Schaeffer's Daily Market Blog Features Ericsson Telephone, United States Steel, Nucor, TASER International, Flextronics International.

CINCINNATI -- Among the stocks featured in the December 30 edition of Schaeffer's Market Blog are Ericsson Telephone (NASDAQ:ERICY), United States Steel (NYSE:X), Nucor (NYSE:NUE), TASER International (NASDAQ:TASR), and Flextronics International (NASDAQ:FLEX). Schaeffer's Market Blog is just one of the many free market commentaries written every day 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=PRMOU1M&PAGE=1.

Schaeffer's Market Blog for Thursday, December 30, 2004:

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

9:54 AM Put/Call Ratio for Ericsson Telephone Rising Sharply

Ericsson Telephone (NASDAQ:ERICY) has seen unusual put activity each of the past two days, causing a sharp increase in its Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR). This activity has caused the SOIR to jump from 1.33 to 1.83 and the percentile ranking has jumped from 67 to 92 percent. Most of the activity has been on the January 30 strike, as the open interest has grown to 35,700 contracts. The short-interest ratio is currently at 5.16, reflecting some negativity. Analysts are somewhat neutral on the stock with seven "buy" ratings, nine "hold" ratings, and one "sell" rating.

10:48 AM Steel Gets Hammered after Negative Article

Steel stocks are getting crushed this morning after an article came out in the Wall Street Journal stating that China has become a net exporter of steel, this means there could be global oversupply. Take your pick and the odds are that any steel company you see is down several percentage points in early morning trading. Market leaders United States Steel (NYSE:X) has lost more than four percent while Nucor (NYSE:NUE) is down more than five percent.

12:09 PM TASER International Soars

Stun gun maker TASER International (NASDAQ:TASR) is up big for the second consecutive day. The stock gained more than nine percent yesterday and has tacked on another four percent today. The rally comes on no real news, but took the stock to a new all-time high of 33.45 this morning. Sentiment remains pessimistic on TASR. The equity's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 0.86 is resting near a six-month high. Furthermore, roughly 30 million shares have been sold short, making TASR the 15th most shorted stock on the NASDAQ in number of shares. In addition, approximately 60 percent of the equity's float have been sold short. Wall Street continues to ignore the security, with only one analyst following the firm. Technically speaking, the equity broke out above a bullish symmetrical triangle formation on December 20.

1:29 PM Unusual Call Activity on Flextronics International

Flextronics International's (NASDAQ:FLEX) call options appear on today's intraday unusual option activity list. Nearly 3,000 call contracts have traded for all FLEX options with less than three months to expiration. This is more than six times the normal average daily volume for these options. Most of this volume traded at the out-of-the-money February 15 call (QFL BC). All of this option's activity executed as several large and small block trades that transacted between 11:10 and 11:33 a.m. eastern time. All the volume went off at or near the ask price at 0.40, suggesting the trades were purchases. With open interest of just 504 contracts yesterday, the trades look to be the initiation of bullish long call positions. FLEX is currently trading down just under one percent at 13.83.

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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About Schaeffer's Investment Research (www.SchaeffersResearch.com)

Schaeffer's Investment Research, founded by Bernie Schaeffer in 1981, is a financial information and trading resources company. It publishes Bernie Schaeffer's Option Advisor, the nation's leading options subscription newsletter. The firm's contrarian approach focuses on stocks with technical and fundamental trends that run counter to investor expectations. The firm's website, http://www.SchaeffersResearch.com, is recognized as one of the leading information sources for stock and options traders and was cited as the top options website by both Forbes and Barron's. Click here for more details about Schaeffer's trading methodology: http://www.SchaeffersResearch.com/method.