Metals Calendar - Futures, Options, Dates

[DMac]

Witching days are very volatile.

Triple Witching Hour

Triple witching hour is the last hour of the stock market trading session (3:00-4:00 P.M., New York Time) on the third Friday of every March, June, September, and December. Those days are the expiration of three kinds of securities:

* Stock market index futures;
* Stock market index options;
* Stock options.

The simultaneous expirations generally increases the trading volume of options, futures and the underlying stocks, and occasionally increases volatility of prices of related securities.

On those same days in March, June, September, and December, Single-stock futures also expire, so that the final hour on those days is sometimes referred to as the quadruple witching hour.


Quadruple Witching
"Quadruple Witching" is a day on which four major contracts - stock index futures, stock index options, stock options and single stock futures - all expire. The trading on these days is typically volatile, especially during the "Quadruple Witching Hour", which is the hour before the markets close (3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET). Quadruple witching happens on the third Friday of March, June, September, and December.


The reason that a quadruple witching day may have volatile trading conditions is that many investors want to unwind their interests in futures and options contracts prior to the contract expiration date. Stock trading increases as investors replace or repurchase existing contracts.http://web.streetauthority.com/terms...-witching.asp3


2010 Witching Days:
Friday March 19th
Friday June 18th
Friday September 17th
Friday December 17th

__________________________________________________ ______________

I assume the days I've highlighted in bold will be good buying days:



DJ Metals Calendar - Futures, Options Dates - Jun 8

Jun 08, 2010 (Dow Jones Commodities News via Comtex) --
2010

June 16 Nymex July platinum options expiry
June 24 Comex July silver options expiry
June 24 Comex July copper options expiry
June 28 Comex June gold futures last trading day
June 28 Comex June copper futures last trading day
June 28 Comex July E-mini copper futures last trading day
June 28 Comex July miNY silver futures last trading day
June 28 Nymex June palladium futures last trading day
June 28 Nymex July Asian gold futures last trading day
June 28 Nymex July Asian platinum futures last trading day
June 28 Nymex July Asian palladium futures last trading day
June 30 Comex July silver futures first notice day
June 30 Comex July copper futures first notice day
June 30 Nymex July platinum futures first notice day
July 27 Comex August gold options expiry
July 27 Comex August copper options expiry
July 28 Comex August miNY gold futures last trading day
July 28 Comex July silver futures last trading day
July 28 Comex July copper futures last trading day
July 28 Comex August E-mini copper futures last trading day
July 28 Nymex July platinum futures last trading day
July 28 Nymex August Asian gold futures last trading day
July 28 Nymex August Asian platinum futures last trading day
July 28 Nymex August Asian palladium futures last trading day
July 30 Comex August gold futures first notice day
July 30 Comex August copper futures first notice day
Aug. 26 Comex September silver options expiry
Aug. 26 Comex September copper options expiry
Aug. 27 Comex August gold futures last trading day
Aug. 27 Comex August copper futures last trading day
Aug. 27 Comex September E-mini copper futures last trading day
Aug. 27 Comex September miNY silver futures last trading day
Aug. 27 Nymex September Asian gold futures last trading day
Aug. 27 Nymex September Asian platinum futures last trading day
Aug. 27 Nymex September Asian palladium futures last trading day
Aug. 31 Comex September silver futures first notice day
Aug. 31 Comex September copper futures first notice day
Aug. 31 Nymex September palladium futures first notice day
Sept. 27 Comex October gold options expiry
Sept. 27 Comex October copper options expiry
Sept. 28 Comex October miNY gold futures last trading day
Sept. 28 Comex September silver futures last trading day
Sept. 28 Comex September copper futures last trading day
Sept. 28 Comex October E-mini copper futures last trading day
Sept. 28 Nymex September palladium futures last trading day
Sept. 28 Nymex October Asian gold futures last trading day
Sept. 28 Nymex October Asian palladium futures last trading day
Sept. 28 Nymex October Asian platinum futures last trading day
Sept. 30 Comex October gold futures first notice day
Sept. 30 Comex October copper futures first notice day
Sept. 30 Nymex October platinum futures first notice day
Oct. 26 Comex November copper options expiry
Oct. 27 Comex October gold futures last trading day
Oct. 27 Comex October copper futures last trading day
Oct. 27 Comex November E-mini copper futures last trading day
Oct. 27 Nymex October platinum futures last trading day
Oct. 27 Nymex November Asian gold futures last trading day
Oct. 27 Nymex November Asian palladium futures last trading day
Oct. 27 Nymex November Asian platinum futures last trading day
Oct. 29 Comex November copper futures first notice day
Nov. 23 Comex December gold options expiry
Nov. 23 Comex December silver options expiry
Nov. 23 Comex December copper options expiry
Nov. 26 Comex December E-mini silver futures last trading day
Nov. 26 Comex December miNY gold futures last trading day
Nov. 26 Comex November copper futures last trading day
Nov. 26 Comex December E-mini copper futures last trading day
Nov. 26 Comex December miNY silver futures last trading day
Nov. 26 Nymex December Asian gold futures last trading day
Nov. 26 Nymex December Asian platinum futures last trading day
Nov. 26 Nymex December Asian palladium futures last trading day
Nov. 30 Comex December gold futures first notice day
Nov. 30 Comex December silver futures first notice day
Nov. 30 Comex December copper futures first notice day
Nov. 30 Nymex December palladium futures first notice day
Dec. 27 Comex January 2011 copper options expiry
Dec. 29 Comex December gold futures last trading day
Dec. 29 Comex December silver futures last trading day
Dec. 29 Comex December copper futures last trading day
Dec. 29 Comex January 2011 E-mini copper futures last trading day
Dec. 29 Comex January 2011 E-mini silver futures last trading day
Dec. 29 Nymex December palladium futures last trading day
Dec. 31 Comex January 2011 silver futures first notice day
Dec. 31 Comex January 2011 copper futures first notice day
Dec. 31 Nymex January 2011 platinum futures first notice day

