STOCKS NEWS US-Bond ETF draws likely put sellers

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1134 ET 19May2011 Bond ETF attracts likely put sellers
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The iShares Barclays 20+ Year Treasury Bond Fund slipped 0.11 percent to $95.19 after U.S. jobless claims fell more than expected in the latest week and sent U.S. Treasuries prices lower early on Thursday. But the four-week moving average for claims rose to a six-month high..

In TLT options action, a 7,778-contract block of May $94 puts traded at a dime when the market was 10 to 13 cents, said WhatsTrading.com options strategist Frederic Ruffy.

In all, 10,427 contracts traded in the strike, exceeding previous open interest of 4,986, according to Trade Alert. It looks like put sellers are opening new positions and possibly betting TLT will hold above $94 through Friday's options expiration, Ruffy said.

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1043 ET 19May2011
End of Fed's QE2 to hurt stocks, bonds, commodities

Investors betting on a rise in stocks, bonds and commodities should prepare for a loud sucking sound in their portfolios next month when the Federal Reserve pulls the plug on its $600 billion stimulus program.

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0933 ET 19May2011
Market opens up after claims data

U.S. stocks opened higher on Thursday after weekly jobless claims data suggested the labor market was on track for recovery.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 37.61 points, or 0.30 percent, at 12,597.79. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 4.17 points, or 0.31 percent, at 1,344.85. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 10.18 points, or 0.36 percent, at 2,825.18.

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0712 ET 19May2011
Economic and earnings diary for May 19

Economic data on tap for Thursday includes initial jobless claims for the week ending May 14, existing home sales from the National Association of Realtors and the Conference Board's leading economic indicators for April as well as the Philadelphia Fed survey for May.

Earnings scheduled on Thursday include Autodesk Inc, Salesforce.com Inc, GameStop Corp, Intuit Inc and Ross Stores Inc. Reuters Messaging: [e-mail]

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