AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 22, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- The following is an investment opinion issued by Stockwinners.com.
Option trading was brisk on Monday, as traders started the new option cycle. Trading volume was heavy. Vodafone Group (NYSE:VOD) call options were in demand1 Stockwinners.com Active Traders page reported purchase of 10,000 contracts of VOD January $22.50 call options for about $4.70 million. Another late afternoon trader bought 12,000 contracts of January $20 call options for around $8.6 million. It appears that good news is expected from the firm. Shares closed up 17 cents to $27.18 on Monday.
HSBC Holdings (NYSE:HBC) call options were also in demand. At one time, Active Trader page reported purchase of 8,000 contracts of the December $75 call options for about $7.8 million, a bullish move. Shares of the banking powerhouse closed down 26 cents at $84.70.
Allied Capital (NYSE:ALD) put options were being bought as investors were betting that shares would continue their recent declines. A trader bought 4,000 contracts of the February '05 $30 put options for $1.1 million. Shares gained 10 cents to close at $27.04.
In addition to real time option block trades, the Stockwinners.com Active Traders page continuously delivers a variety of information traders can use to improve their results. A feature that has proven to be very popular involves lists of stocks that have been heavily shorted that could offer "short-squeeze" opportunities. One recent such posting was LMI Aerospace (NASDAQ:LMIA). The issue was featured on Monday morning at $4.96. Shares gained $1.15 to close at $6.43, a 22 percent rise on the day. Free two-week on-line trial subscriptions to the STOCKWINNERS.com service are available at http://www.stockwinners.com/info/first_time.html.
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