Not a surprise that options volumes were near their lows of the past year ahead of Thanksgiving. VIX spot touched 12 on Wednesday for the first time since September.
1. XLE – Dec5th expiration puts were active for the second straight day. The Dec5th 86/84 put spread traded 45k times for 1.70 in the afternoon. XLE is trading down about 4% in the pre-market at a 1 month low after the huge fall in crude oil on Thursday due to OPEC’s decision to keep production constant. XLE’s 52 week low is $77.51 from Oct. 15th.
2. BHP – Buyer of 12,500 of the Feb 47.5 puts for 0.59 in the morning. BHP touched a 5 year low this month as commodity price declines weigh on the stock. BHP has not traded below $47.50 since 2009.
3. CCI – Seller of 15k of the April 82.5 calls at 3.05 to open, possibly closing from an initiation on Sept. 17th for 3.45. CCI’s all-time high is $84.97 from October.
4. BRCM – Buyer of around 9k of the Jan15 45 calls for 0.86 in the afternoon. BRCM traded at its highest level since early 2011 on Wednesday, and is up 46% year-to-date. The 2011 high is $47.39.
5. TMUS – Trader paid 1.