Netflix Inc. NFLX, +1.84% confirmed on Friday that it has signed “Planet of the Apes” and “Cloverfield” director Matt Reeves to an exclusive multi-year deal. Under the deal, Reeves, who recently took over directing Warner Bros. next solo Batman film for Ben Affleck, will give Netflix first-look rights for any feature films he wants to produce and,…[Read more]

“We’re going after Sears and we’re going after market share that we think is going to be available not only now but as they continue to contract,” JCPenney CEO Marvin Ellison told Fortune’s Phil Wahba.http://www.businessinsider.com/jcpenney-ceo-comments-on-sears-2018-1

Fitbit (NYSE:FIT) invests $6M in startup Sano, developer of a small patch that tracks blood sugar levels.

Fitbit’s investment could hint towards a desire to turn its wearables into medical devices, a path that Apple is pursuing with its W…[Read more]

Contango presently just under 11% with the VIX up slightly on the day to 9.33

GoPro is in the process of laying off around 200-300 employees this week, TechCrunch has learned from sources close to the company. The hits to the company were largely concentrated in its aerial division, the segment of the company responsible for its Karma…[Read more]

Reiterated FY17 guidance https://seekingalpha.com/news/3321120-j-c-penney-rallies-holiday-sales-update

Calling the tax overhaul passed late in December “meaningful” for consumers, Wells Fargo Private Bank boosted its projections for economic growth and market gains.

“The tax reform package has a much bigger market impact than we expected and the market is giving credit for today,” Chris Pegg, one of the bank’s senior directors of wealth planning,…[Read more]

With the VIX achieving sub 9 level again in yesterday’s trade, the index typically rallies higher shortly thereafter as the trading community finds the VIX a cheap way to hedge against their long portfolio positions. As such I would expect the fear index to rally near-term and am in the process of locking in profits on core VIX-ETP holdings.

“J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP) announced today that its comparable store sales for the combined nine-week period ending December 30, 2017 increased 3.4 % over the same period last year. The Company also reaffirmed all components of its most recent full-year financial guidance for fiscal 2017.

“We are very encouraged with our overall…[Read more]

It’s only a matter of time before China lifts its ban on cryptocurrency exchanges, according to the entrepreneur behind what was once China’s longest-running bitcoin trading operations. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/03/china-to-eventually-lift-cryptocurrency-bitcoin-exchange-ban-bobby-lee-btcc.html

By David Moadel
https://www.finomgroup.com/hedge-short-volatility-etp-position/

2:00pm the FOMC minutes will be released, should provide some volatility in the markets, but eventually subside to align with prevailing market sentiment that has followed the earnings trajectory.