Economy
Guess What Index Just Had a Great Week

Guess What Index Just Had a Great Week

Transportation stocks just had their best week in a year. The Dow Jones Transportation Average ($DJT) advanced 4.35 percent since the close on Friday, November 23. Big names like Union Pacific (UNP), Delta Air Lines (DAL) and United Parcel Service (UPS) were among the...

Will Jerome Powell Break the Cold Spell?

Will Jerome Powell Break the Cold Spell?

Forecasts pointed to a cold Thanksgiving, but that's not the only thing cooling off. Several economic reports this week have shown a quick deterioration of conditions in the U.S. That will raise the stakes for policymakers at the Federal Reserve, especially with...

Fed Signals Potentially ‘Dovish’ Turn

Fed Signals Potentially ‘Dovish’ Turn

After years of steady rate hikes, the Federal Reserve may be signaling a change of course. The U.S. central bank's top two policymakers made potentially "dovish" statements in the last three days. That means they may favor less aggressive interest-rate increases going...

Midterms and Markets: How Tomorrow’s Election Matters

Midterms and Markets: How Tomorrow’s Election Matters

How might the midterm elections ripple through financial markets? There are three possible outcomes in tomorrow's midterm elections: Republicans retain control of both houses of Congress. Democrats take the House but not the Senate. Democrats win big and seize control...

Have Jobs Become a Lagging Indicator?

Have Jobs Become a Lagging Indicator?

Employment reports usually get a lot of attention, but they might have lost some of their importance as economic data points. Today we'll suggest that common job numbers may have become more of lagging indicators than leading indicators. It's worth considering this...

Perfect Storm Handing Nasdaq its Worst Month Since 2008

Perfect Storm Handing Nasdaq its Worst Month Since 2008

A perfect storm of negatives is handing the Nasdaq-100 its worst month since the financial crisis. The technology-heavy index lost 11 percent of its value between the end of September and yesterday's close. Depending on where this October ends, it'll compare with...

Is This the Bottom?

Is This the Bottom?

The Dow was down 832 points yesterday, or over 3 percent – with the technology sector leading the market down, as the NASDAQ was off over 4 percent. The good news is the VIX futures are a bit muted on this big move – and the U.S. economy is stronger than ever with no...

The Message Behind Yesterday’s Volatility Spike

The Message Behind Yesterday’s Volatility Spike

Yesterday was a reminder for traders who forgot what volatility feels like. The S&P 500 had its biggest drop since June 25, and Cboe's Volatility Index ($VIX.X) had its biggest spike over the same period. Even more impressive, TradeStation data showed 23.6 million...

A Tough Slog For Banks, With a Happy Ending

A Tough Slog For Banks, With a Happy Ending

There was a day when higher interest rates lifted financials. But not anymore. Selling in the sector has been intense, with 64 of the 67 members of the SPDR Financial ETF (XLF) down so far this week. Banks, insurers and asset managers have all taken a beating. (Don't...

Why Stocks Move: Macro Trends

Why Stocks Move: Macro Trends

This post is part of a series about the catalysts for stock movements. It’s based on a series of talks at TradeStation’s Master Class learning sessions.  On Wednesday, we examined the process of investor rotation. That's when stocks move based on shifts...