Interoil (IOC - option chain) stock is trading lower today after the company said it will have to redrill part of its Antelope-2 well in Papua New Guinea due to mechanical issues. The company now expects the horizontal extension at Antelope-2 to be completed in late April. Despite crude futres being up more than 2.5% today, IOC is down a good deal on this less-than-stellar news. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on IOC.

This morning, IOC opened at $66.43. So far today the stock has hit a high of $67.80 and a low of $65.00. As of 11:50, IOC is trading at $66.53, down $2.05 (-3.0%). The chart for IOC looks bearish.

InterOil Corp (NYSE: IOC) is a Canadian oil exploratory company with operations in eastern Papuan Basin New Guinea.

IOC has been frequently mentioned as a takeover name in the past.

IOC February call option implied volatility is at 98, puts are at 110, above its 26-week average of 86 according to Track Data, indicating large price movement. IOC March call option implied volatility is at 107, puts are at 123. IOC is difficult to borrow, resulting in puts priced higher than calls.

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

MAJOR PAPERS:

• Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co and Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE: GS) may not go through with their expected buyout of Harmon International Industries (NYSE: HAR), according to the Wall Street Journal, as a result of the credit crisis and lower results at Harmon.
• The Financial Times reported that Chinese PC maker Lenovo Group (OTC: LNVGY) is open to acquiring companies, but buying companies is not a top priority, according to Lenovo CEO Bill Amelio.

OTHER PAPERS:

• The Guardian reported that Google Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG) is considering a move into the U.K. wireless market after regulator Ofcom proposed taking back over a third of the mobile phone spectrum that Vodafone Group (NYSE: VOD) and O2 have been using for 22 years to auction it for new entrants.
• From BusinessWeek's "Inside Wall Street" column:
  
• How much higher can Apple Inc (NADSAQ: AAPL) go? Of the 27 analysts who track Apple, 23 still recommend buying it, 4 rate it a hold, while none advise selling it.
• A week after Boone Pickens disclosed a 9.9% stake in InterOil Corporation (NYSE: IOC), the stock gushed from $28 on Aug. 8 to $40.75 on Aug. 13, the day the oil-and-gas explorer disclosed it found evidence of oil in its Elk-2 well in Papua New Guinea.
  
• Bioenvision Inc (NASDAQ: BIVN), the small biotech that Genzyme Corporation (NASDAQ: GENZ) agreed to acquire in May at $5.60 a share, may not close on the deal unless Genzyme raises its offer.

Few people know the energy industry as well as T. Boone Pickens and, if you like to follow 13-D filings in search of investment ideas, you may want to take a look at InterOil (AMEX: IOC) because Pickens has increased his stake in the company to 9.9%.

It's interesting to see the once-feared raider involved in InterOil because it looks like a very speculative investment: InterOil is working on a natural gas project in Papua New Guinea, but currently has no proven reserves and a lot of debt. All this for a market cap of just south of $1 billion.

But if you're going to speculate on an energy stock, you could probably do a lot worse than to follow Pickens into InterOil. No one knows exactly what his intentions are -- he won't talk and neither will the company -- but the presence of such a prominent oilman should help the company's future fundraising efforts. The shares have been extremely volatile of late, but the upside of a super-investor may not be priced in yet.

I would continue to watch this one from the sidelines for now.

Palm Inc. (NASDAQ: PALM) -- implied volatility low into EPS. PALM closed at $16.24. PALM will announced EPS on 6/28. Nollenberger Capital says Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AAPL) "iPhone launch not a major issue for PALM. We believe that based on channel checks we have done that the iPhone is not positioned as a business phone and that core smartphone consumers will continue to look to standard operating system-based devices from PALM." PALM announced a strategic recapitalization with Elevation Partners on 6/4/07. PALM July option implied volatility of 37 is below its 26-week average of 43 according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing risk.

InterOil Corp. (NYSE: IOC) -- July straddle expensive at $6.40 as IOC sell off continues. IOC is a Canadian oil exploratory company with operations in eastern Papuan Basin New Guinea. IOC is recently down $4.56 to $25.76. IOC opened at $43.94 on 6/26/07. IOC released Elk-2 appraisal well drilling report No. 4 this morning. IOC July 35 straddle is at $6.40 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price fluctuations.

Option volume leaders today are: Crocs Inc. (NASDAQ: CROX), Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) and Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA).

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