Steven M Sears writes the Striking Price, and Striking Price Daily columns, which focus on options trading, the stock market and investment trends. Steven is also a contributor for Smartmoney.com for which he writes The Contrarian, a column that focuses on how investors can use options to help demystify and better navigate the financial markets. Mr. Sears pioneered coverage of the options market for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. Prior to assuming his current duties, Steven was director of corporate affairs for the International Securities Exchange, At ISE, he developed the ISE Sentiment Index (ISEE), which has become a widely followed trading barometer in the securities industry. Mr. Sears also served as senior advisor to the chairman of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, participating in the restructuring of the nation's oldest securities market.