June 13, 2024
Sell your FCX November 46 Calls for $5.50 or more
As I’ve written recently, the market continues to send very mixed signals. On the one hand, the Nasdaq and S&P 500 look rock solid as the indexes soar to new highs. However, most of that rally can be attributed to AAPL/NVDA and a smaller and smaller list of the best-performing stocks.
Also, under the surface, the market breadth has been dreadful for weeks, and more and more stocks are chopping around or breaking down. This is concerning (at least for now).
Because of this choppy environment, and FCX and GDX losing their momentum as of late, let’s exit our successful FCX position, as well as our GDX trade that is mostly a breakeven after our initial sale weeks ago.
To execute these trades you need to:
Sell to Close your FCX November 56 Calls
And
Sell to Close your GDX January 33 Calls
Stepping back, hopefully the under-the-surface selling that we are seeing will be a short-lived situation and breadth improves. However, until we see that happen, let’s raise some cash and prepare to move this capital into fresher ideas.
April 22, 2024
Freeport McMoRan (FCX) Earnings
Tomorrow before the market open, Freeport McMoRan (FCX) will report earnings. Headed into the announcement, we are holding a final third of a position having taken partial profits twice as the stock moved higher.
With profits in the bank and option activity remaining bullish, I am going to hold my position through earnings.
However, if you would prefer to not take the earnings risk, you must sell your position before the close of trade today (for an approximate profit of 30%).
FCX – With the stock trading at 49, the options market is pricing in a move of $2.50 this week, or 46.5 to the downside and 51.5 to the upside.
Open interest is skewed bullish on a ratio of 1.7:1 call vs. put.
Skew is pricing in typical downside risk as well as upside potential.
April 12, 2024
Sell a Third of your FCX November 46 Calls for $9.30 or more.
FCX stock continues to break out, and option activity is very bullish. And while I think odds favor this stock going higher, commodity plays are tricky. For that reason, and because we have a profit-taking system in place, today we are going to lock in a gain of approximately 60% on a piece of our position.
To execute this trade you need to:
Sell to Close a Third of your FCX November 46 Calls
April 2, 2024
Sell a Third of your FCX November 46 Calls for $7 or more
FCX is breaking out to a new high today and looks great. On the other hand, after weeks of churning, the overall market is starting to bleed lower. Because of that, and because we are going to stick to the system, let’s lock in a profit of approximately 20% on a third of our position and then go for much greater gains in the weeks to come.
To execute this trade you need to:
Sell to Close a Third of your FCX November 46 Calls
As noted above, I think FCX looks great and I like the prospects for the balance of this trade moving forward.
March 21, 2024
Buy the Freeport McMoRan (FCX) November 46 Calls (exp. 11/15) for $6.35 or less.
Freeport McMoRan (FCX) and its copper and commodity peers have been on a nice run in the last three weeks while the market has drifted higher/chopped around. And with that recent strength for FCX and its peers, option activity has been very strong, especially in FCX, including these trades the past two days:
Today – Buyer of 3,100 Freeport McMoRan (FCX) August 50 Calls for $2.73 – Stock at 45.5
Wednesday – Buyer of 4,000 Freeport McMoRan (FCX) May 46 Calls for $2.10 – Stock at 44.5
Wednesday – Buyer of 25,000 Freeport McMoRan (FCX) May 50 Calls for $1.42 – Stock at 46.
Today let’s add an FCX November call position that should work if the commodity theme continues to gain momentum.
To execute this trade you need to:
Buy to Open the FCX November 46 Calls.
The most you can lose on this trade is the premium paid, or $635 per call purchased.
The risks I see in this trade are general market risk, and of much greater concern to me, how hot, but also how cold, commodity stocks can get if the momentum fades.
And while it’s possible that we are near a top in FCX, it is as likely, or even more so given the strong option activity, that FCX is just getting started to the upside.
Position (Original) | FCX January 44 Call |
Position Strategy | Buy Call |
Opened Date | July 25, 2023 |
Expiration | January 19, 2024 |
Net Price | 5.00 |
Strike | 44 |