Monday Options Recap

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: 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 slumped on worries about the economic impact from the last week’s devastating earthquake. Japan’s Nikkei plummeted more than 6 percent Monday and stocks were broadly lower across Europe before the opening bell on Wall Street. With no earnings of importance or economic data released Monday, there wasn’t much other news to drive trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell at the open and, despite a brief midday rally attempt, is down 105 points heading into the final hour.

Frederic Ruffy submits: SentimentStocks opened higher and are holding gains late-Monday on a relatively slow news day. The focus early was on a round of corporate deal-making.

Frederic Ruffy submits: SentimentStocks are broadly higher on upbeat stock news and economic data Tuesday. Manufacturing numbers came into focus early after the ISM Index for January showed an increase to 60.8. Economists were expecting it to stay flat at 58.5.

Frederic Ruffy submits: Sentiment

Frederic Ruffy submits: SentimentMajor averages are modestly higher with help from positive economic numbers Friday. After Asia’s markets rallied around better-than-expected Chinese manufacturing numbers Friday, the focus in the US turned to a report on personal incomes and spending early Friday. It showed increases of .5 percent incomes and .4 percent in spending for August. Economists were looking for .3 percent increases in both.

Frederic Ruffy submits: SentimentStock market averages are holding gains despite in-line economic numbers and disappointing earnings news. Data released early showed the New York Empire Index up to 11.92 in January, from 9.89 the month before. Economists were looking for the gauge of regional manufacturing activity to increase to 12.