Month: February 2011

By Jared Levy, Editor, Smart Investing Daily, taipanpublishinggroup.com

You’re not going to find Friday’s security breach at the Nasdaq exchange as headline news in most publications. Given the seemingly more important things like the Packers winning the Super Bowl in Dallas or the inevitable spending cuts that are coming down the pike, why would we care about a person, group of people or foreign government gaining access to confidential data that could influence future stock prices or perhaps allow them access to the orders and prices themselves?

As much as I love football and want our state and federal budgets balanced, this breach and others like it deserve not only the full attention of all Americans, but serious action. The effects of these actions could be catastrophic, not only for your personal data security, but the infrastructure that holds these digital markets together.

If you thought the “flash crash” was scary, imagine someone having the ability to alter stock prices or gather inside information about an earnings report and flood the market with buy or sell orders. (Hackers did NOT gain access to price servers in this breach apparently.)

What Happened?

The NASDAQ OMX is an international stock exchange that is the primary trading exchange for over 2,800 stocks and options issues. The Nasdaq trades between 2 billion and 3 billion shares daily and is a completely electronic exchange with no trading floors. Essentially it is a complex network of computers that links brokers, market makers and investors together and allows qualified participants to enter prices and share amounts to buy or sell. Your broker acts as the portal for you to trade on the Nasdaq, only allowing you to buy or sell what you specify and can afford.

According to The Wall Street Journal and several other sources, the Nasdaq’s servers were breached on Friday. Per a nebulous written statement by Nasdaq, the hackers were able to penetrate an area of the network called the “Directors Desk,” which is a platform that’s intended to allow company boards with over 10,000 separate members to communicate by securely storing and sharing private information and files (very disturbing). Nasdaq states that no data was lost in this breach and they have removed the “spyware” from their computers.

This isn’t the first time the exchange has been hacked, this has happened several times this year already and, in fact, there have been reports of penetration into their servers going all the way back to the 1990s.

According to industry experts, even though we have not seen anything catastrophic yet, professional hackers will often go on many reconnaissance missions, gathering data and planning a large attack or information dump later on. According to SecurityNewsDaily.com, the cloud-based platform that was hacked holds company data, recordings from virtual board meetings and even details about the 10,000-plus board members that use it. This data could potentially be used to defraud the members themselves, or gain illegal insight into a company’s health.

Jeffery Carr, who consults with U.S. and allied governments on cyber warfare, offered even further details on his blog concerning the events at the Nasdaq. I don’t know about you, but this scares me to death.

Was it a coincidence that the Nasdaq wasn’t sending out quotes on any of their indexes on Friday morning? Perhaps, but as an investor, there are a couple small things you should know and might want to do, just in case there is a major data loss, error or another flash crash, or even if you simply lose power or crash your personal computer.

(Investing doesn’t have to be complicated. Sign up for Smart Investing Daily and let me and my fellow editor Sara Nunnally simplify the stock market for you with our easy-to-understand investment articles.)

Steps to Protect Yourself

• Write down (on paper) all important numbers. This should include your broker’s phone and account numbers, addresses, any and all pertinent information that allows you to get ahold of your broker and identify yourself in the event of an emergency.
• Record your investment holdings including symbol, purchase date, amount of shares or contracts, and approximate dollar values at monthly intervals. You can even take a screen shot of your broker’s screen and print it.

The good news is that there are companies that record stock ownership and transfers. Registrars and transfer agents ensure that each share of stock in a public company is accounted for, although they have no control over price.

• Watch your stop-losses — When the flash crash occurred, stop-losses not only added to the acceleration of the drops in price, but also locked in losses for investors who would have been profitable the very next day when the market recovered. Of course, many of the trades that occurred that day were “busted,” which means they “didn’t count.” But there is no reason to take a chance. If you are a longer-term trader, use caution when entering stop-loss orders. Try either a stop limit order or simply write down a price at which you want to get out, and when the stock gets there, enter your order manually.
• Don’t give your information to anyone online, not even your full name unless you are on a trusted site and know whom you are sending it to. Be aware of “phishing” scams, which are pop-ups you may see on your computer screen asking you for data or passwords. My rule of thumb is that if I didn’t normally have to give this information, there might be something wrong. Pick up the phone and contact the company that is asking for this data to double check if you’re suspicious.
• The Nasdaq doesn’t actually know who you are. When you enter an order, let’s say to buy 100 shares of Apple Inc. (AAPL:NASDAQ) for $300 each, your broker first verifies that you have the money in your account and then allows the order to pass through their gates and their clearinghouse’s gates to the Nasdaq system without your personal information. The order is sent with a “trade ID” only, so all the Nasdaq would see is an order to buy 100 shares for $300 per share. If you are filled, your broker (and their clearinghouse if separate) simply matches up the orders and deducts or adds any cash or stock positions.

