Are long options better protection than stop loss orders? Carley and Karen Gibbs discuss...http://www.aweber.com/archive/decarleystock/U4vm

 GDP...not so bad say Treasury futures traders

Sometimes news that is bad, but not as bad as expected is interpreted and being "good news" and that is exactly what happened with today's GDP report.  A few months ago, the markets would have cringed at a growth rate of 1.6% but with expectations for the figure to be 1.4% or much less, it was a breath of fresh air.  Also a bit bearish for bonds was a slightly hotter than expected GDP deflator.  

As always, Ben Bernanke testimony stole some of the thunder from economic news.  However, after all was said and done the market reaction to each event seemed to coincide.  The Fed chair pricked the bond bubble by stating that they believe the risks of deflation are not significant at this time and by refraining from announcing further quantitative easing.  He also pledged to continue to take action should the economic recovery continue to falter.   The markets took his statements as a sign of stability and acted accordingly.  However, one day does not make a trend and

Monday could be a little more reliable as an indicator of future market direction.  After all, option expiration in Treasuries was today and it is our guess that there were a lot of short call traders that bought future earlier in the week to protect positions were scrambling to sell the same futures in an attempt to avoid the inevitable chop that such a strategy poses.   

Reminder from yesterday's newsletter:  The 10-year note has found comfort in the 2.5% range, but we doubt this will hold in the long-term.  The only other time yields have been this low (late 2008 on similarly low volume trading), the move quickly proved to be a temporary anomaly.  That said, if you recall the last sub-2.5 trade yields reached 2% in dramatic fashion before reversing course.  Therefore, what seem to be favorable historical odds...there is a substantial amount of risk involved in speculating the so-called Treasury bubble.   

If you missed this trade yesterday:  Clients were advised to purchase October 5-year note 120 calls and sell futures this afternoon for a total risk of under $600 (before considering transaction costs).  This gives traders 30 days in the market with unlimited profit potential, capped risk and the ability to quickly adjust or take profits (futures face much tighter spreads than options).  

A good exit point in the futures might  be just under 119 and depending on how things look, it might be worthwhile to hold on to the long call in hopes of a rebound.  Stay tuned...  

 

* Due to time constraints and our fiduciary duty to put clients first, the charts provided in this newsletter may not reflect the current session data.  However, market analysis and commentary does. 

Charts provided by Track 'n Trade, Gecko software.  

**Seasonality is already factored into current prices, any references to such does not indicate future market action.  

Treasury Bond and Note Option Trading Recommendations

**There is unlimited risk in naked option selling.  

8-10-10 Clients were advised to sell the October 135 calls for 24/27  

8-25-10 Clients were advised to roll their short 135 calls into short October 130/139 strangles with a short November 142 call.  If volatility declines, the current lopsided strangle should benefit.   

8-26-10 Clients were advised to purchase October 5-year note 120 calls and sell futures this afternoon for a total risk of under $600 (before considering transaction costs).  This gives traders 30 days in the market with unlimited profit potential, capped risk and the ability to quickly adjust or take profits (futures face much tighter spreads than options).   

Treasury Bond and Note Futures Trading Recommendations

**There is unlimited risk in trading futures.  

Flat   

Due to the volatile nature of the futures markets some information and charts in this report may not be timely.  There is substantial risk of loss in trading futures and options.  

Past performance is not indicative of future results.  The information and data in this report were obtained from sources considered reliable.  Their accuracy or completeness is not guaranteed and the giving of the same is not to be deemed as an offer or solicitation on our part with respect to the sale or purchase of any securities or commodities.  Any decision to purchase or sell as a result of the opinions expressed in this report will be the full responsibility of the person authorizing such transaction.