PSX - Phillips 66 Company – Shares in Phillips 66 are trading lower today, down 2.0% at $57.70 as of 10:55 a.m. ET. Options changing hands on the operator of refineries indicates some traders are bracing for the price of the underlying to extend losses this week. The most actively traded contracts on Phillips 66 as measured by volume are the Jul 05 ’13 $57.5 strike puts, with volume in excess of 5,400 contracts at present versus open interest of 2,436 contracts. It looks like traders purchased most of the volume for an average premium of $0.43 apiece this morning. Put buyers may profit at expiration at the end of a shortened U.S. trading week should shares in Phillips decline another 1.1% to settle below the average breakeven price of $57.07. Traders appear to be snapping up the $57.5 strike weekly puts for a second consecutive session given the roughly 2,300-lot overnight increase in put open interest at that strike. Time and sales data suggests most of the puts were purchased for an average premium of $0.35 each on Monday. Shares in Phillips 66, up 70% since this time last year, have declined roughly 18% off a record high of $70.52 reached back in March.
DKS - Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc. – Options on Dick’s Sporting Goods are more active than usual today, with much of the trading traffic concentrated in August expiry puts. More than 10,400 of the Aug $45 strike puts have changed hands as of 11:50 a.m. ET versus open interest of 15 contracts. Shares in DKS are currently down 0.50% on the day at $49.75. Trading in the bearish options on DKS this morning is pushing up the premium required to purchase the contracts. Roughly 650 of the $45 puts were purchased at a…
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