AOL Puts Rise; Techs Tank

Profit-taking hit the Nasdaq Friday as
the index suffered a 4.4% decline. The Dow and S&P were under pressure as
well, falling 1% and 1.7% respectively.

At the close, the VIX had increased
.72 to 24.71.

The OEX February 720 calls finished
down 7.20 to 5.30.

Among bigger movers on heavier-than-average volume:

America Online
(
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gave up 2.04
to 47.79 as Internets sold off. The AOL Feb. 50 puts rose 1 to 3.50 on more than
8,000 contracts.

Avoiding the tech wreck was wireless
king Qualcomm
(
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which gained 1 9/16 to 86 13/16. The QCOM Feb. 80
calls rose 1 3/8 to 8 3/4 on more than 9,500 contracts.

Storage leader EMC
(
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continued
its decline, falling 5.40 to 72.20. The EMC Feb. 75 puts jumped 2.65 to 5.20 on
more than 6,500 contracts.

In the financials, American Express
(
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added .62 to 48.11 while the AXP Feb. 50 calls rose .80 to 1.40 on heavy volume
of more than 15,000 contracts.