Why were put-options on American Airlines so high before 9/11?
338393
Because Osama and his cohorts bought puts knowing that they were going to crash planes.
1168818
lead insurer, Zurich American Insurance Co\n13 so-called "excess" insurers provided the next levels of coverage for the World Trade Center, following Zurich\n\nThe claims have not been settled yet, however a study by the New York City Controllers' office in November 2001 estimated property damage claims at $34 billion - with an additional $10 billion in lost business.\n\nYou can find forum discussions, law institute studies and a lot more interesting information below.\n\n*Please choose best answer.  There is a contest now that requires best answer to enter.*
1137867
Scroll down to Sept 12, 2002 and several later quotes. \nhttp://www.forbes.com/markets/newswire/2003/09/02/rtr1070778.html
246334
I think there was more to the high-jacking than we have been told. Why I do not know...There has been a lot of talk about the way the twin towers fell. \nThank you for sending this I have enjoyed.
17408
They are in two different sectors...both near 52 week highs. Boeing (BA) has done slightly better the last 1,2 yrs compared to AFL. \n\nBoth companies are rated B- by Investors Business Daily. BA's sector is rated slightly higher though.\n\nPersonally, I'd hold BA. I remember hearing about a lot of new orders for planes the last few months.
714213
Actually it was in the spirit of "life, liberty, and the persuit of happiness." The "life, liberty and persuit of hapiness" of the other passengers. The A.C.L.U. should stay out of this.\n\nUntil it could be confirmed that these clerics posed no threat to the plane and its other passengers they should not have been allowed to board. \n\nUntil such time that aircraft are being taken over and used as guided missles by someone other than young Arab Muslims, then Muslims should expect to be singled out. \n\nUntil such time as someone other than Muslims are threatening us and working toward the destruction of western civilation then Muslims should be viewed with suspicion.\n\nAnd American Muslim clerics could do far more to help bring this under control if they would simply stop encouraging the extremists by thier tacit, and sometimes outright, support for the actions of the terrorists.
981850
I feel more confident that Al Qaeda can't mount an attack on the U.S. as easily.  In those days following 9/11, we didn't really know what Al Qaeda might be capable of.  Besides the 9/11 attack, there had been the anthrax incidents, which are still unsolved, by the way.\n\nI also think that airline passengers would respond differently to a hijacking attempt.  Prior to 9/11, most American hijackers just wanted to go to Cuba.  Heck, that's sort of an adventure.  Since 9/11, passengers are in no mood to let a hijacking take place without a fight.\n\nIn conclusion, yes, I feel more confident and safer, but if you want me to give the credit for that to George Bush, I am not prepared to do that.
687688
what a load of poo!!\n\nThe hoaxster is apparently quite willing to bend the truth to fit the story. Flight 77 was carrying 64 people not 65 as claimed in the email. The message also claims that Flight 77 hit the Twin Towers. However, Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, not the World Trade Center. \n\nIn addition, the email states that the "total number of victims inside all the hi-jacked planes was 254". However, this is untrue. Various reliable sources concur that the total number of people on the hijacked planes was 265 (see Data Table below). If you subtract the 19 hijackers, the total number of victims on the planes (passengers and crew) was 246 not 254. Neither 265 nor 246 add up to eleven.\n\n\nThe second part of the message claims that Chapter 9 Verse 11 (9.11) of the Islamic holy book the Quran contains a startling prophecy presumably related to the US invasion of Iraq. However, research indicates that the quoted verse does not appear in the Quran at all. Chapter 9 Verse 11 of the Quran is concerned with repentance and charity. Other translations may differ slightly in wording but carry essentially the same message. None make mention of the "wrath of the Eagle" or any other elements contained in the "verse" quoted in the message.\n\nCertainly, this combination of symbols is likely to make even the most cynical readers do a double take when they first observe it. However, a minimal amount of research reveals that the Wingdings claim is based on an outrageous lie and therefore has no validity what so ever. None of the planes involved in the 9/11 attacks had the flight number "Q33 NY". The flight numbers of the planes that crashed into the Twin Towers were in fact "11" and "175". Clearly, someone has simply made up this supposed flight number in an attempt to make the spurious claim seem valid. \n\nThere is more at the link\nhttp://www.hoax-slayer.com/wingdings-911.html
780988
Contact google and ask for an explanation.  There may have just been a glitch, not a huge conspiracy run by Google.\n\nGoogle didn't offer stock in the 1990's, they went public and sky high in value after that.   \n\nGood luck.