*This was confirmed by a source at Penson Financial, which serves as a clearinghouse for many brokerages around the world.

While these breaches are extremely frightening, there are several layers in place to protect your information and even our trading systems. I believe the worst outcome of these breaches is not your personal data safety, but either confidential company information in the wrong hands being used to manipulate markets, or worse, the sabotage/overload of the pricing systems causing another flash crash of epic proportions using errant erroneous trades and prices.

For now, keep your records in order and your personal data close. Risks like this exist all around us in just about everything we do; unfortunately it’s one of the “costs” of doing business in the information age and over the Internet.

Editor’s Note: This secret Wall Street cheat sheet means big payoff for you… Time to get even! Wall Street thieves robbed America blind during the Crash, and now these billionaire hedge fund managers are forced to fess up. Congressional hearings expose their crimes. You have to read why in this exclusive investment report.

About the Author

Jared Levy is Co-Editor of Smart Investing Daily, a free e-letter dedicated to guiding investors through the world of finance in order to make smart investing decisions. His passion is teaching the public how to successfully trade and invest while keeping risk low.

Jared has spent the past 15 years of his career in the finance and options industry, working as a retail money manager, a floor specialist for Fortune 1000 companies, and most recently a senior derivatives strategist. He was one of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange’s youngest-ever members to become a market maker on three major U.S. exchanges.

He has been featured in several industry publications and won an Emmy for his daily video “Trader Cast.” Jared serves as a CNBC Fast Money contributor and has appeared on Bloomberg, Fox Business, CNN Radio, Wall Street Journal radio and is regularly quoted by Reuters, The Wall Street Journal and Yahoo! Finance, among other publications.

By CountingPips.com

The United States trade deficit increased by slightly more than expected in December as a result of increased import levels, according to a release by the Commerce Department today. The U.S. trade deficit rose by $2.3 billion in December to a total shortfall of $40.6 billion following a revised deficit of $38.3 billion in November.

The trade data just surpassed market forecasts that were expecting a deficit of approximately $40.4 billion for the month.

The increased deficit was the result of a bigger increase in imports compared to the rise in exports for the month. Imports of goods and services rose to a total of $203.5 billion compared with a total of $198.5 billion in November for an increase of $5.1 billion.

The U.S. exported a total of $163.0 billion worth of goods and services in December which was an increase of $2.8 billion from November’s total.

The politically sensitive U.S. trade deficit with China declined in December with a $20.7 billion shortfall following a deficit of $25.6 billion in November. Other notable U.S. trade deficits were with OPEC at $8.3 billion, the European Union at $6.6 billion, Mexico at $4.7 billion and Japan at $5.9 billion.

The U.S. trade surpluses with other countries for December included Hong Kong at $2.2 billion, Singapore at $1.3 billion, Australia at $1.2 billion and Egypt at $0.7 billion.

U.S. Dollar mixed in forex trading

The U.S. dollar has been mixed in morning trading in the forex markets today while the American stock markets have opened slightly lower. The dollar has gained ground versus the euro, British pound sterling, Swiss franc and the New Zealand dollar while declining against the Australian dollar, Japanese yen and the Canadian dollar, according to currency data by Oanda.

The U.S. stock markets, meanwhile, are slightly down today with the Dow Jones following by approximately 14 points, the Nasdaq down by approximately 4 points and the S&P 500 lower by just around 2 points at time of writing.

Oil has traded lower by $0.38 to $86.35 per barrel while gold futures have edged higher by $1.90 to the $1363.80 per ounce level.

