Why Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Will Soar In Price This Week - Part 2 [View article]
Yes, I was wrong about the direction of the stock move this week but my options positions made a solid gain, and I expect the stock will move higher next week. Friday's drop was largely due to the buy-write guys who let their stock be taken away from them. They also made a nice gain for the week (assuming they sold in-the-money calls as they usually do) but now they can move on to other opportunities.
Why Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Will Soar This Week [View article]
If anyone had followed my advice carefully, they would have bought GMCR Jun-13 40 calls and sold Feb2-13 47 calls as I suggested, paying somewhere less than $7.00 (I paid $6.80 for this spread, just under the intrinsic value at the time). Right now, those options could be closed out for $8.75 for a 30% gain. If the stock rallies any more before tomorrow's close, the gain would be greater.
Why Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Will Soar This Week [View article]
Selling strangles short is something I never do. The margin requirements are horrendous and the risk even greater. This stock has moved by more than 27% after the earnings announcement two times in the last year. What happens to your strangle if that happens once again?
Ackman Was Too Kind In His Attack On Herbalife [View article]
Very well written article. I guess it's clear that you don't like the MLM model. I don't like it either, but not as much as you.
Why don't you go after the gambling industry with this same kind of fervor? The losses to the average Joe are many times as great as the losses with MLMs like Herbalife.
As everyone seems to agree, it will be very interesting to see how this whole thing works out. I still think that while the MLM might smell worse than a teenager's sweatsocks, HLF is headed higher.
4 Serious Reasons Herbalife Is Headed Higher [View article]
It was never clear that Einhorn ever had a short position of any size, and if he did, it was all well before Ackman sold his shares (he was the one who publicly acknowledged he had sold some short - Einhorn never did until now we he said he took a profit).
How To Play The Starbucks Earnings Announcement [View article]
Yes, those bad old days with full commission rates. Many years ago one of the first discount brokers was a man named George Brown in Boston who became an acquaintance. His company was called Brown & Co. I was one of his biggest customers, trading options in volume (I never really had much of a nest egg), and he invited me to join him - I was in a doctoral program at UVA at the time and declined his offered - Brown & Co. is now eTrade - I sometimes wonder how different my life would be now if I had taken him up on his offer.
4 Serious Reasons Herbalife Is Headed Higher [View article]
You have confused Ponzi with pyramid - there is a world of difference. Does 400,000 new distributors in 9 months sound like saturation? How can you ignore the facts and just speculate on what you think should be happening?
The Facts Dispute The Claim That The Short-Term Volatility ETF Drifts Lower And Spikes Higher [View article]
I haven't disappeared, and my facts stand for themselves. My point was just that spikes don't just occur to the upside - in fact, they are more likely on the downside. By the way, my portfolio that bets on VXX falling has made over 20% this month.
How To Play The Starbucks Earnings Announcement [View article]
George - Wonderful to hear from you. I read everything you write if only for your humor which always brightens my day.
After reading your comments I think I will add some SBUX calendars that should make about 40% this week as long as the stock doesn't fluctuate over $4 which you suggest might be what happens. I won't hold you responsible for any possible losses (nor will I share any gains).
Keep your readers smiling! We love your off-beat thoughts.
How To Play The Starbucks Earnings Announcement [View article]
Good questions with no easy answers, I'm afraid. I chose 15 just because it was a good deal more than the number of straddles I owned. If I were more worried about a big move I would have bought more.
The best time is a tough question, too. I plan on buying and selling the straddles Wednesday and then the extra straddles nearer to the end of the day on Thursday just in case they might have decayed a little bit, but that timing is a pure crapshoot. Good luck.
How To Play The Starbucks Earnings Announcement [View article]
Good question - I used the average IV of the at-the-money puts and calls for each series as the best measure of the implied volatility for that series. That has proved to be the most accurate measure.
A Remarkably Safe Way To Play The Apple Earnings Announcement [View article]
I agree with you that they are the same as two calendars, as well as your experience with the other stocks. That why I emphasized that it would probably not work with using Feb options as the long side - IV will plummet for that series while it shouldn't for the April options.
Why Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Will Soar In Price This Week - Part 2 [View article]
Why Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Will Soar This Week [View article]
How To Play Baidu's Earnings Announcement On Monday [View article]
Why Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Will Soar This Week [View article]
How To Play The Yum Earnings Announcement Next Week [View article]
Ackman Was Too Kind In His Attack On Herbalife [View article]
Why don't you go after the gambling industry with this same kind of fervor? The losses to the average Joe are many times as great as the losses with MLMs like Herbalife.
As everyone seems to agree, it will be very interesting to see how this whole thing works out. I still think that while the MLM might smell worse than a teenager's sweatsocks, HLF is headed higher.
4 Serious Reasons Herbalife Is Headed Higher [View article]
So I believe that this is a non-event.
How To Play The Starbucks Earnings Announcement [View article]
4 Serious Reasons Herbalife Is Headed Higher [View article]
How To Play The Starbucks Earnings Announcement [View article]
I do like your thinking process. The broker must like you, too.
The Facts Dispute The Claim That The Short-Term Volatility ETF Drifts Lower And Spikes Higher [View article]
How To Play The Starbucks Earnings Announcement [View article]
After reading your comments I think I will add some SBUX calendars that should make about 40% this week as long as the stock doesn't fluctuate over $4 which you suggest might be what happens. I won't hold you responsible for any possible losses (nor will I share any gains).
Keep your readers smiling! We love your off-beat thoughts.
Terry
How To Play The Starbucks Earnings Announcement [View article]
The best time is a tough question, too. I plan on buying and selling the straddles Wednesday and then the extra straddles nearer to the end of the day on Thursday just in case they might have decayed a little bit, but that timing is a pure crapshoot. Good luck.
How To Play The Starbucks Earnings Announcement [View article]
A Remarkably Safe Way To Play The Apple Earnings Announcement [View article]