Broadcom Calls Surge; Stocks Sink

Stocks sank Thursday as inflation fears again rippled through the market. For
the day, the Nasdaq lost 1.6%, the Dow lost 1.2% and the S&P 500 eased 0.9%.

By the close, the VIX had decreased 1.56 to 22.02.

The OEX July 790 calls finished down 6 1/4 to 10.

Among bigger movers on heavier-than-average volume:

Broadcom
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soared 16 7/8 to 204 7/8 ahead of being added to the
S&P 500 on Friday. The Broadcom July 195 calls gained 8 1/4 to 21 1/4 on
five times the average volume.

Hewlett Packard spin-off Palm
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added to early gains and finished
up 3 5/16 to 29 11/16 after posting better-than-expected earnings. The Palm
August 25 calls finished up 1 7/8 to 5 1/8 on more than 8900 contracts.

Gemstar
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rose 8 1/2 to 62 7/8 while the Gemstar July 50 calls
added 6 1/8 to 14 on five times the average volume.

Inisys
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plunged 8 5/8 to 14 1/2 after issuing a profit warning. The
Unisys July 22 1/2 puts jumped 6 5/8 to 8 1/8 on triple the average volume.

Looking ahead, the Chicago Purchasing Managers Index will be released Friday
at 10:00 AM ET. Street estimates look for a figure of 53.5.