Call me sentimental, but there are many things I miss about my old stomping grounds of Cincinnati, Ohio. The trendy but well-run restaurants lining the Hyde Park neighborhood. Joseph-Beth, the best bookstore I've ever entered. Certain karaoke bars. Cincinnati chili, of course.

And Kroger. Yes, Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), headquartered in the Queen City, is the top grocery chain in the country, but has no locations in Chicago. I miss its store-brand crackers, its salad bar, and occasionally, even its commercials.

National City (NYSE: NCC) volatility Elevated; NCC sells off on EPS & loan exposure. NCC reported 3rd quarter 2007 net income of $106 million, or 18 cents per diluted share. Goldman Sachs says "turning NCC around is going to take time. Mortgage contributions are likely to remain depressed, while credit will remain an issue." NCC has a current dividend yield of 7.34%. NCC November option implied volatility of 45 is above its 26-week average of 31 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price fluctuations.

Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB) volatility Elevated as FITB near 10-year low. FITB, headquartered in Cincinnati, is recently down $0.99 to $28.99. Smith Barney says "while FITB was going through its regulatory issues, it tried to offset by taking on more rate risk. One of our concerns has been that it was also taking more credit risk." FITB November option implied volatility of 38 is above its 26-week average of 27 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price risks.

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

Here's an interesting little tidbit I recently culled from United Press International last week: It seems that a firm in Cincinnati is planning to market some snazzy electric retrofit cars.

The strategy is to take General Motors (NYSE: GM) Saturn vehicles, including four-door sedans and SUVs, rip the internal combustion engines out of them, and replace those engines with plug-in electric power plants, batteries, and some computer stuff. The company is called Advanced Mechanical Products Inc. and is reportedly headed up by partners Jack Kuntz and Steve Burns. The claims are that the cars will accelerate from 0 to 60 in about 6 seconds, run about 150 miles between charges, and will sell for under $50,000.

I'm wondering what the company will do with those left over Saturn engines. I'm also wondering why the choice of Saturns to retrofit. And I'm wondering where I put that ten-foot pole I had. No matter, I wouldn't touch this scenario with one anyway. Perhaps when those guys drive one from Cincinnati to my house, I might think about it, but until then my opinion is: Beware in Ohio.