Friday Options Recap

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: SentimentMajor averages slipped on disappointing earnings data early and are lower Thursday afternoon ahead of earnings from Intel (INTC) and JP Morgan (JPM).

Frederic Ruffy submits: SentimentMajor averages are little changed in a day of lackluster trading Tuesday. The table was set for morning gains on Wall Street after stocks moved broadly higher across Europe on diminishing fears about the unfolding debt crisis. Some of the optimism stems from talk Japan might begin buying sovereign debt of some troubled Euro-zone nations. In the US, the focus is shifting to earnings.

Frederic Ruffy submits: Sentiment Market action remains uneventful, but stock market averages are holding modest gains on upbeat economic data Friday. The table was set for morning gains on Wall Street after a report showed the nation’s trade balance narrowing to $38.7 billion in October. Economists were looking for it to hold steady around $44.6 billion.

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: SentimentWhat an exciting trading day this is not. The major averages slipped in morning action following a round of mixed economic news. Before the opening bell, the Labor Department reported that filings for jobless benefits declined by 3,000 in the week ended September 11. Economists were looking for an increase of 7,000.

Frederic Ruffy submits: Sentiment Major averages are holding modest gains on a slow news day Friday. The only economic stat of the day was a report on wholesale inventories, which showed an increase of 1.3 percent in July and much higher than the .4 percent increase that economists had expected. The market showed little reaction to the data.

Frederic Ruffy submits: SentimentStocks are trading mixed on a relatively slow day of trading Wednesday. After a 214-point rally Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average opened lower under the weight of weak housing data. The numbers, released before the bell, showed Housing Starts falling to an annual rate of 593,000 in May, down from 659,000 the month before and below economist expectations of 655,000.