Juniper Calls Jump; Stocks Finish Weak
Stocks gave up a big chunk of their pre-Fed gains Tuesday as they sank into
the close. The Dow managed to gain 0.5% while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 were
about flat on the day. Banks and biotechs were the biggest gainers of the day,
while consumer stocks and forest and paper products were the weakest.
By the close, the VIX had increased .05 to 19.61.
The OEX September 820 calls finished up 1/4 to 15 3/4.
Among bigger winners on heavier-than-average volume:
Juniper Networks
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PowerRating) rose 12 5/8 to 186 7/16 as networking stocks
posted solid gains. The Juniper September 130 calls lifted 9 7/8 to 56 1/8 on
more than 5000 contracts.
Compaq Computer
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PowerRating) gained 13/16 to 34 while the Compaq September 32
1/2 calls rose 5/8 to 2 7/16 on a big jump in option volume to more than 8000
contracts.
In the strong banking sector, J.P. Morgan
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PowerRating) rose 3 9/16 to 148 1/2.
The J.P. Morgan September 145 calls gained 2 1/2 to 7 7/8 on quadruple the
average volume.
Rambus
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PowerRating) was one of the top SOX performers, gaining 6 15/16 to 92
7/8. The Rambus September 120 calls rose 1 7/16 to 2 on five times the average
volume.