Tuesday, August 19, 2008

No posts for now...

My portfolio is a mess... In any case, i will post in the near future regarding Quarterly earnings... this alone has opened my eyes to how coorporations really control a whole bunch of dough and influence billions of $ worldwide.

there are a number of underlying things that will get attention again once the Olympics are done.

for now the U.S. Economy stinks... the finacial system is messed up. The FED dug their own grave. Oil going down has been a good thing for us, but it wont solve long standing problems when Greenspan made an easy way out to stimulate the economy.

of course, i at that time benefitted. altho not as much as i could have as i was not as familiar with options... i can only imagine how much coin i would have banked with my AAPL stocks had they been options instead from 2003 to 2006, i did buy them back in 1997. alas, just one of many misses at possibly considering a retirement. its a tough time to be in the market, but one that has been of the utmost instructive.

please visit: ibankcoin.com/gioblog
he is a sharp dude that has earned his stripes.

Monday, August 11, 2008

NO posts this week til 'maybe' Friday

Too busy this week. Certifications and what not. And finishing up my voluntary requirement for the year... some know as 840...

My loses have been minimum and so have the winners (more like break-even)

The major trend basically is OIL going down... and thus the indexes are up... Earnings that miss arent punished as bad as when oil was up.

Thus i do have a few regrets. VISN hasnt picked up as i would have hoped. And I should have kept my DUG call.

That is about it... Buy DUG long calls on oil spikes. With the dollar getting stronger its a solid trend to short/put oil.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Bot FNM... forgot to buy KNOT

Reaching out on FNM Aug7put... I cant believe on the other hand that i forgot to get in on the KNOT... definite winner, i even have it marked.

Anyway, i will tell you that i am happy that they(KNOT) still post a profit for the Q. i will give them a whack in a few months.

Otherwise, its back to looking for another winner... they are out there...

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Another List... August 8 (Friday) Pre-market

Aug 8 pre-market

-BZH: family home builder
-CDE: explore for mineral, including silver, gold, zinc (cheap stock)
*FNM: puts please
-LPNT: hospital
-MBI: financial guarantee & credit protection svc
-MIR: generates & sells electricity via coal, gas
-NAT: crude oil tankers
-PGR: progressive insurance
-UXG: gold mining

i have a limit order (i wish i checked this out earlier) FNM puts. This was a no-brainer trade

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Aug 7 Pre-Market & After-Market Earnings

based on todays (Aug 6) earnings reaction and in turn options action, i didnt really find anything compelling for Aug 7. there are a few big names of course, but none struck me as a stock that could move a huge number of buyers and sellers.

alas here is my belated list:
Aug 7 pre-market
-BBI:
-FLW
-DT: huge telecom, but mostly foreign
-IMAX: yup movies... nah, i just wait for the DVDs
-PCS: basically like a regional sprint. nice volume tho
-SIRI: this is so cheap and battered, anyone interested? cares?
-DTV(time not supplied): cheap strangle... but would it move strong either way?
-TM (2 am EST): i think they already said they wouldnt make the Q, priced in?
-VMED (3 am EST): another cheap strangle on a huge media conglomerate.


Aug 7 after-market
*HTZ: rental car market tough, definite put play
*KNOT: i get their spam all the time, and nothing they sell interests me... put please
-TRMP: big name Mr. Trump. Yet LVS, WYNN, MGM got more mojo. also, all the puts are already in the money
-WMG: losing $(music is often burned illegally), yet not much expected from them. strangle possibility

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Aug 6 After-Market

-AAP: near 52 wk hi, auto parts.
-ALNY: pharmaceutical near 52 wk hi, study on respiratory drugs
-ALJ: petroleum
-AIG: not the car insurance, but other insurance & financial svc
-ACF: car leases, chart meeting resistance
-ANDE: theres your Ag
-AINV: provides financial backing for middle biz
-BKD: senior living, homes
-CECO: education svc throughout N. America, Europe for colleges/higher Ed.
-EGLE: ocean shipper, primarily commodities
*FBN: furniture manufacturer for homes/retail, puts please
-GDP: petroleum
-HRC: medical tech for healthcare
-MGA: worldwide automotive parts supplier for builders
-MHGC: another hotel, delayed Las Vegas project
*NHP: health industry properties, bullish chart, option call
-PRXL: clinical data, info svc for pharmaceutical studies
-PVA: nat gas/oil
*RWT: real estate finance related commercial/residential, puts here
-REG: real estate, especially malls
*RJET: leases planes, passenger & air freight, puts please
-SVNT: pharmaceutical
-SCI: death related svc, funeral, etc
-SINA: think chinese yahoo (BIDU is chinese GOOG)
-BEE: hotels
-TBSI: ocean shipper
-TK: oil/petroleum
-UTSI: telecom infrastructure/software & accessories... interesting
-VRSN: internet security, transaction, etc... toss up, strangle?
-AUY: GOLD!!!, PUTS?
-

Bought S option

Sept 6 put... another reach... but yesterdays RACK pick was a winner, albeit a slim winner... my portfolio is so shattered i couldnt participate closer to the strike.

Bunch of big name stocks with a lot of attention tomorrow...

PRE-MARKET NOTABLES FOR TOMORROW

AGU
ABK
FTK
FWLT
FRE
HLS: Healthsouth
HK
RIG
RL: Ralph Lauren
S
TWC: Time Warner Cable
RMIX: Concrete, questionable guidance...
YGE

i would short/put RL & S...

