• DJIA 11,496.24 (+49.58)
• S&P500 1260.65 (+0.33)
• NASDAQ 2282.78 (-29.52)
• 10YR T-Note 4.081% (+0.043%)
• 52-WEEK LOWS
• Top Analyst Upgrades
• Top Analyst Downgrades

Continue reading Closing Bell: Great recovery continues, except for tech

Closing Bell: Great recovery continues, except for tech originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Monday marks the 8th anniversary of the NASDAQ reaching its' all time high. I remember the day quite clearly as it was a Friday and I got married on that Sunday. From March 10th 2000 to early Oct. 2002, the NASDAQ dropped about 78%, even with a bit of a comeback over the last five years, the index is still sitting over 55% under the all time high.

In fact since the recent high at the end of October, the index has shed more than 22%. What does all this mean? While we may not see a return to all-time NASDAQ highs for another decade, the index has again gotten very cheap. It could be that the index is setting up for a move to the upside. After all, this past Friday, the NASDAQ easily outperformed the DOW, and I think we are going to start seeing a rotation into technology names.

Tech earnings haven't been to bad. All the pundits will say that with a recession, tech spending will get cut. Go into your nearest Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) store and there are no signs of a recession. Check out the earnings for Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM), things look okay. Heck, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) is starting to look interesting as a value stock.

It may not happen tomorrow, but for long-term investors, technology maybe a place to think about investing.

Aaron Katsman is the lead Portfolio Manager and Managing Director of America Israel Investment Associates, LLC. and Senior Editor of IsraelNewsletter.com. DISCLOSURE: Writer's fund has no position in any stock mentioned, as of 3/9/08.

Happy Anniversary, NASDAQ originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 09 Mar 2008 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Computer Sciences(NYSE:CSC) call volume and volatility spikes on renewed speculation. CSC is recently up .97 to $61.27 on unconfirmed deal chatter Blackstone(NYSE:BX) or Hewlett Packard (NYSE:HPQ) will make a bid. CSC is frequently chatted as being sold to IBM (NYSE:IBM), Lockheed Martin(NYSE:LMT), United Technologies (NYSE:UTX) or private equity after Apollo Managements' bid for the CSC failed in the spring of 2006. CSC July 62.5 calls have traded 126 times on transaction volume of 3,459 contracts above its open interest of 2,356 contracts. CSC August option implied volatility of 36 is above its 26-week average of 25 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price fluctuations.

Option volume leaders today are: Novastar Financial (NASDAQ:NFI) and Apple Computer (NASDAQ:AAPL).

Daily Option Update is provided by Stock Options Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Option update 7-17-07: Computer Sciences call volume and volatility spikes on renewed speculation originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 17 Jul 2007 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Royal Dutch Shell(NYSE:RDS) volatility flat as BP is mentioned as M&A partner. RDS is recently up .56 to $83.95. The Daily Mail is reporting that BP and RDS are in merger talks. RDS over all option implied volatility of 17 is near its 26-week average according to Track Data, suggesting non-directional risk.

Dendreon(NASDAQ:DNDN) implied volatility & volume at low end of range last two days. DNDN, a biotechnology company focused on discovery, development and commercialization of therapeutics to fight cancer, is recently trading up .73 to $7.99. DNDN over all option implied volatility of 57 is below its 26-week average of 111 according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing risk.

Option volume leaders today are: Research in Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM), Apple Computer (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU).

Daily Option Update is provided by Stock Options Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Option update 7-3-07: Royal Dutch Shell volatility flat originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 03 Jul 2007 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) -- volatility Elevated on renewed Kerkorian speculation. HOT, a leading hotel and leisure company, is frequently mentioned as a private equity break up/recapitalization candidate. Chatter is circulating that Kirk Kerkorian's Tracinda has a mid-$90's offer on the table for HOT. HOT is recently up $0.63 to $70.64. HOT has a market cap of $15 billion with long term debt of $1.8 billion. HOT reported quarterly March 2007 total revenue of $1.4 billion. HOT July option implied volatility of 34 is above its 26-week average of 27 according to Track Data, suggesting larger risk.

Countrywide Financial Corp. (NYSE: CFC) -- volatility not confirming renewed takeover speculation. CFC, the largest U.S. home mortgage lender, is recently up 26 cents to $38.16. CFC July option implied volatility of 36 is near its 26-week average of 34 according to Track Data, suggesting slightly larger price fluctuations.

