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April 01, 2008

Traders burned as I suspected....

Last week, I posted the following notes:

"-The number of bearish put options traded on Lehman's stock exceeded call options by 3-to-1 and put volume in the first three hours of the day topped the daily average of the past 20 sessions."

"-A so-called bear spread of almost 20,000 Lehman options contracts traded at 9:51 a.m., according to traders and Bloomberg data. An investor using the strategy buys puts while simultaneously selling them at a lower strike price. The position reduces the overall cost of the trade and also caps the total potential profit if the stock falls."

And then I made the following prognostication:

"-Hmmm!  Sounds like some traders are going to get burned.  Its been my experiences that more times than not, when people take a huge "speculative, rumor-based, negative" position like this...they usually lose.  This is action can be great to watch but I wouldn't dare engage into it.  This one will be fun to see unfold."

Fast forward to today:  Lehman is trading at $43.94 up $6.34 or 15.50%.  Wow!  I sure hope they unwinded the trade before this morning.

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Conviction List

  • BUY Goldman Sachs (ticker: GS)
    Recent Px: $180
    12 Mo. Target Px: $230
    Goldman Sachs is a "best of breed" firm that prints money like no other on Wall Street. Trading at 9 times next years earning there is no reason to see this stock going lower than recent volatility has suggested. Recent earnings announcement surpassed analyst expectations. I would expect them to continue doing so. Buying in the 160s or lower would be a good buy.

    SELL Bear Stearns Corp. (ticker: BSC)
    Recent Px: $10
    12 Mo. Target Px: N/A
    JP Morgan got a heck of a deal and even felt bad about their initial offering price that they raised the bid from $2 to $10 per share. I guess it always possible that the deal falls apart and other outside bids are submitted but not without losing their building. Its a virtual lock at this point. Therefore, I think its time to look elsewhere.

    BUY Ultra Petroleum (ticker: UPL)
    Recent Px: $78
    12 Mo. Target Px: $100
    Ultra Petroleum's knack for oil and gas exploratory success makes this name a "must have" in the portfolio. This Houston-based firm has interests and business in Green River Basin, Wyoming, and offshore China.

    BUY iShares China 25 (ticker: FXI)
    Recent Px: $145
    12 Mo. Target Px: $175
    Chinese economist have forecasted a 11% growth in GDP for this year...and that comes on the heels of a slowing US economy. One word: "WOW!"

    BUY Dow Jones Ultra 200% Index (ticker: DDM)
    Recent Px: $70
    12 Mo. Target Px: $88
    Goldman superstar Abbey Cohen has predicted that the DJIA will see 14700 this year. With that logic and her call in mind, then consider using the 2:1 magnification etf that is based on the Dow's performance.

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