Schaeffer's Daily Market Blog Features Newmont Mining, Countrywide Financial, Time Warner, Tribune, and Ford Motor

Business Wire, Feb 1, 2006

CINCINNATI -- Among the stocks featured in the February 1 edition of Schaeffer's Market Blog are Newmont Mining (NYSE:NEM), Countrywide Financial (NYSE:CFC), Time Warner (NYSE:TWX), Tribune (NYSE:TRB), and Ford Motor (NYSE:F).

Schaeffer's Market Blog is just one of the many free market commentaries written everyday at www.SchaeffersResearch.com - the home of Bernie Schaeffer and Schaeffer's Investment Research. The Market Blog is written throughout every trading day by Schaeffer's financial analysts and traders. They are quick insights to the day's most notable market activity from an options perspective. For additional information about this report or to have it delivered to you free via email every day click on the following link. http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/redirect.aspx?CODE=PROB12M&PAGE=1 .

Schaeffer's Market Blog for Wednesday, February 1, 2006:

Below are just a few of today's Market Blog entries. Click here to read all of today's Market Blog. http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/redirect.aspx?CODE=PROB1C&PAGE=1 .

10:45 AM NYSE & NASDAQ New Highs/New Lows With Equity Scorecard

One feature of our Daily Market blog is a set of tables looking at stocks that have achieved new annual highs or lows while posting an "extreme" Schaeffer's Equity Scorecard rating. One of the stocks making the lists today is Newmont Mining (NYSE:NEM). To see the entire lists, please visit our website.

11:13 AM Unusual Call Activity on Countrywide Financial

Countrywide Financial (NYSE:CFC) is one of the largest independent residential mortgage lending firms in the U.S. Yesterday the company's call options were on our end-of-day unusual option activity list. For CFC options with less than three months to expiration, almost 25,000 CFC call options traded, more than nine times normal. Over 19,000 of this volume changed hands at the out-of-the-money March 35 call (CFC CG). The heavy call volume follows the company's fourth-quarter earnings release yesterday before the opening bell. CFC reported a profit of $1.03 per share, missing the consensus estimate by two cents. CFC lost 2.4 percent yesterday to fall to 33.44. The CFC CG volume was spread throughout the day although there were some large block trades just after noon and again about 75 minutes before the close. Open interest jumped from 782 contracts to 18,145 so most of the trades look to be the initiation of new positions. A majority of the trades were new call sell positions, possibly as part of a covered call strategy.

12:54 PM Time Warner and Tribune, On Different Paths

Let's meander through media for a moment. This morning, Time Warner (NYSE:TWX) announced that its fourth-quarter net profit came in at 25 cents per share on an adjusted basis. Quarterly revenue came in at $11.89 billion. The Street had set expectations at 22 cents per share on revenue of $11.86 billion for TWX's fourth quarter. The stronger-than-expected earnings sent the shares nearly three percent higher in morning trading. Although the shares have reclaimed their 10-day and 20-day moving averages, they are still staring up at the resistance levied by the 18.50 level. In order to make a serious run, the shares will need some serious momentum to break through said resistance.

The news wasn't as good for fellow media member, Tribune (NYSE:TRB). The company posted fourth-quarter net income of 43 cents per share, including charges of 10 cents stemming from the elimination of 900 positions and closure of a printing facility. The results also include a net non-operating loss of four cents per share. Revenue for the quarter totaled $1.41 billion. TRB's fourth-quarter performance fell short of the consensus estimate of 56 cents per share on revenue of $1.42 billion. According to the company, the plant closure and the job cuts will result in roughly $60 million of annual savings from 2006. The stock continues to slump, and today's news did little more than further entrench its 10-day moving average as a solid layer of resistance. This descending trendline has pushed the shares lower since the beginning of September.

2:00 PM Ford Announces Strong Sales Growth for January

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) announced better-than-expected sales for the month of January. Analysts expected a sales decline of 5.3 percent and the company actually grew sales at 2.0 percent. The shares are up almost two percent since the news broke. A peek at the options activity shows that F's call volume for February and March is about 1,600 contracts versus respective put volume of around 900 contracts. This ratio is similar to the current Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio of 0.66.

The above are just a few of today's Daily Market Blog entries. Click here to read all of today's Daily Market Blog. http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/redirect.aspx?CODE=PROB1C&PAGE=1 .

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