Option volume leaders today are: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), Freeport McMoran (NYSE: FCX), Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE: GS) and Valero Energy Corp. (NYSE: VLO).

Daily Option Update is provided by Stock Options Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Option update 6-14-07: Starwood up on renewed Kerkorian speculation originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 14 Jun 2007 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Is RIMM's Blackberry the affordable alternative to iPhone? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 May 2007 12:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Dow Jones (NYSE: DJ) implied volatility Flat prior to CNBC report of NWS bid.

• NWS makes $60 dollar bid for DJ according to CNBC's David Faber.
  
• DJ overall option implied volatility of 24 was near its 26-week average according to Track Data prior to DJ trading halt, suggesting non-directional risk before report.

New York Times (NYSE: NYT) volatility spikes on NWS interest in DJ reported by CNBC.

• NYT is recently up $1.82 to $25.21. NWS makes $60 dollar bid for DJ according to CNBC's David Faber.
  
• NYT May option implied volatility of 27 is above its 26-week average of 23 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price risk.

Option volume leaders today are: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Dendreon Corp. (NASDAQ: DNDN).

Daily Option Update is provided by Stock Options Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Option update 5-1-07: NYT volatility spikes following NWS interest in Dow Jones originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 01 May 2007 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is part of our Battle of the Brands feature. Let us know which brand you prefer, and watch out for more Battle of the Brands posts.

It seems that the competition that has been brewing between Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) has never really died down from the late 1970s, even as both companies have had ups and downs in the stock market and in the consumer products market as well. The battle between Apple and Microsoft has been (and will be) a perfect case study for future business textbooks at the best universities, as the fight between the two has been nothing short of amazing in the past 25 years or so.

Apple

Apple's start began with Steve Jobs (visionary guru) and buddy Steve Wozniak (tech guru) trying to find a way to get customers buying the personal computer before the market and world even knew what a personal computer was. Steve Jobs was trained in calligraphy and wanted the PC experience to be just as much an art and visceral, visible experience as a technical, computer program-interface experience. With that vision, and with a little help from friends, the two Steves started selling Apple's first PC products out of a garage about 27 years ago in the Southern California area, after Jobs dropped out of college due to lack of funds and general boredom.

What transpired throughout the early 1980s was the rapid growth of Apple Computer Inc. as the PC powerhouse at the same time it was grabbing the attention of MicroSoft (later renamed Microsoft Corp.) founder Bill Gates, who had dropped out of Harvard to pursue his vision of coming up with a PC operating system that he could "license" to all the big hardware manufacturers to use on their machines. But, Gates needed a nice interface to ensure his product was better than Apple's.

Continue reading Apple vs. Microsoft: Battle of the Brands

Apple vs. Microsoft: Battle of the Brands originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 09 Apr 2007 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Volatility Index for S&P 500 Options (VIX) is up .14 to 13.10.

Oakley (NYSE: OO) -- implied volatility suggests flat risk as OO trades towards record high. OO, a designer, developer, manufacturer, and distributor of eye wear & accessories, has rallied sharply over the last four days. OO is recently up $1.59 to $23.16. OO has a market cap of $1.53 billion with zero long-term debt. OO reported 2006 annual revenue of $761 million. OO April option implied volatility is at 33, May at 31; near its 26-week average according to Track Data, suggesting non-directional price fluctuations.

Genentech (NASDAQ: DNA) -- option implied volatility suggests decreasing risk into 4/11 EPS. DNA is expected to report EPS of .67 cents on 4/11/07 according to Thomson Financial Network. Robert Bard says "despite DNA's tepid Q107 overall revenue guidance, we do think Avastin upside potential is strong, and may continue to drive the stock. Reiterate Outperform rating." DNA April option implied volatility of 21 below its 26-week of average of 25 according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price fluctuations.

Option volume leaders today are: Consol Energy (NYSE: CNX), Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Amgen Inc. (NYSE: AMGN).

Daily Option Update is provided by Stock Options Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Option update 4-5-07: Oakley, Genentech originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 05 Apr 2007 13:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Volatility Index for S&P 500 Options (VIX) is up .16 to 13.62.

