Today’s tickers: EWZ, X, EEM, VIX, DGX, AMR & XHB

EWZ– The Brazil ETF has rallied more than 2% to $52.19 today, and we observed one investor initiating a bullish calendar spread on the fund. The trader appears to have purchased 10,000 calls at the near-term June 55 strike price for 1.30 each spread against the sale of 10,000 calls at the January 2010 55 strike price for a hefty premium of 5.20 apiece. The investor garners a sweet credit on the trade of 3.90 and is likely looking to exercise his right to call shares of the fund to him in the event that the June 55 strike calls land in-the-money by expiration. EWZ shares would need to rally by at least 5% in order for the calls to land in-the-money. – iShares MSCI Brazil Index Fund

X– Shares of the integrated steel producer have jumped more than 7% to $30.60 amid reports that U.S. raw steel production rose 3.7% last week to 1.06 million tons up from 1.023 million tons just one week prior. Although raw steel production in the U.S. is still down about 51.3% as compared to last year’s tonnage, option traders reacted positively to the slight increase reported by taking bullish stances on the stock. The near-term June 31 strike contract saw about 2,750 calls purchased for a premium of 1.75 apiece. But, the more interesting trade took place in the July contract. A bull call spread was initiated by the purchase of 7,000 calls at the July 33 strike price for 2.10 each spread against the sale of 7,000 calls at the higher July 40 strike for an average of 65 cents apiece. The net cost of the trade amounts to 1.45 and yields a maximum potential profit to the investor of 5.55 if shares can rally up to $40.00 by expiration. This optimistic individual will begin to amass profits if shares rise by about 6% to the breakeven point at $34.45. – United States Steel Corporation

EEM– The emerging market ETF has experienced a share price rally of more than 2% to $32.44 today prompting some traders to shed downside protection. Out of the more than 31,000 puts sold at the December 31 strike price for a premium of 3.45 apiece, 28,300 of the contracts were shed by one investor. Such a trade suggests that the individual does not see shares declining through the breakeven point to the…
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