This deal looks like it could be huge. I wonder if advance word leaked out:
Critical Path Options Active on Expectations Stock Will Gain
New York, Jan. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Trading in Critical Path Inc. options suggests some investors see the 28 percent decline in the stock this year as too far, too fast and are expecting the stock to rally in the next five weeks.
Some 700 options allowing investors to purchase shares for $100 by Feb. 19 changed hands, almost matching the number of contracts outstanding. Shares in Critical Path, which manages companies electronic mail and messaging services, gained 2 3/8 to 68 1/2 in late morning trading.
``If this is new money coming in, someone is seeing value in the stock, thinking it's bottomed and it's time to buy,' said Price Headley, president of BigTrends.com, a stock and options advisory firm in Lexington, Kentucky.
February 100 calls rose 5/8 to 3 7/8.
Other investors may be closing out positions to benefit from the decline in the options price as the stock fell, Headley said.
An investor holding stock could have sold calls on Dec. 31 for 14 3/4. Buying them back today at 3 7/8 would net a profit of 74 percent on the options and allow the investor to participate in any rally in the underlying stock.
Jan/13/2000 11:32 |
