November 25, 2015 Market Wrap Up

The S&P 500 closed the day relatively flat and with little volume. Of course, this made sense, the markets will be closed tomorrow in the US, for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Given the anemic volume, it was also not a surprise to see the VIX close lower, finishing the day at 15.19.

Now, there was a ton of economic data that came out this morning. Durable goods came in better than expected. In addition, jobless claims were at the low end of expectations. Personal income was inline along with new home sales.

As mentioned yesterday, low float stocks continued to be the soup de jour. With volume drying up due to the holiday, traders have been feasting on stocks like Aeterna Zentaris (AEZS) +48%, Opexa Therapeutics (OPXA) +6%, Vital Therapies (VTL) +9%, and KaloBios Pharmaceuticals (KBIO) +45%.

The United States Oil Fund (USO) was flat today after geopolitical headlines dominated the news yesterday.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in Constellium (CSTM).

The market is closed tomorrow, but here is what we have for the rest of the week:

Key Earnings:
27 November 2015- BLOX

From all of us at TVC, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday!

November 24, 2015 Market Wrap Up

The S&P 500 closed the day relatively flat, however; that doesn’t mean we didn’t have a fair share of volatility. Before the U.S. session was open, the futures were down a decent amount, following reports that a Russian fighter jet was shot down by Turkish forces. But as the day progressed, the geopolitical fears subsided and the market got back on track.

Despite a flattish close, the VIX rose slightly, closing at 15.93.

Low float stocks have been the soup de jour this week. With volume drying up due to the holiday, traders have been feasting on stocks like Aeterna Zentaris (AEZS) -10%, Opeca Therapeutics (OPXA) +12%, Vital Therapies (VTL) +5%, Anavex Life Sciences (AVXL) -6.5%, and Sientra (SIEN) +14% … just to name a few.

The energy sector caught a bounce; the United States Oil Fund (USO) as geopolitical concerns dominated the world news.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in Agilent Technologies (A). In addition, we saw bearish bets being placed in American Capital (ACAS).

Here’s what’s on tap for tomorrow and the rest of the week:

Key Economic Data:
25 November 2015- Durable Goods 8:30 AM ET, Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET, Personal Income 8:30 AM ET, New Home Sales 10:00 AM ET

Key Earnings:
25 November 2015- DE
27 November 2015- BLOX