By Dan Eduard

Market volatility was low at the beginning of this week, as a slow news cycle failed to generate significant amounts of trading activity. That all changed on Wednesday, when a speech from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke caused investors to overwhelmingly short their USD positions. Bernanke sounded a pessimistic note with respect to the US employment sector and budget deficits. As a result of the speech, the EUR/USD took off, reaching as high as 1.3742 by the end of the day. The USD/JPY dropped close to 30 pips, while the GBP/USD moved up close to 80.

The markets shifted course on Thursday, following the release of the latest US Unemployment Claims figure. The figure came in at 383K, well below initial estimates and represented a 2 1/2 year low in new jobless claims. Investors reverted back to the greenback as a result, and the currency moved up against virtually all of its main counterparts. The EUR/USD dropped close to 100 pips as a result, while the USD/JPY went as high as 83.35 before the end of the day.

The USD remained bullish to close out the week, as the combination of renewed confidence in the US economic recovery continued to grow, while fresh concerns regarding European debt drove investors to the greenback. Whether or not the greenback can maintain this trend into next week is yet to be seen. Next Wednesday in particular looks to be a particularly big day for US fundamental news. Positive results from any of the more significant economic releases are likely to generate more momentum for the dollar.

Forex Market Analysis provided by ForexYard.

© 2006 by FxYard Ltd

Disclaimer: Trading Foreign Exchange carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all investors. There is a possibility that you could sustain a loss of all of your investment and therefore you should not invest money that you cannot afford to lose. You should be aware of all the risks associated with Foreign Exchange trading.

By GCI Forex Research

Fundamental Outlook at 0800 GMT (EDT + 0400)

USD

The dollar held firm overnight on a combination of elevated yields and caution in equity markets. EURUSD traded in a range of 1.3552-1.3621 and USDJPY 83.21-83.52. A Japanese holiday limited volumes somewhat, though given yesterday’s jitters in Eurozone sovereign bond markets and ongoing geopolitical tension in the Middle East, we would expect the dollar to continue enjoying underlying support, especially with data surprises to the upside in the US. Yesterday’s initial jobless claims plunged to 383k, the lowest since July 2008. A combination of unusually bad winter weather and normal volatility around the holidays has added extra volatility to the claims readings recently, although the trend is downward is consistent with an improving labor market, which could bolster the case for some payback in the next Bureau of Labor Statistics release. Better claims data pushed yields higher while the new 30y auction went roughly as expected.
Fed Chairman Bernanke and other officials are not worried about higher yields because they say they reflect expectations for growth and reactions to future data prints should help confirm whether market participants are fully onboard with the US recovery. Meanwhile, Fed Governor Warsh, one of the more outspoken governors against the Fed’s asset purchase program announced his resignation, effective March 31. We are against consensus for the February preliminary University of Michigan confidence index forecast as we are looking for a decrease to 71.5. But a print in line with our estimate would still be the fourth consecutive month of an above-70 figure, so we would not expect a low figure to necessarily weigh too much on the dollar. There are no major releases out of Europe but investors will continue to monitor volatility in Eurozone periphery spreads.
EUR

Eurozone peripheral bond yields marched higher, prompting reports of central bank bond purchasing to stem the rise. Portuguese yields seemed to be the larger movers, which prompted Portuguese officials to say the higher yields represent a speculative attack on the euro and that Europe is preparing a response to the situation. Officials also said current yields do not correspond to the fundamentals and that the country will be able to finance itself in the debt markets. Regardless, the latest move in yields show that recent talk on Eurozone sovereign solutions are still not viewed as a comprehensive solution, which puts more focus on the upcoming March 11 EU summit. Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero even went so far as to say the summit would be “transcendental”.
That said, we still remain negative on the euro as potential solutions could disappoint expectations and as borrowing costs represent a significant obstacle. German CPI came in at 2.0%, slightly above market expectations.
GBP

PPI figures are due in the UK today and the market is looking for softer growth in input costs while output price levels are expected to register 0.3%m/m gains. Core output PPI is also expected to hit 3.0%y/y and the BoE will be watching nervously for signs of second-round effects in general price levels.
The BoE left policy unchanged as expected, though there was a small risk of a change given the timing of next week’s inflation report. As such no explanatory statement was issued and the focus shifts to the Feb 23 minutes.
The National Institute of Economic and Social Research said the UK economy grew +0.6% in January, largely due to the recovery of output from the impact of adverse weather at the end of last year.
AUD

