutics (SGMO) in just before the 5 p.m. deadline for my daily e-mail update. Here's a full post on the logic for that recommendation. I'd has been a wild ride for shares of biotech...
Adding a put/call trade to my Volatility Portfolio
It's September, the middle month of the most volatile three month period in the investing year (historically on average.) We're in the midst of an emerging market crisis that's being driven by a strong U.S. dollar--and we're looking at the high likelihood of two more...
Selling Incyte calls at $95 now to re-buy after weekend at lower strike
Shares of Incyte (INCY), a member of my Jubak Picks portfolio, have been marching steadily higher in the last couple of weeks. The stock is 19.6% higher since the $61.75 low on August 6. And it's up another 2.06% today, Tuesday, August 28. But the call options I own...
Nektar beats on earnings–more importantly FDA accepts company’s new opioid for review
I'm on vacation through August 26. I'm trying to use this down time to catch up on earnings results that I missed during the very busy second quarter earning season. After the market close on Wednesday, August 8, Nectar Therapeutics (NKTR) reported earnings of $5.33 a...
Rebuying Equinor call options at $25 for my Volatility Portfolio
When  I sold my options on Equinor (EQNR) out of my Volatility Portfolio back on July 18, the idea was to take some profits (I was looking at a better than 50% gain and the shares were trading at $26.42) and to roll the calls with an October 19, 2018 expiration with a...
My August 17 NKTR calls run out of time–selling out of the Volatility Portfolio
The catalysts are out there, as Fox Mulder, might say, but the August 17 call options with a strike of $60 have run out of time. I'm selling today with a 86% loss since I added them on June 6, 2018. Thanks to the huge gains in previous rounds of Nektar options in...
Buying new cobalt player Wheaton Precious Metals in my Volatility Portfolio
Yesterday in Part 3 of my Special Report on "Investing in a Late Cycle Market" I made Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) one of my "musical chairs" picks. Please note that I could have argued for buying this stock on its exposure to silver and gold. (Gold and silver will...Jim’s Stock Alerts
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