Monday, August 4, 2008

Bought RACK option

RACK Aug10put. it might be a bit of a reach... but they stink...

I was selective before, now i am ultra-selective...

Aug 5 After-Market Earnings...

Aug 5 After-Market

-AFN: real estate investment trust
-ACAS: investment firm, acquires businesses early stage...
-AMKR: semiconductor related
-ARNA: pharmaceutical
-CELL: provides wireless devices, logistic services to carriers
-CBL: real estate, manages, buys, operates: malls & communities in the southeast/midwest
-CSCO: Big Tech Dog...
-CSC: IT for big biz & govt
-XCO: oil/nat gas
-EXEL: biotech (primarily for cancer)
*FCH: REIT, BUT owns various hotel pieces, Hilton, Doubletree, Holiday Inn, Sheraton/Westin... has this bottomed? possible puts, keep stops tight
-FIS: transaction services for financial institutions & retailers worldwide
-FST: oil/nat gas
-GSS: mines for GOLD...
-HRS: communications & IT for govt & commercial worldwide
-HCC: insurance
-HCN: invests in health care properties
-HLF: herbalife
-HLTH: heath info services
-IO: think software related to energy, otherwise too broad...
-JBX: Jack In The Box!!!
*KCP: low volume, but hey its Kenneth Cole, puts please
-LPS: tech services for REAL ESTATE....
-LBTYA: video/voice/broadband Europe, Japan, Chile
-MRX: pharmaceutical
-MTU: Japanese financial svc to retail & coorp worldwide
-MOLX: electronic components sold worldwide
-NFP: finance for high net worth individuals & companies
-OKE: newly listed sells/distributes nat gas
-PZZA: low volume, but its PAPA JOHNS pizza
-QSFT: enterprise software
-SHO: another HOTEL
*SNCR: maybe now they will find traction on iPhone, strangle?
-UPL: yet another oil/nat gas
-VTR: health care real estate trust
-WFMI: whole foods... dunno bout guidance

*points of interest for me...
Leave a comment if you have any suggestions on these or other earnings posts

August 5 (Tuesday) Pre-Market

Hopefully you have time to position ur plays today...
Aug 5 Pre-Market plays

-AMCS: energy technology company
-ADM: Ags
-AGIX: pharmaceutical, LOTS of buying today on diabetes drug
-ITU: Brazillian bank, but also international
-BBG: oil/gas
-BMRN: pharmaceutical
-EAT: Restaurant owner: Chiliʻs, Macaroni Grill, etc...
-CSE: Finance provider to biz, healthcare, specialties
-CHTR: hi speed internet/telephone/video services
-XEC: oil/gas exploration & production
-FTR: provides telephone, internet, dish services
*DHI: home builder... what is there to build?
-DNR: oil/nat gas
-DUK: sells gas/electricity to Carolinas, OH, IN, KY.
-EMR: global tech co., designs/supply product & engineering
-EXPD: logistic services, air & ocean freight
-GSX: nat gas/petroleum
*GET: hotel... newly listed NYSE, bad timing
-GLBL: construction/support services for oil/gas
-HNT: managed health care services
-HRP: REIT
-ICON: owns, license, markets: Joe Boxer, OP, basically sells name brand clothes to retail
-JRCC: Coal!!!
-LEAP: digital wireless svc.
-MVL: comic book movies... Xmen, Hulk, Iron Man
-MVIS: low volume, but interesting
*MGM: casino... more hurt awaits?
-TAP: Molson Beer
-ONXX: Pharamceutical
-PKD: oil/gas drilling
-PGH: canadian energy... nice dividend
-PG: blue chip
-PXD: oil/gas
-RRI: sells electricity/energy to Texas & NY
-RDC: offshore drilling
-BID: Sotheby, auctioneer for expensive stuff
-THC: Healthcare
-JOE: real estate
-TDG: aircraft components
-UNT: drilling, oil/nat gas
-VANDA: pharaceutical
-VNO: realty trust
-WBMD: webmd.com
-WEN: Wendys restaurants
-WY: growing/harvesting timber... housing related
-WWE: wrestling...

* i view as lower risk... put/short bias
Note:
All these securities have volumes 500K and up. The exceptions are ones that were at one time 1 M volume but have fallen out of favor, but worth watching

Well Whadya Expect... VISN vs. DUG

Last friday i buy a bunch of VISN stock... actual stock mind you. and it gets whacked today. DUG which i sold last week... i should have obviously kept as a hedge...

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Remember My SFLY & SBUX picks - Better Than MOT/EXPE

At July 30 after-market

I had 2 good picks...
SFLY dropped after hours
SBUX didnt drop but did 2 days later

but what did i choose INSTEAD
I choose MOT/EXPE for July 31 pre-market...
I still have a little Mojo on my picks, but again the execution stunk.

There is no looking back now, but this goes to illustrate no ʻputʻting everything in one basket. A major principle that i broke. At the very least had i spread out the risk with 3 picks i calculated that i would have been in the green... instead of MOT/EXPE whacking be >50% loss to my entire portfolio... crazy...

I kept a few MOT Oct6puts since they have some time to make a comeback. Otherwise I have, DUG calls, YHOO calls/puts, RHT puts and VISN stock.

Friday, August 1, 2008

August Starts with a ....

well another confused day for some...

Oil is up... on nuclear/terrorist stuff. blah blah blah...

ANYWAY... i bought VISN on this huge pounding dip... long term it looks ok. i dont buy into the hype, thus i have a small position in them thus far...

WOW i actually bought a stock for once...