RBA Governor Stevens was on the wires overnight and sounded more cautious in testimony to parliament. He noted that although China’s economy is stronger than expected, inflation is now a little lower than thought and price effects are not a serious threat to inflation. Crucially, he said that market pricing of no hikes until later in the year is “reasonable”, noting that the RBA is “ahead of the game” with policy and comfortable on the level of interest rates. AUDUSD responded negatively, trading from 1.0045 at the open to below parity.
CAD

Canadian officials are concerned that currency strength could hamper growth but a recent publication by Export Development Canada, an export credit agency, essentially says Canadian exporters have adapted their methods to a stronger Canadian dollar. So while our forecasts call for Canadian dollar weakness relative to the US dollar on the basis of an improving US backdrop, another expected trade deficit print may not be as much of a damper on growth or the loonie, should exporters have quickly adapted to sustained currency strength.

TECHNICAL OUTLOOK
USDJPY 83.68 resistance.
EURUSD NEUTRAL Break of 1.3572 has turned the model to neutral; Support zone is at 1.3509/1.3482 while resistance is at 1.3744.
USDJPY BULLISH Violation of 82.93 pressurises initial resistance 83.68, break of which would expose 83.91, support lies at 81.20.
GBPUSD BULLISH As long as support at 1.5922 holds, expect recovery towards 1.6186 ahead of 1.6279/99 zone. Near-term support is defined at 1.6010.
USDCHF BULLISH Breach of 0.9687 has exposed 0.9764 next; support at 0.9575/24 zone.
AUDUSD NEUTRAL Pressure on initial support 0.9964 builds, break of this would expose 0.9897. Initial resistance is at 1.0152.
USDCAD NEUTRAL 1.0011 and 0.9915 mark the near term directional triggers.
EURCHF BULLISH Momentum is positive; focus is on 1.3206/87 resistance zone. Support at 1.2973.
EURGBP BEARISH Focus is on initial support at 0.8420 ahead of 0.8377. Near-term resistance is at 0.8530.
EURJPY BULLISH Resistance zone is at 114.01/94. Initial support lies at 112.06.

Forex Daily Market Commentary provided by GCI Financial Ltd.

GCI Financial Ltd (”GCI”) is a regulated securities and commodities trading firm, specializing in online Foreign Exchange (”Forex”) brokerage. GCI executes billions of dollars per month in foreign exchange transactions alone. In addition to Forex, GCI is a primary market maker in Contracts for Difference (”CFDs”) on shares, indices and futures, and offers one of the fastest growing online CFD trading services. GCI has over 10,000 clients worldwide, including individual traders, institutions, and money managers. GCI provides an advanced, secure, and comprehensive online trading system. Client funds are insured and held in a separate customer account. In addition, GCI Financial Ltd maintains Net Capital in excess of minimum regulatory requirements.

DISCLAIMER: GCI’s Daily Market Commentary is provided for informational purposes only. The information contained in these reports is gathered from reputable news sources and is not intended to be U.S.ed as investment advice. GCI assumes no responsibility or liability from gains or losses incurred by the information herein contained.

By Anton Eljwizat

The pair has recorded much bullish behavior in the past several days. However, the technical data indicates that this trend may reverse anytime soon. For example, as I demonstrate below, the daily chart signals that a bearish reversal is imminent, and it might have the potential of reaching towards 1.3200 levels in the coming days. This might be a good opportunity for forex traders to enter the trend at a very early stage and a great entry price.

• Below is the 8-hour chart for the GBP/JPY.

• The technical indicators that are used are the Relative Strength Index (RSI), Slow Stochastic and Williams Percent Range.

• Point 1: There is a “doji” candlestick formed in the chart, indicating that a reversal should take place.

• Point 2: The Slow Stochastic indicates an impending bearish cross, which may signal a downward movement is going to occur in the near future.

• Point 3: The Relative Strength Index (RSI) indicates that the price of this cross currently floats in the overbought territory, signaling downward pressure.

• Point 4: The Williams Percent Range has peaked at the 0 marker and has turned bearish; this means that there may actually be a strong level of downward pressure.

GBP/JPY 8-Hour Chart

Forex Market Analysis provided by ForexYard.

© 2006 by FxYard Ltd

Disclaimer: Trading Foreign Exchange carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all investors. There is a possibility that you could sustain a loss of all of your investment and therefore you should not invest money that you cannot afford to lose. You should be aware of all the risks associated with Foreign Exchange trading.

