NEW YORK: An anonymous trader caused a stir in the U.S. equity options market on Monday with a massive bet that recalled Warren Buffett's famous wager on global stocks more than a decade ago.The trader sold 19,000 put options on the S&P 500 Index obligating him or her to buy the market benchmark at 2,100 on Dec. 18, 2020, data from New York-based options analytics firm Trade alert showed.As long as the index doesn't drop more than 22 percent from its current level of 2,582 by that date, the bet will earn the trader roughly US$175 million in premiums.Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway sold billions of dollars in stock index options between 2004 and 2008, betting that markets would rise over the next 15 to 20 years. Although the trades were made anonymously, they were eventually disclosed in regulatory filings.Berkshire has taken in more than US$4 billion in premiums on the options. The holding company has other contracts that have not expired, including a final tranche that will … [Read more...] about Doing a Buffett? Bet on S&P 500 causes flap on options market
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S&P 500, Nasdaq end higher as investors turn focus to Fed
NEW YORK: US stocks ended slightly higher on Tuesday (Jun 12), boosted by gains in technology and utilities shares, though investors were cautious ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy decision.The Fed is widely expected to raise interest rates for the second time this year when it concludes its policy meeting on Wednesday.Investors are focused on how the Fed characterises its monetary policy, looking for hints if it would move to raise rates three or four times this year.But shares of S&P 500 utilities, up 1.3 per cent, and technology, up 0.6 per cent, helped to lift the S&P 500.Investors also awaited a court ruling, which was expected after the closing bell, that would decide the fate of AT&T Inc's US$85 billion offer for Time Warner. Shares of AT&T ended up 0.5 per cent, while Time Warner was flat and Charter Communications gained 2.8 per cent."The Time Warner ruling has ramifications for other potential deals, so I think people are gearing up for that," said … [Read more...] about S&P 500, Nasdaq end higher as investors turn focus to Fed
Twitter is officially part of the S&P 500
source Andrew Burton/Getty Images Twitter officially joins the S&P 500 on Thursday, replacing Monsanto, which was acquired by Bayer. The stock rose 0.6% in early trading. Shares have gained almost 6% since the decision was announced after Monday’s closing bell. Follow Twitter’s stock price in real-time here. Twitter will trade as part of the S&P 500 for the first time on Thursday, replacing Monsanto in the famous benchmark index. The social network hit a three-year high this week, continuing a red-hot streak that earned it the new spot in the basket of the largest publicly-traded US companies. However, shares are still down 10% from their opening day price of $46.88 back in November 2013. It’s been rocky ride for the stock thus far. Shares nearly tripled in price after the initial public offering, only to drop a full 80% in the two and a … [Read more...] about Twitter is officially part of the S&P 500
Twitter was just added to the S&P 500 — here’s what that means for its stock
source Reuters / Brendan McDermid It was announced on Monday evening that Twitter would replace Monsanto in the S&P 500, starting June 7. Twitter’s inclusion in the equity benchmark will have wide-reaching effects on how the company’s stock trades going forward. Regardless of how you feel about the contents of your Twitter feed, there’s no denying the company behind it is thriving. Investors got another reminder of that on Monday evening when it was announced that Twitter would be the newest member of the closely watched S&P 500 stock benchmark, replacing Monsanto. The change will be effective on June 7. It marks the culmination of a rocky ride for Twitter, whose stock price nearly tripled in mere weeks following its initial public offering in November 2013, only to drop 80% over the following 2 1/2 years. That took the stock 46% below its IPO price of $26 at one point. Shares have skyrocketed … [Read more...] about Twitter was just added to the S&P 500 — here’s what that means for its stock
As S&P 500 recovers, most components remain in correction
Business As a stock rebound on Thursday put the S&P 500 on track for its strongest three-day performance since 2016, a look at the recent performance of most of the index's components paints a different picture, illustrating signs of weakness in Wall Street's health. 06 Apr 2018 03:40AM Bookmark SAN FRANCISCO: As a stock rebound on Thursday put the S&P 500 on track for its strongest three-day performance since 2016, a look at the recent performance of most of the index's components paints a different picture, illustrating signs of weakness in Wall Street's health.Cooling fears that Trump is starting a trade war with China helped the S&P 500 rebound 0.8 percent on Thursday and 2.9 percent over the past three sessions. But the S&P 500's recent volatility has left the index trading down 7 percent from its record high on Jan 26, and most of its components have fallen even further from their own recent highs as investors worry about high valuations and likely … [Read more...] about As S&P 500 recovers, most components remain in correction