Today’s tickers: XLF, EL, RCII & CY
XLF - Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund – Massive prints in XLF put options cropped up ahead of President Obama’s speech on plans to cut the budget deficit and amid heightened concerns regarding the European debt crisis over the weekend. Shares in the XLF, an exchange-traded fund that tracks the performance of the Financial Select Sector of the S&P 500 Index, fell 3.1% to $12.50 by 11:15 am ET as the President wrapped up his speech by reiterating the need for a balanced approach to the deficit issue. Large trades in December contract puts this morning suggest some strategists expect financials to worsen through the end of the year.
One bearish play, which yields maximum benefits if shares in the ETF drop more than 25% by December expiration, is one of the largest initiated on the XLF so far today. It looks like the investor responsible for the put spread purchased 75,000 puts at the Dec. $11 strike for a premium of $0.57 each, and sold the same number of puts at the lower Dec. $9.0 strike at a premium of $0.23 apiece. Net premium paid on the transaction amounts to $0.34 per contract. The trader profits on the spread if shares in the fund fall 14.7% to breach the effective breakeven price of $10.66 at expiration in December. Maximum potential profits of $1.66 per contract are available on the position should the price of the underlying plunge 28% to trade below $9.00 at expiration. Shares in the XLF last traded below $9.00 back in April 2009. Put options on the XLF are changing hands more than 10 times for each single call option in action as of 11:30 am in New York. The put to call ratio on the fund is currently at its highest since June 2010.…
