The situation in Ukraine has become more intense and scary over the past few days. Whereas it looked like Russia would tiptoe around Ukraine’s nuclear power plant, it now looks like they want to take control of them. This aggressive act will put the civilian power supply in the hands of Ukraine’s enemy. The real question on everyone’s mind is why. Are they going to cut off power from the civilian population, or is their intent to protect the facility? Time will tell.
- Gunmaker Smith & Wesson disappointed investors on their earnings forecasts as they stated that demand for their products is falling, taking the stock down sharply.
- Materials stocks continue to rise. Russian ETF $RSX suspends creations, and shares fall sharply again, although they remain a rare source of liquidity for the time being as existing shares can continue to trade on the secondary market.
- Coal company Peabody Energy announced they are going green. (But how does a coal company for green?) Options traders took note.
- As oil prices rise, so freight costs, but some are more exposed than others, rails saw bullish options activity.
