Oracle Calls Slip; Techs Slide

Big-cap tech woes continued to weigh on the market Friday as the Nasdaq sank
3.6%. Oils were the top sector while Internets were the weakest.

At the close, the VIX was up 1.06 to 25.15.

The OEX February 700 calls ended down 3.50 to 2.30.

Among bigger movers on heavier-than-average volume:

Oracle
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ended down 3 9/16 to 23 9/16 while the Oracle March 20 puts
gained 5/8 to 1 3/16 on more than 10,000 contracts.

Dell
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fell 2 9/16 to 23 1/2 while the DELL February 25 puts jumped
1 1/4 to 2 on heavier-than-average volume.

Qualcomm
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fell 5 5/8 to 79 1/8 while the QCOM February 80 calls
lost 4 to 3 on more than 2000 contracts.

Microsoft
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gave up 3 1/8 to 59 1/8 following its downgrade at
Merrill Lynch. The MSFT March 60 puts rose 1 3/16 to 3 1/2 on more than 11,000
contracts.