Cypress Bioscience (NASDAQ: CYPB) -- option implied volatility Elevated at 194. CYPB closed at $7.46. Data from CYPB's end PII Milnacipran (Fibromyalgia Syndrome; FMS) trail, is expected to be released before mid-year. JEFF has a Buy on Attractive Risk/Reward with a $14 price target on CYPB. JEFF says "our diligence with investigators and statisticians increase our confidence in the prospects for a positive outcome." CYPB June option implied volatility is at 194 according to Track Data, suggesting large price fluctuation risk.

Starwood (NASDAQ: HOT) -- implied volatility suggests Flat risk; HOT at Record price on Chatter. HOT, a leading hotel and leisure company, is frequently mentioned as a private equity break up-recapitalization candidate. HOT is up $1.13 to $70.97. HOT's CEO Steve Heyer resigned on 4/12/07. HOT will announce EPS on 4/26. HOT has a market cap of $16 billion with long term debt of $2.3 billion. HOT reported 2006 annual total revenue of $5.9 billion. HOT May option implied volatility of 26 is near its 26-week average according to Track Data, suggesting non-directional risk.

Option volume leaders today are: Best Buy (NYSE: BBY), Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Altria (NYSE: MO).

Daily Option Update is provided by Stock Options Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Option update 4-4-07: CYPB volatility suggests larger risk originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Apr 2007 13:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

An Apple a day will soon push the DRM hassles away originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 03 Apr 2007 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Volatility Index for S&P 500 Options (VIX) is up 1.33 to 14.28.

Option volume leaders today are: Apple Computer (NASDAQ: AAPL), Tesoro (NYSE: TSO), Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT).

Dendreon (NASDAQ: DNDN) straddles the expensive rating on heavy volume, suggesting Large Risk. DNDN, a biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapeutics that harness the immune system to fight cancer, is recently up $.57 to $5.03. DNDN's lead drug Provenge (for treatment of asymptomatic, metastatic, androgen-independent prostate cancer) has a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) review date on May 15th. DNDN call option volume of 15,831 contracts compares to put volume of 14,850 contracts. The DNDN April 5 straddle is at $3.20 and the May straddle is priced at $4.05, suggesting large price risk.

Options update - March 26, 2007 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 26 Mar 2007 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Volatility Index S&P 500 Options-VIX down 0.21 to 12.72

Genentech Inc. (NYSE:DNA) option volatility at all-time lows as news flows from Analyst day. DNA is recently down $3.06 to $82.22.
DNA is providing investors today with an overview of recent developments. DNA says it "aims to bring at least 20 new molecular entities into clinical development between 2006 and 2008." Bloomberg reported DNA that said Avastin lung cancer study was stopped for safety. DNA call option volume of 12,491 contracts compares to put volume of 11,435 contracts. DNA April option implied volatility of 20 is below its 26-week of 25 according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price risks.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) option implied volatility flat as ABT near 5-year high into ACC 2007. ABT is recently at $54.28.
ABT has four business segments: Diagnostic Products, Nutritional Products, Pharmaceutical Products & Vascular Products. The American College of Cardiology annual meeting takes place in New Orleans, March 24-27. ABT overall option implied volatility of 18 near its 26-week average according to Track Data, suggesting non-directional risk.

Option update - March 23, 2007 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 23 Mar 2007 13:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Volatility Index S&P 500 Options-VIX up .05 to 12.30

BJ Services Co. (NYSE:BJS) calls active at low implied volatility on M&A chatter.
BJS, a provider of pumping and oilfield services for the petroleum industry, is recently up $0.51 to $27.24 on unconfirmed chatter Halliburton Co. (NYSE:HAL) is interested in BJS. BJS has a market cap of $7.9 billion with long term debt of $499 million. BJS reported annual 2006 sales of $4.3 billion. BJS call option volume of 15,700 contracts compares to put volume of 1,923 contracts. BJS April option implied volatility of 32 is below its 26-week average of 35 according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price risk.

Unisys Corp. (NYSE:UIS) implied volatility indicates Flat risk; UIS mentioned as target of Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL).
UIS, a technology services and solutions company, is recently up $0.16 to $8.59. Dow Jones reported on 3/21 that Michael "Dell said in China that one of his company's top priorities is to boost its services business and that there will likely be acquisitions in that area." Dow Jones listed BE, SAPE & UIS as potential targets. DELL has a market cap of $52 billion. UIS has a market cap of $2.9 billion with long term debt of $1 billion and annual 2006 sales of $5.7 billion. UIS overall option implied volatility of 38 is near its 26-week average according to Track Data, suggesting non-directional price risk.

