Volume Spike Investor

We have scanned the options trades for highly unusual options trading patterns from Friday to see which will be carryover issues into next week.  Some may seem logical, while some may seem odd.  Friday’s highly unusual options trading that will carry over into next week was seen in Alcoa, Inc. (NYSE: AA), Brocade Communications Systems, [...]

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) remains the key stock and darling of America when it comes to this rally’s favorite darling stock.  Shares today are barely positive at $309.00.  That remains under the all-time highs from right before earnings but it is also more than $10 from the after-hours lows after earnings.  Options traders are still [...]

Apple shares are trying to hold on to being profitable on the day and any close above $314.74 will mark a positive close.  The problem is that shares hit $319.00 this morning and the average volume of 19.7 million shares has just been surpassed by 1:00 PM EST.  At 1:11 PM EST we have 20.4 [...]

Salesforce.com Inc. (NASDAQ: CRM) is getting pounded.  Maybe this is tied to Equinix and Autonomy, or maybe it is just based on exiting high-multiple and high-beta stocks.  Either way, money is coming out in droves. At 12:42 PM EST we have shares down a sharp 9.4% at $103.20 on more than 5.8 million shares.  Average [...]

STEC, Inc. (NASDAQ: STEC) is no stranger to buyout rumors and positive talk around the company, but that is what is driving the stock today in both the common shares AND the stock options.  STEC designs, makes and sells enterprise-class flash solid-state drives for high-performance storage and server systems. In Options for OCT-2010 CALLS: $13.00 [...]

SIRIUS XM Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) was listed an “Unusual Suspect” this weekend by us at 24/7 Wall St. because it was very close to putting in a 52-week high after its recently raised guidance.  Now today the stock has hit a 52-week high and done so on above-average stock volume.  At 3:20 PM EST [...]

Radware Ltd. (NASDAQ: RDWR) almost felt like an enigma wrapped in a riddle today, but a 38.4% gain to $38.59 on more than a 60-times normal volume spike is too impossible to ignore.  Options trading was very elevated in the SEPT-2010 and DEC-2010 options was off the charts. A Barron’s blog piece claimed that the [...]

Burger King Holdings Inc. (NYSE: BKC) is feeling some joy on fresh buyout rumors that private equity is looking at taking the fast food retailer private.  Keep in mind that Burger King already went private with private equity and has come back to the stock market as recently as 2006. Joe Kunkle of OptionsHawk.com noted, [...]

Petrohawk Energy Corporation (NYSE: HK) is almost challenging its 52-week lows today on light trading volume in the stock.  And shares are down 2.2% at $15.82.  So why is it that there is unusual options trading out in December today?  Take a look at the DECEMBER 2010 CALLS trading today: CALL$    Volume    OpInt $16.00    2,017   [...]

United States Steel Corp. (NYSE: X) is seeing an explosion in its options trading on Wednesday.  Much is likely ahead of expiration for August this coming Friday.  But this also has to do with some speculation of a merger coming back to the metals sector.  If in ag and potash, why not steel or other [...]