Global
Podcast: Diagnosing Trump’s Trade War

Podcast: Diagnosing Trump’s Trade War

Volatility returned to U.S. markets in the last week as Washington and Beijing raised tariffs on each other. This podcast considers the seriousness of the issue and its likely impact on the U.S. economy.

Bears Place Bets Against Macau Casino: Options Recap

Bears Place Bets Against Macau Casino: Options Recap

A Chinese casino operator is struggling at resistance, and bearish options traders are betting on a drop. Melco Resorts & Entertainment (MLCO) has been trapped around $23.50 for the last month. That level was also a peak in June 2017, which could make some chart...

‘Weak Dollar’ Trades Appear Before Powell and the Fed

‘Weak Dollar’ Trades Appear Before Powell and the Fed

The market's embracing a "weak dollar" sentiment, looking for more easy money from Jerome Powell's Federal Reserve tomorrow. Copper (@HG), crude oil (@CL), silver (@SI) and gold (@GC) rallied earlier this morning before giving up some gains. Exchange-traded funds...

Chinese Tech Stocks Are Crushing the Nasdaq

Chinese Tech Stocks Are Crushing the Nasdaq

Forget about trade wars. The big story with China this year may be the runaway rally in the country's technology sector. The Golden Dragon Index ($HXC) has surged 9 percent in the last month and is up 28 percent so far in 2019. That's more than twice the gains of the...

Waiting for Uber IPO? Here Comes Yandex

Waiting for Uber IPO? Here Comes Yandex

Everyone's waiting for Lyft and Uber to go public. Did you know Russia's top Internet stock is also active in the ride-sharing space? Last month, Yandex (YNDX) reported 216 percent revenue growth for its Taxi division as ridership more than doubled. The service...

Stocks Inch Higher as Money Keeps Shifting to New Areas

Stocks Inch Higher as Money Keeps Shifting to New Areas

Last week was a lot more interesting than it seemed. After all, the S&P 500 rose just 0.6 percent in the holiday-shortened week between Friday, February 15 and Friday, February 22. Most other major indexes hardly budged, either. But there was disruption beneath...

Brazilian Stocks Gain as Bolsonaro Pushes Reforms

Brazilian Stocks Gain as Bolsonaro Pushes Reforms

Most attention yesterday focused on drama in Washington, but important things were also happening in Brazil. President Jair Bolsonaro released details of a pension reform intended to narrow the country's gaping budget deficit. It will go to lawmakers next Wednesday,...

Suddenly, People Are Worried About a Slowdown

Suddenly, People Are Worried About a Slowdown

The U.S. economy has been resilient, but recent events have raised worries about a slowdown. Let's review some of the new forces at work. The first potential concern is that two leading indicators have worsened sharply in the last two weeks: initial jobless claims and...