<p>Zweig used to talk about not fighting the fed. I think that was pretty good advice.</p>
<p>I wrote about his market call right before the crash. Didn’t make me feel good at the time. :)</p>
<p>I can’t find any stocks that I want to sell puts on that I would want to own. Any ideas?</p>
<p>Well…I sold 3 goog 760 puts that expire this week. </p>
<p>I know it is just a trade, but I figure it is time BCEagle91 made me some money. :)</p>
<p>The stuff I usually trade, I don’t want to trade right now. Goog is a boredom trade. I hope the trade stays boring.</p>
<p>HLF beat on earnings but not by enough to cause the stock to skyrocket like I wanted. Oh well. Maybe in tomorrows regular market, it might pop a little bit for a short.</p>
<p>Hlf throws out a lot of cash…</p>
<p>If those cash flow numbers are right…Icahn is going to win…</p>
<p>[Herbalife</a> Beats Earnings Estimates And Raises Guidance - Yahoo! Finance](<a href=“http://finance.yahoo.com/news/comes-herbalifes-earnings-205000349.html]Herbalife”>Herbalife Beats Earnings Estimates And Raises Guidance)</p>
<p>“For the year ended December 31, 2012 the company generated cash flow from operations of $567.8 million, an increase of 11 percent compared to 2011; paid dividends of $135.1 million; invested $122.8 million in capital expenditures; and repurchased $527.8 million in common shares outstanding under our share repurchase program.”</p>
<p>I might trade something in hlf tomorrow…</p>
<p>[UPDATE</a> 3-Herbalife raises 2013 forecast, reveals SEC staff inquiry | Reuters](<a href=“http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/20/herbalife-results-idUSL4N0BJ7MD20130220?feedType=RSS&feedName=rbssFinancialServicesAndRealEstateNews&rpc=43]UPDATE”>http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/20/herbalife-results-idUSL4N0BJ7MD20130220?feedType=RSS&feedName=rbssFinancialServicesAndRealEstateNews&rpc=43)</p>
<p>I probably should have sold goog puts today but I should have bought goog calls last week.</p>
<p>:)…</p>
<p>Goog calls were better than puts today too.</p>
<p>I just don’t feel like playing the calls.</p>
<p>So how does one play this market? Sequestration will happen but for how long? If its only a few days, the market will soar, if longer it will be choppy. I’m itchy to buy and bought bac calls again and was going to buy spy and iwm again but didn’t. The fact that I want to do this is probably a good indication that lots of others feel the same way and we’re heading towards a short term top. Any good creative ideas as to how to play all this?</p>
<p>How choppy? You can buy straddles…puts and calls…then when the market moves one way…let’s say down…you can buy because you own the puts. </p>
<p>Example…you buy a 50 straddle for 2 bucks with the stock at 50. You can buy the stock at 48 or sell at 52 with no risk…</p>
<p>Of course the stock has to move there…</p>
<p>It’s not the way I like to trade these days…</p>
<p>You can also buy strangles…out of the money calls and puts and then have bids lower and offers higher in the stock…</p>
<p>If you are just bullish…you can buy time spreads that are slightly out of the money.</p>
<p>For example… You can buy apr 35 calls sell march 35 calls with the stock at 33. Stock doesn’t get to 35 by march…you cut the cost of the april calls…</p>
<p>and at 50 I lose 2 on that straddle - I don’t like that</p>
<p>That’s the downside if the stock doesn’t move before the options expire.</p>
<p>You can buy call spreads that are out of the money. Won’t cost as much. Ypu can buy butterfles that are out of the money. You can buy condors. You can buy spreads and sell spreads like condors but buy more spreads then you sell so you are even longer.</p>
<p>You can buy stock and puts where you buy stock for 50 and the 55 puts for 4.80, but you have to leg it. You have to take risk and buy one leg first and hope the other comes in. You can get buried.</p>
<p>[iPhone-Maker</a> Foxconn Puts A Hold On Hiring, Cuts iPhone 5 Production - Yahoo! Finance](<a href=“http://finance.yahoo.com/news/iphone-maker-foxconn-puts-hold-112414454.html]iPhone-Maker”>iPhone-Maker Foxconn Puts A Hold On Hiring, Cuts iPhone 5 Production)</p>
<p>Of the possibilities listed, the premarket seems to think aapl is screwed</p>
<p>Yep…</p>
<p>I also don’t get this. I keep seeing such conflicting reports on this stuff [Apple’s</a> Old iPhone, The iPhone 4S, Outsells Samsung’s Top Of The Line Galaxy S3 - Yahoo! Finance](<a href=“http://finance.yahoo.com/news/apples-old-iphone-iphone-4s-142300162.html]Apple’s”>Apple's Old iPhone, The iPhone 4S, Outsells Samsung's Top Of The Line Galaxy S3)</p>
<p>Maybe Samsung sells more variety of phones and that affects perception. </p>
<p>I don’t know. I like the size of the iphone5. I don’t know if I would want a bigger phone. (i just thought I would throw that in here).</p>
<p>I am looking at hlf and am surprised by how quiet the option market is. The aapl option market is rare.</p>
<p>Well…I have orders that are away to sell puts in hlf, goog and ddd. Just in case there is a spike lower in one of these stocks. </p>
<p>I am not going to hold my breath on these orders getting filled.</p>
<p>I might try to listen to hlf’s conference call.</p>