Friday’s stock and options volumes were much lower than the average of the past 2 weeks, even among single stocks in the midst of earnings season. Here were the few standouts:
1. XLE – Put volumes returned after a one week reprieve, as XLE struggled around $87 resistance last week. Buyer of 47k of the Dec 82 / 75 put spread for $1.46 in the morning. XLE’s low in mid-October was $77.51. XLE closed on Friday down 4% year-to-date.
2. CMCSA – Seller of 30k of the Jan15 55 calls at 1.64 in the afternoon. CMCSA has been rangebound throughout 2014, trading between $48 and $58 the entire year. The stock was up 3% last week after a strong earnings report.
3. CTXS – Citrix sold off 4.5% on Thursday after its earnings report, but ended the week down only 1.5%. Buyer of 25k of the Nov 65 puts for 3.30 to close midday, taking a loss on a put position that was sold to open at $0.95 on Sept 23rd. CTXS is flat on the year.
4. FOXA – Seller of around 20k of the Nov 33 calls at an average price of $1.11 around noon. FOXA has traded between $31 and $36 for much of the past year. The company reports earnings after the close on November 4th.
5. AAL – AAL’s bounce in the past 2 weeks exceeded 30%, an incredibly swift move for a $28 billion market cap company. The Jan15 45 call line was the most active, with a seller of 12,500 at 1.08 in the morning. AAL’s high of the year is $44.88.