Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) closed at a record high of $124.52.

• RIMM and Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) announced an agreement to distribute BlackBerry handsets in China.
  
• Smith Barney says: "We continue to believe RIMM's stock price appreciation is fundamental. We reiterate our Buy rating on RIMM."
  
• RIMM November option implied volatility of 59 is above its 26-week average of 48 according to Track Data, suggesting larger risk.

Countrywide Financial (NYSE: CFC), a U.S. home mortgage lender, closed at $15.05.

• CFC is expected to report EPS on 10/26.
  
• CFC November option implied volatility of 103 is above its 26-week average of 61 according to Track Data, suggesting larger risk.

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

Office Depot, Inc. (NYSE: ODP) had 1,186 retail stores in North America and another 369 stores owned, licensed or franchised in other parts of the world as of June 30th.

Smith Barney says "shares of ODP appear undervalued but few data points loom in the next quarter or two to drive them higher." ODP is expected to report earnings per share (EPS) in late October. ODP January option implied volatility of 43 is above its 26-week average of 33 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price fluctuations.

Baker Hughes Incorporated (NYSE: BHI) is engaged in the oilfield service sector. BHI recently up $1.01 to $92.12.

BHI has a market cap of $29.5 billion with long term debt of $1 billion. BHI is expected to report EPS on October 26th. BHI reported on October 8th its September rig count rose to 1,032 from 1,009 in August 2007. BHI November 95 calls have traded 59 times on contract volume 2,878 contracts, above its open interest of 834 contracts. BHI November 100 calls have traded 170 times on contract volume 18,641 contracts above its open interest of 480 contracts. BHI November option implied volatility of 34 is near its 26-week average of 30 according to Track Data, suggesting slightly larger risk.

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

Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) recently trading up $15.29 to $609.20.

GOOG is expected to report earnings per share (EPS) on October 18th. GOOG October at the money 580 straddle is priced at $32.10. GOOG October option implied volatility of 38 is above its 26-week average of 27 according to Track Data, suggesting larger risk.

The Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) CEO Glenn Murphy hosted a meeting with analysts on October 5th.

Smith Barney says "Mr. Murphy is focused on making the company gets an adequate return on its investments. This includes a focus on the expense of the business. We suspect there will be continued focus on moderating the cost structure and assessing various cost components, including marketing. We think the real estate portfolio is under review." GPS over all option implied volatility of 31 is near its 26-week average according to Track Data, suggesting flat price risk.

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

Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) is recently up $9.14 to $109.64.

• Morgan Keegan says: "Trends still very strong; raising fiscal 2009E EPS to $2.98."
  
• RIMM is expected to report EPS after the close tonight.
  
• RIMM total option volume is heavy on 191,243 contracts trading. RIMM October option implied volatility of 49 is below a level of 87 from last night prior to EPS. RIMM average option implied volatility over the last 26-weeks is 44 according to Track Data.

SanDisk (NASDAQ: SNDK) a supplier of flash data storage card products, is recently down $0.76 to $52.43.

• SNDK is expected to report EPS on 10/18.
  
• Smith Barney-SBSH has a $71 price target on SNDK. SBSH said on 10/4 "contract pricing a negative, new products a partial offset."
  
• SNDK October option implied volatility is at 64, November is at 52, above its 26-week average of 44 according to Track Data, suggesting larger near term price risks.

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

Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU) volatility flat on reports of BIDU TV.

www.Baidu.com, a Chinese language internet search provider, closed at $203.21. SBSH has a $250 price target on BIDU. Smith Barney says that "according to article on www.Tech163.com and it www.sohu.com, BIDU has started to test its BIDU TV advertising display on its union sites on 8/21." BIDU September option implied volatility of 50 is near its 26-week average according to Track Data, suggesting non-directional risks.

SINA Corp (NASDAQ: SINA) option implied volatility flat at 42.

www.SINA.com, a leading online media company and value added information service provider for Chinese communities, closed at $40.30. CIBC World said on 8/7 "SINA maintains a solid market leadership position in branded advertising, supported by stable traffic growth and solid relationships with larger advertisers." SINA overall option implied volatility of 42 is above its 26-week average of 39 according to Track Data, suggesting non-directional risk.

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

Newell Rubbermaid Inc (NYSE: NWL) held it analyst day with the investment community on Tuesday. Yesterday, Newell was getting upgraded across the board.

We began blogging about the merits of Newell's turnaround back in April when the stock was trading at $26, today the stock is around $31, up 19%. Merrill, Smith Barney and Oppenheimer have raised its price targets to $34-to-$35 price range.

In my opinion, the analysts' price targets are too low. Estimates are for Newell to earn $1.95 per share, but Newell will most likely earn over $2.00. Also, as the company exceeds earnings expectations, the P/E investors are willing to pay will go from 18x to 20x. I see Newell's stock price approaching $40 by the end of 2007.

Each year Steven Halpern, editor of TheStockAdvisors.com, surveys the leading financial newsletter advisors asking for their favorite stocks for the coming year. This article is part of his 24th annual Top Picks Report.

Citigroup (NYSE: C) is the favorite conservative idea for 2007 from Dr. Mark Skousen, editor of Forecasts & Strategies and the host of the annual FreedomFest investor think tank.

"Citigroup is the most dominant banking institution in the history of the world. As the world's largest bank, it has over 200 million customers, and branches in over 100 countries. During the 1980s and 1990s, Japanese banks dominated the world. But Citibank has returned to its glory.

"What about the Citigroup, the stock? In addition to Citibank, Citigroup owns Salomon Brothers, Smith Barney, Traveler's, Primerica, and other financial services.

"And business is good. Profit margins at Citigroup are an outstanding 29%, and the bank has had a policy of paying a rising dividend for years, with a current quarterly dividend of 49 cents, or a 3.5% yield, one of the highest among Dow stocks.

"The stock is up 12% for the year, but continues to languish behind other financial institutions, such as Goldman Sachs, which has doubled in the past year. According to the technicals, Citigroup is in a clear investment uptrend. And despite being downgraded by several Wall Street analysts lately, Citigroup appears poised to move higher."

To see Mark's speculative favorite for 2007, click here.