News Corp. Calls Active As Murdoch & Murdoch Meet With U.K. Lawmakers

Today’s tickers: NWSA, WFC, TGT & MAS NWSA  - News Corp. –  The hours of testimony provided by Rupert and James Murdoch to U.K. lawmakers today had a positive effect on shares in News Corp., which increased 5.8% to $15.84 after the questioning ended. The phone-hacking scandal had pushed shares in the diversified global media company down roughly 18.0% in the past couple of weeks to as low as $14.76 on Monday. The future is bright for shares in News Corp. according to some optimists dabbling in January 2012 contract call options today. Calls on NWSA are far more active than puts, with investors exchanging more than 3.5 calls on the stock for each single put option. Volume is heaviest at the Jan. 2012 $16 strike where upwards of 16,200 call options changed hands against open interest of 3,679 contracts. It looks like the vast majority of these calls were purchased for an average premium of $1.46 a-pop. Call buyers profit if shares in News Corp. rally another 10.2% over today’s high of $15.84 to surpass the average breakeven point at $17.46 by expiration day next year. Trading in the Jan. 2012 $19 strike is congested, as well. Around 10,500 calls have traded at that strike so far today, with some 4,000 contracts purchased for an average premium of $0.48 apiece, and another 5,500 trading to the middle of the market. Open interest in the Jan. 2012 $19 strike call is sufficient to cover volume generated at that strike today, which may mean buyers are closing rather than opening positions. Nearly 40,000 option contracts have changed hands on the media company as of 1:15 pm in New York. WFC  - Wells Fargo & Co. –  Record profits reported by San Francisco, CA-based Wells Fargo this morning pushed shares in the financial…