Source: ForexYard

Concerns that the euro zone nations are not doing enough to tackle the debt woes plaguing the region has moved many traders to pull away from European assets and seek out relatively safer investments. The decline in currency value so far appears to be mild, but any additional negative data could drive the common currency to new lows if measures are not taken in the near future to boost consumer confidence.

Economic News

USD – USD Grows as Investors Flee Debt Concerns in Europe

The US dollar underwent a general correction to recent losses yesterday as signs of positive growth gave investors reason to buy into the greenback. Simultaneously, the euro zone witnessed the reemergence of debt concerns pushing traders out of European assets and into safe-havens, like the USD.

As a result, the dollar was trading higher versus its European counterparts. The EUR/USD moved from its daily high of 1.3620 to a recent price near the 1.3590 price level. The USD/JPY experienced somewhat more bullish behavior, climbing from 81.30 to 83.35 over the last ten days. The GBP/USD, likewise, saw the dollar gaining ground, pushing back towards 1.6070 after climbing as high as 1.6136 in late-European trading.

Today’s American trade balance report and consumer sentiment reading from the University of Michigan (UoM) appear to be forecasting mixed results for the dollar. The trade balance may end up showing a widening of the deficit, leading to a mild correction to the USD prior to the day’s close. However, the consumer sentiment reading is expected to show increased optimism which may help the USD sustain its latest bullish move.

EUR – EUR Lumbering Under Emergence of Debt Woes

A recent flare-up of European debt concerns struck the 17-nation common currency yesterday, pushing the EUR lower against most of its currency counterparts in late-day trading. The EUR/USD dropped below the 1.3590 level while the EUR/GBP plummeted towards 0.8435 before paring its losses in today’s early Asian session.

Concerns that the euro zone nations are not doing enough to tackle the debt woes plaguing the region has moved many traders to pull away from European assets and seek out relatively safer investments. The decline in currency value so far appears to be mild, but any additional negative data could drive the common currency to new lows if measures are not taken in the near future to boost consumer confidence.

The euro zone will be largely absent from the economic calendar today. One significant report out of the region concerning French preliminary non-farm payrolls could show muted growth in the French employment sector, adding a modicum of strength to investor confidence. This figure may not carry enough impact to change the EUR’s fortunes significantly, but it may help stall any additional declines.

JPY – Japanese Yen Reaches 1-Month Low vs. US Dollar

The Japanese yen has been declining this week against most of its currency rivals due to a variety of forces. Among these influences is a recent move into riskier assets, as well as an unwinding of JPY long positions. The yen is dropping towards a 1-month low against the US dollar, reaching towards 83.35 in today’s early Asian sessions.

With Japanese banks on holiday Friday, in observance of National Foundation Day, the yen is going to be absent from today’s market moving events. The driving force behind today’s market will likely be the United States as investors appear to be preparing their portfolios in anticipation of the significant release of the UoM consumer sentiment figure. Should the greenback continue climbing, it will likely do so strongly against the yen in light of recent market trends.

Crude Oil – Oil Prices Stable Near $87 a Barrel

The plummeting price of Crude Oil over the past several trading days appears to have leveled off since last Friday. The spiking of oil prices these past several weeks concerned many traders about a suppression of the global economic recovery. Fundamental data appears to support a climb in oil prices, but this does not seem to be the case.

It is likely that positive growth in the US dollar yesterday, as well as general uncertainty about the rate of growth in a number of major oil consuming nations, has helped dampen oil demand, pushing supply higher. Another explanation could be the massive winter storms in North America creating a temporary pause in oil consumption as people are traveling less under the preventative environmental conditions.

Either way, it appears oil prices are on the decline heading into today’s weekly close, but speculation may suggest a fundamental increase in value as demand appears to be on the rise going into next week.

Technical News

EUR/USD

There appears to be a fresh bearish cross on the weekly chart’s Stochastic (slow), suggesting an imminent downward movement heading into this week’s close. A similar bearish cross on the daily chart’s MACD supports this notion. Going short may be a wise decision today.

GBP/USD

The sharp descent of the Stochastic (slow) indicator on this pair’s daily chart suggests an increasing level of bearish momentum. The fresh bearish cross on the weekly Stochastic (slow) and daily MACD support this notion. Going short appears preferable.