1008466
Maybe because those are the people who already bombed the World Trade Center and because they were the most active terrorists in the world at the time. It's not like al-Qaeda just came out of nowhere on 9/11.
150009
If I understand your assignment correctly, our economy has been changed by terrorism due to 9-11 because of the shock to economies based on tourism (remember, people were afraid to travel); job losses, particularly in the service industry; and housing.  Because of the war against terrorism and the interference with oil production, costs have been driven up.  The higher oil price impacts everything because of freight costs: food trucked from warehouse to local grocer, manufacturing, housing materials.\n\nAlso, the higher price means we all pay more at the pump.  For those with low discretionary income ($ left after paying rent or mortgage and utilities, car payments or car lease payments) (aka fixed expenses), the higher gas price in effect drives down their wages because it is costing more to drive to work.  This extra expense means less money for other things, such as necessities as food, and less to spend on new clothes, CDs, and other manufactured goods, the sale of which brings up the US economy.
974288
Delta is in chapter Eleven and has rejected US Airs offer to take them over but the judge might over rule that and fuel price are still high, were one more terror attack away from another melt down.  US air might go up if the acquire Delta. Boeing and Airbus will eventually be forced to merge  United will go chapter 11 if their not there. only shining stars are jet blue and southwest with us air making stride if they acquire delta, so we must see what judge rules.
846842
This happnds to companies that have a low vaule on the stock price but, high asset value. This happended to my company (Disney) a while back when Comcast tried to take us over. Bascilly it means they come in and buy up all the avaialbel stock to have an ownership and then they control the board and it's decsions which the board could sell the whole company for the price they are offering. In the Disney case we fought it off ad won they did not take us over.\n\nSometimes companies offer a leverged buyout like US Air is doing to Delta right now. They see vaule in the compnay and offer a premium to all stock holders above the market price hopeing to buy it out and merge and that is what hapoends most of the time. Hostile take overs don't happen often but, when they do look for lots of media coverage. Look for some article about Disney and Comcast.
358424
Honestly, those who know arent telling. There was no wreckage to indicate it was a 757, the damage of the building was inconsistant with that of a 757, and the manuvering required was well beyond the capabilities of a large commercial airliner flown by a novice pilot who prior had only flown small planes. Those who report it also report outragous claims like it flew right over them, no more than twenty-five feet, when in reality they would've been blown off the highway. Those who report seeing larger aircraft were likely influenced by reports on the attacks in New York.
303597
Most airlines are poorly run, and with the increase in oil.  this will sound the death knell for them.  I would keep away from all airline stocks except for maybe jetblue
1128054
ok...a few facts first. they were armed with Boxcutters, in case you don't know what a boxcutter is or what it can do..I can assure you...a brand new boxcutter can slice your throat in one clean move..from ear to ear..\n\nSecond, no, the pilots were not armed. Hence the debate immediately following the 911 attacks about allowing pilots to carry handguns in the cockpits..most do now.\n\nNext, The cockpit doors, pre-911 were relatively easy to break down...no major security reinforcements at that time.\n\nWhy wouldn't the people have risen up and attempted to take back control of the plane...well let's see...if some rampaging maniacs with razor sharp box cutters stood up...murdered the flight attendant by slitting her throat right in front of you and claimed to have a bomb on board...what do you think you would do..?\n\nGo all Bruce Lee on them or pee yourself? My guess is the second option...anyone with a bit of knowledge in psychology will tell you..people are basically sheep...mustering their collective will...is an almost impossible task despite what you might have seen in the movies...\n\nThey did not "sneak aboard" they all had valid plane tickets and passports except for several men who were turned away from the airport that day due to the suspicion of a security guard who noticed one of the men acting rather nervous..Upon being turned away...security cameras show several other men, then gathering their belongings and walking away as well...this may or may not have been a 5th group that was supposedly going to crash another  plane into the White House.\n\nthe hijackings did not occur in such a fashion as to be deemed "precisely timed"...if you recall, the flight patterns did not become immediately recognized as erratic, creating a lag between the time when flight control realized there was a problem and when the planes began smashing into the Towers and The Pentagon. Any number of problems could have gone wrong with communications on board or in the towers that would make the operator think there was a malfunction of some sort...long before they would have assumed a terrorist threat...You have to remember, we used to live in a time (Sept. 10th) when such an attack was inconceivable...Naive.? yes...but welcome to America...our ignorance is our bliss...\n\nWas 911 a conspiracy...well..it's certainly possible...as is most everything...is it plausible? Perhaps...it would certainly help to facilitate the "high alert",  do anything under the guise of National Security (including invading a country that was in no way involved) landscape that we currently live in.\n\nAnd by the by...the hijackers were not "Iraqi"...nine out of the 14 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia...\n\nit's hard to imagine how quickly the American people forget the facts or allow the facts to become skewed after some talking head regurgitates opinions...but again...our ignorance is truly our bliss...\n\nbuy a copy of the 911 Commision's Report...\n\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393326713/sr=8-1/qid=1150743277/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-0590675-2195000?%5Fencoding=UTF8\n\noh...and you don't "activate" a transponder...the transponder gives the plane's location at all times..there was/is no "terrorist button" that tells flight control "Hey, uh..were being hijacked..."\n\nIt would seem terribly ignorant to assume that given their training...(see Afghanistan, CIA, 1980's, Flight Training - Florida) that they wouldn't be able to rush the cockpit, kill the pilots and assume control of the plane in a matter of seconds....
