Midday Unusual Options Activity Update: GMCR, HPQ, KGC, GILD, FRO, NVLS, EWT

Posted November 22nd, 2011 by Joseph Cusick in Unusual Activity

Implied Volatility Movers And Unusual Volume Movers For Midday 11/22/2011

Implied Volatility Movers
Shares of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR) are volatile today. After gaining nearly 5 percent Monday, shares opened higher and jumped 3 percent Tuesday morning. The stock then sank 10.8 percent in morning action, before rebounding again into midday. GMCR has now cut the dayís loss in half and is down $2.19 to $50.72. The volatility in the share seems to have stirred up a lot of interest in options on the stock. 15,000 calls and 30,000 puts traded in GMCR through midday. Weekly 40, 45, and 50 puts, which expire at the end of this week, are the most actives. Meanwhile, implied volatility in the options on the stock jumped 8 percent and remains elevated at 87.

Unusual Volume Movers
Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) options volume is running 2.5X the (22-day) average, with 117,000 contracts traded and put activity accounting for 58 percent of the volume.

Kinross Gold (KGC) options volume is 5X the average daily, with 78,000 contracts traded and call volume representing 89 percent of the activity.

Gilead Sciences (GILD) options volume is running 3X the average daily, with 26,000 contracts traded and call volume representing 80 percent of the total volume.

Increasing options activity is also being seen in Frontline (FRO), Novellus (NVLS), and the iShares Taiwan Fund (EWT).

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About Joseph Cusick

Joseph Cusick currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Education and a Senior Market Analyst for optionsXpress. Mr. Cusick seeks out common sense and technologically scalable educational pathways for self-directed investors of all experience levels. He is largely responsible for ramping up delivery of online and offline seminars to customers and potential clients worldwide. Prior to serving in his current role, Mr. Cusick immersed himself in the broker side of optionsXpress by managing his own book of business. Prior to joining optionsXpress, Mr. Cusick served as a market maker and portfolio manager at the Chicago Board of Options Exchange. Joseph is a graduate of Marquette University and holds his Series 4, 7 and 63 registrations with FINRA.

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