Today was an up-day that started out in positive territory and stayed that way nearly the entire day. Earnings news took little out of the indexes even if there was profit taking after many individual reports. There was also no real economic data to digest, so stocks acted on their own.

Here were the official closing bell levels:

S&P 500 1,207.18 +9.66 (0.81%)
Dow 11,130.59 +38.54 (0.35%)
Nasdaq 2,500.64 +20.53 (0.83%)

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage on BloggingStocks:

• Apollo Group Inc. (APOL) second quarter EPS guidance fell short of analysts' estimates, sending shares lower.
• CBS Corp. (CBS) higher Q4 earnings were in line with analysts' expectations but free cash flow declined.
• Deere & Co. (DE) posted higher Q1 earnings that easily topped expectations, sending shares sharply higher.
• Gap Inc. (GPS) received a downgrade from an analyst that foresees contracting earnings, returns and margins.
• Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) better-than-expected Q1 results were accompanied by a better-than-expected outlook.

MGM Mirage (MGM) shares sank Thursday after it posted disappointing quarterly results.

The casino operator said it lost $433.9 million, or 98 cents a share, in the fourth quarter, compared with a loss of $1.15 billion, or $4.15 a share in the year-ago period. Excluding charges and other items, MGM lost 21 cents per share; analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters had expect a smaller loss of 13 cents per share.

Last Friday, MGM Mirage (MGM) was heavily targeted by put players, with bearishly oriented option volume rising to more than twice the usual level. About 30,000 puts crossed the tape during the course of the session, compared to MGM's typical put volume of just 13,000 contracts.

The International Securities Exchange (ISE) reports that traders on Friday bought to open 5,064 puts on MGM, compared to just 1,009 calls. In other words, traders purchased roughly five times more puts than calls.

In fact, MGM now sports a 10-day ISE put/call volume ratio of 1.25, which ranks higher than 97.5% of other such readings taken during the past year. This lofty ratio reveals that speculative investors have rarely scooped up puts over calls at a faster pace.

MGM Mirage (MGM) closed at $11.95. February option implied volatility is at 67; March is at 72; below its 26-week average of 81, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Kinross Gold (KGC) closed at $20.03. Gold is recently mixed at $1134 according to Bloomberg. February option implied volatility is at 41, May is at 47; versus its 26-week average of 50 according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

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

MGM Mirage (MGM) closed at $10.56. MGM says Dubai World's financial troubles wouldn't affect its CityCenter project. MGM December and January option implied volatility of 70 is below 26-week average of 89, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Hologic (HOLX), a digital mammography company, closed at $14.42. HOLX will be displaying its diagnostic imaging products at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 2009 Annual Meeting today. December option implied volatility is at 43, January is at 42; below its 26-week average of 50, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

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

Valero Energy (NYSE: VLO) closed at $18.31. VLO is expected to report Q2 EPS on July 28. Crude oil futures are recently up 0.82% to $68.61. VLO August call option implied volatility is at 38, puts are at 43; below its 26-week average of 61, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

MGM Mirage (NYSE: MGM) closed at $7.73. MGM is expected to report Q2 EPS on August 3. August option implied volatility is at 83; September is at 87; below its 26-week average of 110, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

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

Analyst upgrades:

• Citigroup upgraded Lennar (NYSE: LEN) to Buy from Hold as it believes the company's near-term liquidity profile is improved following the $400M debt issuance. The firm raised its target price to $12 from $11.
• Jefferies upgraded Rowan Companies (NYSE: RDC) to Buy from Hold as it believes jack-up drillers will continue to outperform deepwater names. The firm raised its target price to $27 from $20.
• Keefe Bruyette upgraded First Financial (NASDAQ: FFIN) to Market Perform from Underperform to reflect more positive loan data for the Texas banks. The firm raised its target price on shares to $44 from $38.
• MGM Mirage (NYSE: MGM) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.
• Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at JMP Securities.
• Brinker (NYSE: EAT) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Barclays.

