Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (WBA)

I have passed a short iron fly spread on WBA, using options that trade for the last time nine days hence, on Jan. 12.

The bid/ask spread, at 29.9%, is too wide for my taste. I prefer single digits. Another problem lies with the long call leg; the strike closest to my goal of delta 10 has a delta of 20. The next highest jumps down to delta 3.

The profit zone for this position is between $78.50 to the upside and $74 to the downside.

WBA publishes earnings on Thursday after the closing bell.

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Monsanto Co. (MON)

I have passed a short iron fly spread on MON, using options that trade for the last time nine days hence, on Jan. 12. The bid/ask spread, at 42.2%, is too wide to meet my standards.

The profit zone for this position is between $119.55 to the upside and $113.55 to the downside.

MON publishes earnings on Thursday after the closing bell.

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1/3 – 3:10 p.m. New York time

I entered shares positions on RPM and WBA, and exited no positions. I analyzed MON and WBA as options positions but declined the trades.

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Monday is New Year’s Day, and markets will be closed in New York, London, Tokyo and Sydney.

The monthly employment situation report will be published on Friday at 8:30 a.m. New York time, starting off the first week of 2018 with a high-impact report. Simultaneously, another major report, international trade, will also be released.

The employment reporting gets a sneak preview on Thursday at 8:15 a.m. with the private-sector ADP employment report.

One other top report will be out during the week: The Institute of Supply Management manufacturing survey on Monday at 10 a.m.

Also, the Federal Open Market Committee minutes of its Dec. 13 meeting will be released on Wednesday at 2 p.m. At that meeting the FOMC raised the target for the federal funds rate from 1.25% to 1.5%, continuing its gradual tightening as the economy recovers. Two members, Chicago Fed Pres. Charles Evans and Minneapolis Fed Pres. Neel Kashkari, dissented, preferring to keep the target unchanged.

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12/29 – 12:10 p.m. New York time

UNF continues to be non=trending, with an average directional index (ADX) of 20.5. None of the other symbols under watch have improved sufficiently to qualify as trades. I plan to enter no positions nor to exit any, giving no outcomes for the day.

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12/28 – 3:35 p.m. New York time

I made no trades and posted no analyses today.

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12/27 – 3:25 p.m. New York time

I exited one trade today, NKE, and entered none. I listed, below in this post, potential trades for next week.

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12/16 – 3:20 p.m. New York tme

I neither entered nor exited positions today. No outcomes, as is common during the week between Christas and the start of the New Year.

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Monday is Christmas Day, and markets will be closed in New York, London and Sydney.

One major report will be published during the shortened week, international trade in goods, on Thursday at 8:30 a.m. New York time.

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12/22 – 3:15 p.m. New York time

In today’s outcomes, I entered no new positions, exited my options position on NKE and kept my shares position on NKE.

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