Apple: Five fat fingers before noon Friday. What gives?

• The maximum pain of Apple weekly options: One year later

  In 52 weeks, Apple shares closed within $1 of the so-called Max Pain range 39 times

  To ordinary investors, the trading in Apple (AAPL) shares last week must have looked a little crazy. On Monday, when the Dow was up, the stock fell, only to shoot up $9.98 (3.17%) the next day. On Thursday, when the Dow was down, the stock was up $8.62 (2.67%). If Apple could have held on MORE

  Philip Elmer-DeWitt - Jun 25, 2011 8:12 AM ET
  Posted in: Apple, Chicago Board Options Exchange, Market maker, Max pain, Options, Strike price, Trading strategy, Travis Lewis, Weekly options, Weeklys

• Who knifed AAPL?

  With the Dow up and no negative news on the wire, the stock fell off a cliff Thursday

  Thursday was another one of those bizarre trading days for Apple (AAPL). The stock opened higher, flirted with some prices north of $328 in the morning and made it through the early afternoon without suffering much damage, despite the turmoil in Greece.

  Then, at about 1:50 p.m., the volume jumped and the stock fell MORE

  Philip Elmer-DeWitt - Jun 16, 2011 3:43 PM ET
  Posted in: Apple, Investing, Max pain, Options, Stock, Weekly options

• How the market in Apple 'weeklys' is rigged

  If you're looking for evidence of manipulation, Friday's close was picture-perfect

  "The easiest way to think of options," wrote The Market Skeptics's Eric deCarbonnel in a prescient 2009 post, "is as a type of insurance. Investors pay a premium to protect themselves against sharp swings in the market. If these sharp swings don't happen, those selling options (option market makers) keep the premiums as profit."

  "In a legitimate free market," he continues, "every MORE

  Philip Elmer-DeWitt - May 15, 2011 9:32 AM ET
  Posted in: Android, Apple, Calls, Derivatives, Eric deCarbonnel, Financial, Google, Investing, Jim Cramer, Jon Stewart, Manipulation, Market maker, Options, Puts, Share price, Steve Jobs, The Daily Show, The Street, Travis Lewis, Weekly options, Weeklys

• Apple's sleepiest day of the year

  Trading in the company's shares Monday was slower than it's been since New Year's Eve, 2010

  Apple (AAPL) has been trading in a narrow band this year -- to the undying frustration of investors who think the stock's price ought to reflect the company's breakneck earnings growth (EPS up 75%, 68%, 75% and 92%, respectively, over the past four quarters).

  Apple's trading volume, by contrast, is as changeable as a baby's bottom, MORE

  Philip Elmer-DeWitt - May 10, 2011 8:09 AM ET
  Posted in: AAPL, Apple, Financials, Jim Neal, NASDAQ, Nuance, Options, Share price, Volume, Weekly options