PCLN – Priceline (Last:1215.92)

There is at least $27 of immediate upside potential in Priceline’s daily chart, since that’s the distance between Thursday’s settlement price and a clear-as-day midpoint Hidden Pivot resistance at 1270.59.  I cannot predict how the stock will open Monday morning, but if there’s weakness, I’ll recommend bidding for some 1267.50-1270.00 call spreads. Specifically, you should try to buy it for 0.20 or less.  I’ll be in the chat room to assist in this task if things don’t go our way, and I may even suggest using a spread strategy — legging on some butterflies, for instance — to get a cheap play on a PCLN moon shot to the 1358 target associated with the midpoint pivot noted above. _______ UPDATE (July 7, 6:35 p.m. ET): Our plan was a non-starter yesterday, since Priceline bucked a weak stock market to surge $20 in the early going.  The very bullish targets noted above remain valid, but we’ll remain buyers only on weakness, so stay tuned. _______ UPDATE (July 8, 11:50 a.m. ET): Priceline’s impressive plunge — $42 so far this morning — has left the rally targets given above theoretically intact, but practically speaking they are probably  toast. The fact that the reversal has occurred without the stock’s having quite reached the midpoint resistance at 1270.59 is a potentially bearish development for the long term.  From a Hidden Pivot perspective, Priceline’s daily chart is in ‘dueling mode’, with the edge still going to bulls. However, the daily chart says wait till 1146.48 is reached to the downside before you attempt bottom-fishing (A=1378.96 on 3/6). You’ll see that if that midpoint Hidden Pivot doesn’t hold, PCLN could fall to D=1000.63. _______ UPDATE (July 10, 10:43 p.m.): None of the recent downstrokes have breached prior lows, suggesting that still deserve the benefit of the doubt.  Traders can use the pattern shown to get long. Although the opportunity to do so from p=1212.77 is past, a relapse down to its D sibling at 1199.04 would set up another opportunity.