Markets
Good News Sneaks Out for Energy Sector

Good News Sneaks Out for Energy Sector

Everyone thought this week's big stories would be China or the Federal Reserve. But it might be all the good news in energy. Crude oil futures (@CL) are headed for their biggest gain in over a month after a government report showed inventories shrinking by 8.6 million...

Nasdaq-100 E-Minis: Contract of the Week

Nasdaq-100 E-Minis: Contract of the Week

The "Nasdaq." Few words better represent the most innovative parts of the economy. Did you know the entire Nasdaq market can be traded virtually any time with CME's Nasdaq-100 futures? Like CME's S&P 500 E-minis, Nasdaq futures are active from Sunday night through...

Mr. Powell and the Punch Bowl

Mr. Powell and the Punch Bowl

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell will answer a lot of questions in the Senate this week. But they all come down to one issue: Will he take away the punch bowl, or fill it up? If you don't know the lingo, we're talking about interest rates. The old saying is that...

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...

Cryptos Head for Positive Month as News Flow Brightens

Cryptos Head for Positive Month as News Flow Brightens

After more than a year of weakness, cryptocurrencies may be attempting a comeback. Bitcoin (@BTC) and Ethereum (ETHUSD) have gained more than 10 percent so far this month. At least two catalysts may explain the moves. First, the Nasdaq Stock Market launched indexes...

Are Inflation Stars Lining Up for Leisure Stocks?

Are Inflation Stars Lining Up for Leisure Stocks?

Something unusual is happening with prices, and it's become good news for certain companies this year. Inflation data from the government shows the price of services rose 2.7 percent year over year in January, while commodities had their first drop since November...

New Names Keep Popping Up: Earnings This Week

New Names Keep Popping Up: Earnings This Week

Unusual companies advanced following their quarterly results in the last week, continuing a trend this earnings season. Consider Garmin (GRMN) and Arista Networks (ANET), the two biggest gainers in the S&P 500 since our last review. GRMN, a one-time leader in GPS...

Metals on the Move as Dollar Takes a Hit

Metals on the Move as Dollar Takes a Hit

Metals came back from the long weekend with a bang as money poured into gold and copper. Globex's gold futures (@GC) traded almost 333,000 contracts yesterday, the busiest session since October 11. Prices also advanced 1.7 percent, their biggest gain of the...

WTI Crude Oil: Futures Contract of the Week

WTI Crude Oil: Futures Contract of the Week

When people think about "commodities," few items spring to mind faster than crude oil. Let's consider a major way to trade it: Nymex WTI crude oil futures. These contracts track the oil most commonly produced in the U.S. and fluctuate with global energy markets....