Schaeffer's Daily Market Blog Features Monster Worldwide, Maxim Integrated Products, Google and Nautilus Group.

CINCINNATI -- Among the stocks featured in the February 2 edition of Schaeffer's Market Blog are Monster Worldwide (NASDAQ:MNST), Maxim Integrated Products (NASDAQ:MXIM), Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Nautilus Group (NYSE:NLS). Schaeffer's Market Blog are 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=PRMOU1M&PAGE=1

Schaeffer's Market Blog for Wednesday, February 2, 2005:

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

9:52 AM Monster Worldwide Seeing Monstrous Drop

Internet employment site Monster Worldwide (NASDAQ: MNST) reported fourth-quarter earnings results last evening and the outlook has investors seeking new opportunities. The company reported earnings of 20 cents per share, beating the estimate of 19 cents. However, the first quarter forecast of earnings of 16-17 cents per share was below the consensus estimate. Heading into the announcement, pessimism was running high on MNST. The Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio was at 1.38, which is the highest reading of the past year. The short-interest ratio stands at 4.39, and analysts had seven "buy" ratings and nine "hold" ratings on the stock. The bearish sentiment was warranted in this instance, as the shares are down 6.5 percent this morning.

10:27 AM Maxim Integrated Products Disappoints the Street

Semiconductor manufacturer Maxim Integrated Products (NASDAQ: MXIM) released second-quarter earnings results of 42 cents per share last night after the closing bell, beating estimates by a penny. However the forecast for 2005 was disappointing, with the company warning that it expects sales and earnings to drop in the third quarter. Coming into the announcement, the sentiment was rather bullish towards MXIM. The Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio was at 0.55, which is lower than 99 percent of the readings for the past year. The short-interest ratio is at a paltry 1.83. Even analysts were somewhat bullish, with 12 "buys", nine "holds", and one "sell." This optimism is surprising considering that MXIM shares have been in a downtrend since last January.

11:09 AM Monster Worldwide Trying to Find Support at Peak Open Interest Level

As my colleague Rick Pendergraft discussed earlier in today's Daily Market Blog, Monster Worldwide (NASDAQ: MNST) is trading lower today due to its lowered first quarter earnings expectations. However, it appears the stock may be finding support just below the 30 level. A look at its weekly chart shows that this area has acted as both support and resistance in the past. What makes this level an even more important support level is the fact that 30 is also the site of peak front-month put open interest, with nearly 3,200 contracts of open interest. This peak put open interest may act as an additional support layer for the shares.

11:42 AM Puts Trade Briskly Ahead of Google's Earnings

Last night after the market close, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) reported quarterly earnings of 71 cents per share, 14 cents better than Reuters GAAP estimates. What's more, GOOG's revenues rose 101.5 percent year-over-year to $1.03 billion, which was also ahead of analyst estimates of $0.96 billion. Yesterday, puts traded actively ahead of GOOG's earnings, as put volume was 2.6 times heavier than average. More than 81,400 contracts crossed the tape, with the most active being the February 160.00 strike (GOQ NY). Investors exchanged more than 12,000 GOQ NY contracts yesterday. A look at the front-month open interest configuration reveals that the peak front-month peak open interest is at the 170.00 strike, which is home to more than 16,000 contracts. On the other hand, the peak call open interest is at the 200.00 strike, which is home to approximately 24,000 contracts. Today, GOOG is trading more than 21 points higher to $213.39 on the positive earnings surprise.

2:11 PM Earnings Upcoming for Nautilus Group

Option activity on Nautilus Group (NYSE: NLS) is rather mixed today ahead of the company's earnings report after the market close. With the stock currently trading at $21.47, there are slightly more than 200 contracts worth of volume at both the February 20 put and the February 22.50 call. Aside from today's activity, however, the option activity has been heavily skewed toward the put side. As of the end of trading yesterday, the Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) on NLS of 2.04 was higher than 99 percent of all readings taken over the past year. Pessimism is also illustrated by the high level of short interest on the shares. More than 20 percent of the float on the stock is currently sold short. If the company reports strong earnings later today, there could be an explosive move to the upside as some of the pessimism is unwound in the form of buying power.

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.