USD/JPY

The sharp spike of this pair on the long-term charts appears to have pushed the daily Stochastic (slow) deep into the over-bought region and preparing to form a bearish cross. However, the other long-term indictors show either neutrality or signals of impending bullishness. It appears this pair may breach its resistance line at 83.50 and go higher until additional technical data can cause a corrective retracement to this latest jump in value.

USD/CHF

The MACD on this pair’s daily chart reveals a fresh bullish cross and an ascending price movement, suggesting impending bullishness for the USD against the Swiss franc. The upward price movement on the weekly Stochastic (slow) and RSI support this notion. Going long may turn out to be the better choice today.

The Wild Card

EUR/CHF

This pair’s indicators appear to be revealing solid downward corrective signals. The daily and weekly Stochastic (slow) show impending and fresh bearish crosses, respectively, which highlights the impending downward movement of this pair. The daily MACD also shows a bearish cross high above the 0.0 line, supporting the notion that forex traders may wish to go short on this pair today to catch the impending corrective swing from the bullish spike experienced these past several days.

Forex Market Analysis provided by ForexYard.

© 2006 by FxYard Ltd

Disclaimer: Trading Foreign Exchange carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all investors. There is a possibility that you could sustain a loss of all of your investment and therefore you should not invest money that you cannot afford to lose. You should be aware of all the risks associated with Foreign Exchange trading.

Recent data out of the United States has helped boost the strength of the dollar in recent trading. The USD climbed against most of its currency rivals in trading yesterday as euro zone debt concerns flared up and US unemployment claims came in lower than expected this week.

A decline in US Crude Oil inventories over the past week also suggests a growth in oil usage, hinting towards industrial expansion in the world’s largest oil consuming country. This week’s close should round off these latest price movements with a few minor publications directly related to the strength of the greenback.

Here is a summary of today’s leading events:

13:30 GMT: USD – US Trade Balance

The trade balance measures the difference in value between imported and exported goods over the previous month. This month’s figure is expected to show a widening in the American trade deficit. Should the actual figure come in line with expectations, the USD could see a minor correction to yesterday’s strength.

14:55 GMT: USD – UoM Consumer Sentiment

The University of Michigan (UoM) releases this monthly report which represents the sentiment of consumers regarding their economic conditions. A higher reading represents a growth in consumer confidence. This month’s release is expected to reveal a growth in consumer sentiment and thus may grant the USD a second boost before the closing of the week’s trading.

GBPUSD had reached the rising trend line on 4-hour chart. However, the fall from 1.6277 is still treated as consolidation of uptrend from 1.5344 (Dec 28, 2010 low), and rebound from the trend line is still possible later today. Support is now at 1.6012, only break below this level could indicate that the rise from 1.5344 is complete, then the following downward movement could bring price to 1.5800 area.

Daily Forex Forecast

Google Inc, (GOOG) is down fractionally on a report that it has held low level talks with Twitter to sound out the social networking site about being acquired for as much as $10 billion. Privately held Facebook, Inc. has also reportedly held similar talks, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. Twitter was valued at $3.7 billion in December after it raised $200 million in another round of financing. It currently has in excess of 175 million users. Google opened down 75 cents at $615.75 and fell to a low of $612.18 before paring losses to trade at $612.80, down $3.70, or 0.60%

On the call side, Checkpoint Software is seeing more than 16 times the normal call volume after the company announced a share repurchase program. Shares of the company are up 2.5% today. Also topping the list of active call options are consumer retail firms American Eagle Outfitters and GameStop. American Eagle is trading up around 9% today on speculation that the company may be a takeover target. Also of note in call options are Teradata and Whole Foods, both of which recently reported better than expected earnings. Taking a look at the put side of the ledger, Akamai has had about 11 times the average amount of puts traded. Shares of the company are trading down around 15% today after the company posted disappointing Q1 guidance. DR Horton and Cisco are also active with 7.4 and 6.7 times the average amount of put volume today. Rackspace Hosting is seeing high put option activity and is set to report earnings after the market closes today. Finally, entertainment software maker Activision Blizzard rounds out the list with 5.6 times the average amount of puts the day after the company issued disappointing guidance and announced the end of its Guitar Hero franchise.