Affymetrix Inc. (AFFX)

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Friday Options Brief: AFFX, AXP, WMG & MED

Affymetrix, Inc. (AFFX) – Call options on the biotechnology company are in demand today, with shares in the maker of genetic analysis products rising as much as 6.3% to an intraday high of $6.25. The jump in options activity on the stock helped lift the overall reading of options implied volatility on Affymetrix 17.9% to 73.54% in early-afternoon trade. June in- and out-of-the-money calls are most active on AFFX today. It looks like the June $5.0 strike calls were also popular with bullish players during trading on Thursday. Open interest patterns in the calls suggest investors purchased 2,100 contracts at the June $5.0 strike yesterday for a premium of $0.95 each.

The subsequent rally in the price of the underlying stock overnight combined with the sharp increase in implied volatility lifted the current asking price on the options to $1.50 each as of 1:25pm in New York. Options players hoping to see the price in Affymetrix shares continue to trend higher ahead of expiration day next month purchased the majority of the calls exchanged at the June $7.5 strike today. More than 2,000 calls changed hands at that strike on previously existing open interest of 561 contracts. The June $7.5 strike is the most heavily trafficked this afternoon, with buyers of the calls shelling out an average premium of $0.25 per contract for the options. Investors long the calls profit in the event that AFFX shares surge 24.0% over today’s high of $6.25 to surpass the average breakeven price of $7.75 by expiration day in June.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/268434-friday-options-brief-affx-axp-wmg-med?source=yahoo