Friday Options Recap

Frederic Ruffy submits: SentimentThe major averages are deep under water following mixed economic news and another round of selling in Europe's equity markets. The table was set for weakness on Wall Street after European equity benchmarks suffered steep losses (France's CAC 40 down 4.6 percent) and the euro slipped below 1.25 amid ongoing concerns about the European debt crisis. Meanwhile, in the US, the economic news was mixed.

Frederic Ruffy submits: SentimentMajor averages are sporting modest losses, but are well off session lows heading into the final hour of trading Thursday. A barrage of economic data was in focus early. Weekly jobless claims for Jan 15, 2011 declined by 37,000 to 404,000. Economists were looking for a drop to 425,000.

Frederic Ruffy submits: SentimentStocks are broadly lower following mixed earnings news Wednesday. IBM is up 3.2 percent after posting better-than-expected earnings and revenues. The big gain in Big Blue helps explain why the Dow Jones Industrial Average is down just 20 points heading into the final hour.

Frederic Ruffy submits: Sentiment Stocks slumped on mixed jobs data and renewed worries about European debt problems Friday. Market action was sluggish early after the Labor Department reported that the U.S. economy added 103,000 jobs in December, which was considerably less than the 150,000 increase that economists had expected.

Frederic Ruffy submits: SentimentMajor averages have given up early gains and are trading lower late-Monday. The tone of morning trading was positive despite mixed economic news. A report released before the opening bell showed personal incomes falling .1 percent and spending up .2 percent in September. Economists were looking for increases of .2 percent and .4 percent, respectively.

Frederic Ruffy submits: SentimentStocks are holding modest gains following several days of high volatility. The table was set for morning losses on Wall Street, as major averages were once again under pressure throughout much of Asia and across Europe. However, European benchmarks battled back and finished mixed. Meanwhile, financials, which had faltered in morning trading after the Senate passed its Financial Reform bill, led the Dow Jones Industrial Average back into positive territory.

Frederic Ruffy submits: SentimentStocks overcame a disappointing GDP report and early weakness to trade mixed late Friday. Volatility picked up a bit early in the trading session after data showed second quarter GDP at a 2.4 percent annual rate. Economists were expecting 2.5 percent growth. However, stocks found a floor early with help from better-than-expected manufacturing and consumer sentiment data.

Frederic Ruffy submits: SentimentThe major averages are lower and trading is slowing ahead of the three-day weekend. After a bruising week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average traded lower Friday morning after the Labor Department reported that the US economy lost 125,000 jobs in June, which was 25,000 more than economists had expected. While the unemployment rate fell to 9.5 percent (vs. 9.8 consensus), average hourly earnings fell a worse-than-expected .1 percent.