Other
Talisman Buzzing with Options Activity
Patrick Ceresna
There has been no shortage of business media buzz around Carl Icahn (famous investor and businessman) over the last year. While he has a long history as an activist investor over the last 30 years, his bold move on Herbal Life has made him an outright celebrity. For those not familiar with the story, Bill Ackman (an American...
Snapshots from the Edge
Richard Croft
I have always believed that a picture is worth a 1,000 words. It certainly makes life easier for writers, allowing them to explain so much more with so little input. Two charts come to mind. The first was on my OED presentation but does not show up on the presentation that can be downloaded from this blog. That chart compared...
Calendar Spreads Through October
Richard Croft
Calendar spreads allow traders to take advantage of time value decay; the only mathematical certainty in the options market. Options have a limited life and the premium that one pays to buy or receives when selling is made up 1) time value and 2) intrinsic value. Intrinsic value represents the in-the-money amount of the...
A Fed Full of Surprises
Richard Croft
Last week we saw something that we haven’t seen in some time: a market that completely misread the actions of the Federal Reserve (Fed)! This is particularly noteworthy in that Fed Chairman Bernanke has been a proponent of transparency, preferring to telegraph his intent to the market long before action is taken. That changed...
Covered Calls on Gold Miners
Richard Croft
Most investors think October is the worst month for stocks. Not so! In reality, September inflicts the most pain on portfolios, although this year… not so much! Even lagging Canadian stocks posted a 0.98% gain in September, although that was but a third of the September return south of the border. So far traders have been...
An Option on the Future of Alternative Energy
Jason Ayres
Adapting to an alternative source of power can be quite cost prohibitive to both businesses and the average household in an economy where every dollar counts. After all, it’s all about returns when it comes to making any investment and making the transition from mainstream energy sources to an alternative is an investment to...
A Blackberry End Game!
Richard Croft
There is little doubt that Blackberry (TMX: BB, Friday’s Close $11.29) is in palliative care. Management has set up a committee and hired two advisory firms to seek “strategic alternatives,” including the possible sale of the company. There is also a sense of urgency as all signs point to a November time line for an end...
A Sweet Spot for Canadian Banks
Richard Croft
Last week the six major Canadian banks all reported better than expected quarterly earnings. The numbers were as follows; Earnings Per Share l Underlying Banks Estimate Actual Price P/E Dividend Yield Bank of Montreal $ 1.68 $ 1.53 $ 66.11 10.61 $ 2.96 4.48% ScotiaBank $ 1.31 $ 1.39 $ 58.50 11.54 $ 2.68 4.58% CIBC $ 2.13 $ 2.29...
The Impact of Changing Demographics
Richard Croft
Over the past couple of weeks, North American retailers have been reporting second quarter earnings. The numbers were not pretty! There was a marked slowdown in retail spending on both sides of the border, particularly in the numbers that came out of giant discount retailers like Wal-Mart and Macys, which reported their numbers...
Why I Like Banks
Richard Croft
Before getting started with this weeks’ blog I need to correct something reported last week. In discussions about US interest rates I talked about the US 10 year Treasury yield and mentioned resistance at 2.5%. That was a misprint, it should have read 2.7%. My apologies. The reason I wanted to raise this – besides wanting...
The information provided on this website, including financial and economic data, quotes and any analysis or interpretation thereof, is provided solely for information purposes and shall not be construed in any jurisdiction as providing any advice or recommendation with respect to the purchase or sale of any derivative instrument, underlying security or any other financial instrument or as providing legal, accounting, tax, financial or investment advice. Bourse de Montréal Inc. recommends that you consult your own advisors in accordance with your needs before making decision to take into account your particular investment objectives, financial situation and individual needs.
All references on this website to specifications, rules and obligations concerning a product are subject to the rules, policies and procedures of Bourse de Montréal Inc. and its clearinghouse, the Canadian Derivatives Clearing Corporation, which prevail over the content of this website. Although care has been taken in the preparation of the documents published on this website, Bourse de Montréal Inc. and/or its affiliates do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information published on this website and reserve the right to amend or review, at any time and without prior notice, the content of these documents. Neither Bourse de Montréal Inc. nor any of its affiliates, directors, officers, employees or agents shall be liable for any damages, losses or costs incurred as a result of any errors or omissions on this website or of the use of or reliance upon any information appearing on this website.
BAX®, CADC®, CGB®, CGF®, CGZ®, LGB®, MX®, OBX®, OGB®, OIS-MX®, ONX®, SCF®, SXA®, SXB®, SXF®, SXH®, SXM®, SXO®, SXY®, and USX® are registered trademarks of the Bourse. OBW™, OBY™, OBZ™, SXK™, SXJ™, SXU™, SXV™, Montréal Exchange and the Montréal Exchange logo are trademarks of the Bourse. All other trademarks used are the property of their respective owners.
© 2024 Bourse de Montréal Inc. All Rights Reserved.