Option volume leaders today are: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Motorola Inc. (NYSE:MOT) and Palm Inc. (NASDAQ:PALM).

Option update - March 22, 2007 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 22 Mar 2007 13:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple's Jobs hits his magnum opus: Microsoft's Gates retiring with a whimper originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 09 Mar 2007 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple, Inc. and Apple Corps Ltd. settle trademark dispute originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 05 Feb 2007 10:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Note: The Daily Option Update is provided by Options Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Volatility Index S&P 500 Options-VIX down .32 to 10.02.

eBAY, Inc.-(NASDAQ:EBAY) option volume & implied volatility elevated at 52 into EPS

eBAY, an operator of a global online trading marketplace including an electronic payment platform PayPal, is expected to report EPS of .28 cents after the close. EBAY will implement fee changes-increase on 1/30/07. EBAY February option implied volatility of 52 is above its 26-week average of 40 according to Track Data, indicating larger risks.

Corning Inc. (NYSE:GLW) option volume heavy, implied volatility decreases as GLW rallies on EPS

Corning reported 4th quarter EPS of .31 cents verses consensus estimates of .28 cents. Corning is recently up $2.00 to $20.84. Buckingham has a $34 price target on Corning. Corning call option volume of 46,801 contracts compares to put volume of 16,919 contracts according to Track Data. Corning February option implied volatility of 31 is below a level of 44 prior to Corning releasing EPS. Decreasing option implied volatility suggests decreasing price fluctuations.

Option volume leaders today were: Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO), Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD), Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM) and eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY).

Daily Option Update - January 25, 2007 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Jan 2007 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Jobs has another legal battle of historical proportions on his hands besides the options backdating scandal. Bloomberg News is reporting (via the Los Angeles Times) that Jobs has lost a battle to demolish a
Spanish Colonial style mansion he owns near San Francisco.

A preservation group sued after the city of Woodside and Jobs didn't consider alternatives to destroying the 17,250-square foot mansion, which Jobs bought 21 years ago and has never liked, Bloomberg says.

Perhaps Jobs can figure a way to preserve the Jackling House, named after copper magnate Daniel C. Jackling. Maybe he can restore it its original glory. While he's at it, he might take a stab trying to mend the damage to his reputation caused by the options backdating mess.

These have got to be tough times for the tech mogul. Jobs, who made his fortune looking ahead, now has to spend quite a bit of time looking back.

History isn't being kind to Steve Jobs as he loses battle to demolish old house originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 12 Jan 2007 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Engadget live: Apple iPhone in pictures

Engadget live: Apple iPhone in pictures originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Jan 2007 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

By now my readers and fellow bloggers have figured out that I like to navigate around the web looking in the jungles and swamps of the technology fringe culture.There's a rumor swirling about which puts forward a very interesting proposition.

As you may know, the one big deterrent to the rapid expansion of streaming broadband as the next juggernaut of in-home entertainment is simply the incredible size of the data load required to successfully accomplish the task. There's a new school of thought that believes that the data load can be successfully reduced by placing some of the bull work at the receiving end.

It is thought that broadband receiving units can be built and programmed to virtually "create" a percentage of the data needed to light up those pixels on your flat screen. In other words, content providers would stream as little as 60% of the original image and sound data, then the receiving unit in your home would extrapolate the balance of the data needed to fulfill the program.

For instance, if you were watching a movie scene that was taking place in an area that was very dark, the areas that are black (or nearly so) would be recreated in your receiver. That data wouldn't need to be sent to you. Another angle is to stream the content in a "two track" format. Audio and video would stream separately with the sound track arriving first. Then, the video portion would stream as a second "operation" and the two tracks would marry and synchronize in your home unit without you ever knowing the difference.

Is Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) working on something like this? Is Sony Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:SNE) going to make this happen? Is Apple Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) readying this technology? Who knows? For now it's just a very unsubstantiated rumor, but it's within the realm of possibility. I'll be here to let you know if I hear that anything like this takes form. Until then, it's back into the fringe technology swamp I go!

Too much, too fast: Who's going to give us the broadband bomb? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Jan 2007 13:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.