Exchange Key:
Nymex = New York Mercantile Exchange
Comex = Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange

[osoab]

Thanks Dmac. Should be stickied.

[gunDriller]

June 28 Comex July miNY silver futures last trading day
June 28 Nymex June palladium futures last trading day
June 28 Nymex July Asian gold futures last trading day
June 28 Nymex July Asian platinum futures last trading day
June 28 Nymex July Asian palladium futures last trading day
June 30 Comex July silver futures first notice day
June 30 Comex July copper futures first notice day
June 30 Nymex July platinum futures first notice day
July 27 Comex August gold options expiry
July 27 Comex August copper options expiry
July 28 Comex August miNY gold futures last trading day
July 28 Comex July silver futures last trading day
July 28 Comex July copper futures last trading day
July 28 Comex August E-mini copper futures last trading day
July 28 Nymex July platinum futures last trading day
July 28 Nymex August Asian gold futures last trading day
July 28 Nymex August Asian platinum futures last trading day
July 28 Nymex August Asian palladium futures last trading day
July 30 Comex August gold futures first notice day

why are these good buying days - what is it about first notice, last trading day, and options expiry that knock the price down ?

anyway, thanks for the info !

[osoab]

June 28 Comex July miNY silver futures last trading day
June 28 Nymex June palladium futures last trading day
June 28 Nymex July Asian gold futures last trading day
June 28 Nymex July Asian platinum futures last trading day
June 28 Nymex July Asian palladium futures last trading day
June 30 Comex July silver futures first notice day
June 30 Comex July copper futures first notice day
June 30 Nymex July platinum futures first notice day
July 27 Comex August gold options expiry
July 27 Comex August copper options expiry
July 28 Comex August miNY gold futures last trading day
July 28 Comex July silver futures last trading day
July 28 Comex July copper futures last trading day
July 28 Comex August E-mini copper futures last trading day
July 28 Nymex July platinum futures last trading day
July 28 Nymex August Asian gold futures last trading day
July 28 Nymex August Asian platinum futures last trading day
July 28 Nymex August Asian palladium futures last trading day
July 30 Comex August gold futures first notice day

why are these good buying days - what is it about first notice, last trading day, and options expiry that knock the price down ?

anyway, thanks for the info !

The knock down leading up to it was my guess. It's was brutal in Dec and in May.

[DMac]

why are these good buying days - what is it about first notice, last trading day, and options expiry that knock the price down ?

anyway, thanks for the info !

My thought is that the manipulators take the metals down hard in the day(s) preceding options expiration.

From: Andrew Maguire
Sent: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 12:51 PM
To: Ramirez, Eliud [CFTC]
Cc: Chilton, Bart [CFTC]
Subject: Silver today

Dear Mr. Ramirez:

I thought you might be interested in looking into the silver trading today. It was a good example of how a single seller, when they hold such a concentrated position in the very small silver market, can instigate a selloff at will.

These events trade to a regular pattern and we see orchestrated selling occur 100% of the time at options expiry, contract rollover, non-farm payrolls (no matter if the news is bullish or bearish), and in a lesser way at the daily silver fix. I have attached a small presentation to illustrate some of these events. I have included gold, as the same traders to a lesser extent hold a controlling position there too.

[gunDriller]

These events trade to a regular pattern and we see orchestrated selling occur 100% of the time at options expiry, contract rollover, non-farm payrolls (no matter if the news is bullish or bearish), and in a lesser way at the daily silver fix. I have attached a small presentation to illustrate some of these events. I have included gold, as the same traders to a lesser extent hold a controlling position there too.

[/quote]

Jeez, talk about getting it in black & white (and red !) 8)

thanks !

[joe_momma]

Price drop at options expiry -

(IMHO) - you get two things -

1) The commercial shorts want to suppress the price so that the options are valueless (or at least minimal)

2) Most people know the longs will drive the price down on expiry days, so they sell a day or so early to lock in profits.

[gunDriller]

I assume the days I've highlighted in bold will be good buying days:

how about days that tend to be good selling days ?

[gunDriller]

bump

[DMac]

I assume the days I've highlighted in bold will be good buying days:

how about days that tend to be good selling days ?

That's a good question sir, one I will have to think about for a bit before I attempt an answer.