Options Recap: Cisco, Dish, Hospira

OptionMonster co-founder Pete Najarian provides options picks Monday, Wednesday and Friday in TheStreet.com's Deep in the Money Calls newsletter.

By David Russell, reporter for OptionMonster.

Below is a compilation of some stories that ran Wednesday on optionMONSTER.com. optionMONSTER was co-founded by Deep in the Money Calls author Pete Najarian and uses advanced monitoring systems to detect trading patterns by large institutional traders and retail investors.

Cisco(CSCO Quote) showing some bullish signs: The networking giant's quarterly report next week could have broad impact on the market, and there are already some bullish indications.

VIX gains are outpaced by futures: The CBOE Volatility Index, or VIX, is popping again, but in an unusual move the gain is being outpaced by the futures. The data appears to point to further declines in the S&P 500.

Dish (DISH Quote) reflects caution among traders: Traders are getting cautious as the rally appears to be running out of steam. The options action in Dish Network is just one example.

Bulls dial up Mobile Telesystems (MBT Quote): The Russian telecom firm is getting knocked lower after its recent run, drawing a bullish trade from an investor with a long-term horizon.

Options go for a ride on Hospira(HSP Quote): The drug-delivery company reports better-than-expected results, prompting at least one investor to bet on further upside in its stock.

Chinese stocks face bearish trades: China has been a focus for option traders of late, and now we see a highly leveraged bearish bet in a key exchange-traded fund.

Traders lock horns over pennies: A quiet battle is brewing over how the most popular options should be priced, pitting the interests of smaller "retail" investors against institutional players and the two largest exchanges.

Wednesday Premarket:

Large trade bets on Russell 2000: At least one large options trader is clearly bullish on the Russell 2000, selling puts in the small-cap index's iShares Russell 2000 Index(IWM Quote) exchange-traded fund.