Energy
Bulls See More Bounce in Energy Space: Options Recap

Bulls See More Bounce in Energy Space: Options Recap

Energy stocks have gone from bad to good in the New Year, and one options trader is looking for the bounce to continue. Check out the activity yesterday in Oklahoma City-based driller Devon Energy (DVN): A block of 20,000 April 28 calls was bought for $1.48 in a new...

Bearishness Reigns in Energy Giant: Options Recap

Bearishness Reigns in Energy Giant: Options Recap

Energy's the weakest sector over the long run, and options traders are sticking with that trend. Check out this giant bearish trade in oil-field servicing company Halliburton (HAL): A block of 58,000 22-February 27.50 puts was bought for $1.45. A block of 58,000...

Suddenly Vultures Circle in the Credit Market

Suddenly Vultures Circle in the Credit Market

The Federal Reserve has everyone talking about hawks and doves this week. But another kind of bird may be swooping in: vultures. Recent headlines suggest credit markets are getting squeezed. This could create bearish opportunities for traders willing to play buzzard...

How Low Can Oil Go?

How Low Can Oil Go?

Energy just had its worst month in decades, and the bears are still in control. Crude oil futures (@CL) dropped 7.2 percent yesterday, their biggest decline in over three weeks. Not only did they break under the psychologically key $50 level, @CL also closed at the...

Bearish Leverage at Work In Energy Space: Options Recap

Bearish Leverage at Work In Energy Space: Options Recap

Give me leverage, or give me death. That was the message from a big options trade yesterday. Transocean (RIG) has plenty of leverage on its own. Over $9 billion of debt and $2.3 billion of cash plants it firmly in the junkyard of bond ratings. ("B3" at Moody's.) As an...

This Forgotten Industry Is Quietly Shining

This Forgotten Industry Is Quietly Shining

Remember solar stocks? They're quietly screaming higher. PowerShares Solar Energy exchange-traded fund (TAN) is up 14 percent since the end of October. That outpaces every other major portfolio on our Market Action dashboard and puts the industry on pace for its best...

Are There Winners from the Selloff in Oil?

Are There Winners from the Selloff in Oil?

Oil just had its biggest drop in at least four years, and winners may be emerging. Airlines are one of the best-performing groups recently, according to TradeStation's uber-useful RadarScreen® app. They've risen 3 percent in the last week and 6 percent in the last...

Support and Resistance at Play on Some Key Charts

Support and Resistance at Play on Some Key Charts

Support and resistance may be at play on some key charts. In case you don't know, support and resistance are important price levels where buyers and sellers tend to be active. Traders often use them to decide when to enter or exit positions. One technique is to buy a...

Bears Won’t Say Good-Bye to Energy Space: Options Recap

Bears Won’t Say Good-Bye to Energy Space: Options Recap

Someone's bracing for more bad news in one of the market's weakest sectors. Energy stocks, on average, have lost twice as much value as the broader S&P 500 over the last month. A combination of rising crude-oil inventories, bearish chart patterns and weakening...

Some Key Funds May Be on the Precipice

Some Key Funds May Be on the Precipice

Volatility's on the rise this month, and three popular ETFs are trying to hang on. The Market Vectors Semiconductor ETF (SMH), S&P SPDR Financial ETF (XLF) and S&P SPDR Energy ETF (XLE) had all slammed down to apparent support levels earlier in the year. At...