804934
You have asked an extremely complex and legal question. If the United States Government was in fact responsible for the events leading up to and on 9/11, then Treason at the highest levels of government was committed.\n\nThe popular mechanics issue that was referred to prior has been debunked by scholars for the 9/11 truth as improbable. In fact their are many PHD scholar's in the various fields that have raised question, viewed evidence and raised interesting questions on the official government story. PBS attempted to recreate the pancake theory and could only do so if the 40 interior columns were removed from the WTC towers. The collapse of building 7 has yet to be explained. There is documented proof that evacuations of the world trade centre had taken place prior to the attacks. The weekend before 9/11 the world trade centre was closed and all electrical power was turned off so new Internet cable could be installed. This meant all security systems were down for The entire weekend. On Sept 8th all remaining bomb sniffing dogs were removed from the WTC and services were no longer required. On the morning of Sept 11th, there was a live fly exercise taking place over the North East quadrant of the United States. This was part of a series of war games taking place throughout the United states, Canada and Greenland, all under the control of Dick Cheny.\n\nAt the same time FEMA was on pier 29 in lower Manhattan running operation tripod two. This was a simulation of a chemical  and biological attact on New York. How interesting that FEMA would have a fully operational command post in place on 9/11. Operation vigilant guardian was the live fly exercise simulating hi-jacked airliners moving towards New York City.\n\nOn the morning of 9/11 air traffic controllers were dealing with 19 hi-jacked airliners in the live fly scenario with all transponders turned off. They in effect could not distinguish between the real hi-jacked planes and those involved in the war game. To further complicate matters, there were only eight fighters left to protect the North East quadrant of the United States. Fighters travel in a formation of two, so technically they could only cover four hi-jacked airliners when dispatched. No fighters were dispatched until after all planes had found their targets. What is interesting to note here, is that Vice President Cheney was given a 45 minute heads up on the approaching hi-jacked airliner moving to the pentagon. As the man in charge of the war games underway he would have known which airliners was part of the operation versus the real hi-jacked airliners. \n\nThe Project for the New American Century (PNAC) was established in spring 1997. The nonprofit organization declared that its goal was “to promote American global leadership.” PNAC, which has been inactive since late 2005, was an initiative of the New Citizenship Project, whose chairman is William Kristol, PNAC described itself as a “nonprofit educational organization supporting American military, diplomatic, and moral leadership.”  PNAC's board of directors had the following members, as listed on its website as of May 26, 2006: William Kristol (chairman), Robert Kagan, Bruce Jackson, Mark Gerson, and Randy Scheunemann. Staff members: Ellen Bork (acting executive director), Gary Schmitt (senior fellow), Thomas Donnelly (senior fellow), Reuel Gerecht (director of the Middle East Initiative), Timothy Lehmann, (assistant director), and Michael Goldfarb (research associate). 1\nPNAC's 1997 “Statement of Principles” set forth a new agenda for foreign and military policy that William Kristol and Robert Kagan described as “neo-Reaganite.” Signatories of this charter document said that they aimed “to make the case and rally support for American global leadership.” 2 Excerpts from the statement follow: \n“We seem to have forgotten the essential elements of the Reagan administration's success: a military that is strong and ready to