Wal-Mart Calls Rise; Stocks Fizzle
Stocks slipped Tuesday as traders remained edgy ahead of Wednesday’s Federal
Reserve interest rate announcement which is due out at 2:15 PM ET. Retailers and
forest and paper products were the top sectors of the day while semiconductors
and biotechs were the weakest.
By the close, the VIX had increased .10 to 24.82.
The OEX 790 puts ended the day up 2 1/4 to 18..
Among bigger movers on heavier-than-average volume:
Wal-Mart
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PowerRating) rose 3 1/16 to 56 13/16 to pace the retailer index. The
Wal-Mart July 55 calls rose 1 1/16 to 3 1/8 on quadruple the average volume.
Also strong in the group was Home Depot
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PowerRating), rising 2 7/16 to 49 9/16.
The Home Depot August 50 calls added 1 5/16 to 3 3/4 on more than 8400
contracts.
Apple
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PowerRating) slipped 2 3/8 to 51 3/4 while the Apple August 45 puts
gained 3/8 to 2 1/4 on 10 times the average volume.
Bank of America
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PowerRating) fell 15/16 to 47 in the weakening banking sector.
The Bank of America July 50 puts added 1/2 to 3 3/4 on more than 20,000
contracts.
All eyes are now on the Fed, and an interest rate decision is set for
Wednesday at 2:15 PM ET.