Bunge Limited (NYSE: BG) will acquire Corn Products (NYSE: CPO) for $56 in BG stock. CPO overall option implied volatility of 44 is near its 26-week average of 41 according to Track Data, suggesting slightly larger price movement.

Brigham Exploration (NASDAQ: BEXP), a natural gas company, closed at $15.85. BEXP July option implied volatility of 86 is above its 26-week average of 71 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

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

Brigham Exploration (NASDAQ: BEXP) explores for oil and gas across the Anadarko Basin, the Texas Gulf Coast, and West Texas. According to Hoover's, since its founding in 1990, the company has drilled more than 731 wells. Additionally, BEXP was one of the first small independent exploration/production concerns to utilize 3-D seismic imaging technology in its business.

On November 6, BEXP reported third-quarter earnings (before items) of 8 cents per share as revenue jumped 20% to $31.1 million. Analysts were expecting per-share results of 6 cents on $31 million in sales.

Since forming a bottom around the $4.20 level in early August, BEXP has shot solidly higher along the support of its 10-day and 20-day moving averages. This rally has additionally enabled the stock to muscle above its 20-month (200-day) moving average. In fact, the stock ended October above this trendline, the first such monthly close north of this threshold since December 2006.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Air France, BHP Billiton, AstraZeneca, Broadcom and Savvis were today's noteworthy downgrades:

• Goldman removed shares of Air France (NYSE: AKH) from its Conviction Buy List due to the increase in the price of fuel and the possibility of an economic slowdown.
  
• Goldman downgraded BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP) to Neutral from Buy and removed the stock from its Pan-Europe Buy List due to valuation.
  
• Merrill Lynch downgraded shares of AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) to Sell from Neutral to reflect increased competition from generic-drug makers, a poor pipeline and slow earnings growth.
  
• Wachovia downgraded shares of Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM) to Hold from Buy to reflect valuation and the company's lower than expected Q3 results. Shares were also lowered to Hold from Buy at Deutsche Bank.
  
• Stanford lowered Savvis (NASDAQ: SVVS) to Hold from Buy and notes that the company's Q3 results and Q4 revenue guidance brings the company's 2007 revenue outlook $15M below the consensus, and advises investors to remain on the sidelines. The firm believes the company's strategy is sound, but that its execution has been slow.

OTHER DOWNGRADES:

• Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI) and Akzo Nobel (OTC: AKZOY) were downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at JP Morgan.
  
• Friedman Billings downgraded the E&P sector, including Brigham Exploration Company (NASDAQ: BEXP), Mariner Energy (NYSE: ME) and Nobel Energy (NYSE: NBL) to Market Perform from Outperform.
  
• Baird downgraded Plantronics (NYSE: PLT) to Neutral from Outperform.
  
• Goldman downgraded Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) to Neutral from Buy.