Sectors
Call Buyers Look for a Heavily Traded Chip Stock to Start Running

Call Buyers Look for a Heavily Traded Chip Stock to Start Running

Some options traders seem to think one of the market's most active stocks is ready for a rally. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has barely moved for the last month, but a surge of volume yesterday looked for a rally by the end of this week. Traders amassed more than...

The Fed Takes a Hawkish Turn, Thanks to the U.S. Consumer

The Fed Takes a Hawkish Turn, Thanks to the U.S. Consumer

The Federal Reserve took a hawkish turn yesterday, thanks to an improving U.S. consumer. "Household spending has been rising at a strong pace," the central bank declared in its policy statement yesterday. It then proceeded to raise its 2019 growth forecast to 2.2...

Massive Activity Across the Energy Space Following Drone Attacks

Massive Activity Across the Energy Space Following Drone Attacks

Trading volumes surged across the energy space yesterday after a drone attack clobbered the heart of Saudi Arabia's oil industry. Crude oil futures (@CL) traded more than 1.3 million contracts, the busiest session in at least a decade. Several other securities...

Apple’s Releasing New IPhones, But a Lot More Is Happening With the Stock

Apple’s Releasing New IPhones, But a Lot More Is Happening With the Stock

Apple is expected to release new iPhones today, but a lot of other things are happening with the tech giant. Wall Street's narrative on the company has shifted toward other initiatives like services and stock buybacks. After all, AAPL's a victim of its own success now...

Is the Glass Half Full in Chip Stocks as Tariff Worries Fade?

Is the Glass Half Full in Chip Stocks as Tariff Worries Fade?

Chip stocks are pushing old highs as investors seem to expect better news for one of the market's most traded industries. The Market Vectors Semiconductor ETF (SMH) closed 2 percent below its all-time high yesterday. It's also up 5.8 percent in the last month, more...

A Wave of IPOs Is Building, Led by WeWork and SmileDirectClub

A Wave of IPOs Is Building, Led by WeWork and SmileDirectClub

Volatility is fading this month, just as a wave of companies looks to go public. Prominent firms including WeWork (WE) and SmileDirectClub (SDC) are expected to raise more than $1 billion each in their initial public offerings (IPOs). Combined with other big names...

Apple Slips From Top Spot as Volatility Spikes: August at TradeStation

Apple Slips From Top Spot as Volatility Spikes: August at TradeStation

Volatility spiked in August, shifting attention away from individual stocks and toward the indexes. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) was the busiest symbol on TradeStation since the end of July, ending a four-month reign at the top by Apple (AAPL). Other index-linked...

Consumer Keeps Looking Stronger as Other Parts of the Economy Soften

Consumer Keeps Looking Stronger as Other Parts of the Economy Soften

The U.S. consumer keeps roaring ahead, even as investors worry about President Trump's trade war against China. Consumer spending rose 4.7 percent between April and June, according to the Commerce Department's gross domestic product (GDP). That was not only a big...

Safe Haven No More? Health Care’s Not Feeling So Great

Safe Haven No More? Health Care’s Not Feeling So Great

Everyone's focused on tariffs and the global economy. But another potential risk may be emerging: worsening price action in the health-care sector. Key companies in the SPDR Health Care ETF (XLV) have tried to rally on good news lately, but failed. For example:...

Trade War Escalates as China and Trump Exchange Blows

Trade War Escalates as China and Trump Exchange Blows

So much for a quiet Friday in August. The drama started early today when China slapped tariffs on $75 billion of U.S. goods. S&P 500 futures (@ES) fell 25 points. About 2-1/2 hours later President Donald Trump hinted in a tweet that he viewed Chinese leader Xi...