MGM Mirage (NYSE: MGM) showed its hand in the earnings confessional Monday night after the close. The gaming firm banked 38 cents per share, or $105.2 million, compared with year-ago results of 40 cents ($118.3 million). Net revenue was down 20% to $1.5 billion.

Excluding gains related to the sale of Treasure Island resort, the company lost six cents per share, falling short of analysts' estimates. MGM CEO and Chairman Jim Murren told investors in a conference call that while room rates are "firming" and overall demand seems improved, "[MGM] is not out of the woods yet by any stretch in this market ... at least [visitors] have got their wallets in their pockets [now] and they're spending a little more."

Late last Friday, casino giant MGM Mirage (NYSE: MGM) announced that it would provide $200 million to keep its $8.7 billion CityCenter project running.

This move should help resolve a "likely bankruptcy filing." Of the $200 million, $100 million should be provided by Dubai World, which is MGM's partner in the CityCenter joint venture. MGM stated that the funding is "with the authorization of its senior lenders" and satisfies the necessary sponsor equity contributions.

After days of rallying, the market decided that bank stocks had gone much too far. With no first quarter earnings out, the fact is that the current quarter could still be tough. Financial shares could still reset lower. The market reacted accordingly.

The unofficial numbers for the day broke out like this:

Dow 7,278.38 -122.42 (-1.65%)
S&P 500 768.54 -15.50 (-1.98%)
Nasdaq 1,457.27 -26.21 (-1.77%)

TOP ANALYST CALLS

Will some lights go out in Vegas? Donald Trump rolled the dice and lost. His Trump Entertainment Resorts has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Not to be outdone MGM Miraage (NYSE: MGM) now has the dice and must make its points to stay in the game.

In an economy like this, is anyone going to the game?

Yes -- but Pittsburgh people will stay in their cars (hotels are too expensive), and the Arizona people will stay in foreclosed houses (so they should feel right at home).

Speaking of hotels -- short 'em.

I received an e-mail from the Mirage in Las Vegas to come out to watch the Super Bowl for $69 a night.

Last time I was there for the Super Bowl, maybe 15 years ago, it was about $400 a night.

The Mirage is owned by MGM Mirage (NYSE: MGM), which is hovering at a technical support price. Once it breaks through, look out.

I'm not traveling to Tampa or Las Vegas -- I'm staying at home for the big game. And I'm shorting MGM.

Michael Shulman is a contributor to OptionsZone.com.

It's Super Bowl time.

This day of the year has almost reached holiday status where families and friends gather in front of big-screen TV to spend six hours watching a typically boring football game and stuffing themselves with nachos, wings and beer.

With all of the hoopla surrounding the event, this is a good time for investors to go for some Super Bowl profits.

Why? Looks like it's not just a pseudo-holiday -- it's a tradition:

This post is part of our feature on Money Losers of 2008. See all 20.

Our series of Money Losers for 2008 has its share of millionaires and billionaires on it. Personally, I think that is just wrong. While these people may have lost billions of dollars this past year, it doesn't seem fair to call them money losers. They will certainly survive this troubled time and still have their house, their cars, and (at least some of) their fortune. However, on the flip side, no one would read an article about Frank the farmer from Iowa who lost 50% of his life savings.

Kirk Kerkorian made his fortune by developing real estate and hotels in Las Vegas and by buying and selling movie studio MGM three times over. According to the Forbes 2008 list, he is the world's 41st-richest person with a net worth of $16.0 billion.

This year has seen some bumps in the road for Mr. Kerkorian. His private investment corporation Tracinda owns about 55% of MGM Mirage (NYSE: MGM) and made a very prominent bad call on Ford (NYSE: F) earlier this year.

MGM peaked around October of last year with a stock price upwards of $95. At that time, Tracinda's 55% state would have been worth about $14.5 billion. However, with today's share price of just $13.50, that chunk of MGM is "only" $1.5 billion. Of course these are only paper gains and paper losses at this point, but it still stings a little bit to look at the bottom line.