Williamson is considered the biggest college star today
The shares of Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) are under pressure this morning, down 1.6% in electronic trading in the wake of a sneaker malfunction for the ages. Zion Williamson, the star freshman for Duke's basketball team and likely number one pick in the upcoming NBA draft, suffered a knee injury yesterday in a rivalry game against North Carolina, after his Nike sneaker split while making a cut. Williamson did not return to the game, which was considered one of the biggest of the year, with former President Barack Obama in attendance.
Nike has issued a statement, saying "we are working to identify the issue." The sports brand is jostling among sector peers Adidas and Under Armour for Williamson's first shoe deal in the NBA, set to be one of the biggest since Lebron James.
Yesterday, Nike stock closed at $84.84, a chip-shot from its Sept. 21 record high of $86.04. Despite the pullback today, the shares appear to have found support in their ascending 20-day moving average. Year-to-date, NKE has added 14%, but is now heading toward its first weekly loss of 2019.
In the options pits, traders have been favoring puts over calls in recent weeks, something that's quite rare among Nike speculators. More specifically, the security's 10-day put/call volume ratio of 1.13 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) ranks in the 78th annual percentile.
Now may be a prime time for those looking to trade the security's short-term trajectory with options. NKE's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 19% ranks in the 8th annual percentile, meaning short-term options are relatively cheap at the moment, from a volatility perspective. This comes after a relatively quiet stretch from the stock, judging by its 30-day historical volatility of 11.7%, ranking in the bottom percentile of its annual range.