Sectors
Record Options Volume in New Tech Stock Before Earnings

Record Options Volume in New Tech Stock Before Earnings

Someone's looking for a strong earnings report from a new technology stock. Docusign (DOCU), a provider of online contracts and e-signatures, went public in April 2018. Earnings beat estimates the first three times it reported. And, yesterday a large options trader...

Retail ETF Spirals Downward with Brick-and-Mortar on the Skids

Retail ETF Spirals Downward with Brick-and-Mortar on the Skids

A perfect storm of bearishness is sweeping retail stocks, making them one of the weakest links in a teetering market. The SPDR Retail ETF (XRT) has lost 6 percent in the week ending yesterday, and is mired in the midst of its longest losing streak since early October....

Coty vs. Mylan: Here Are Winners and Losers After Quarterly Results

Coty vs. Mylan: Here Are Winners and Losers After Quarterly Results

First-quarter earnings season is pretty much over, so it's a good time to review some big movers in the S&P 500. First, the losers between the first big report on April 12 and yesterday: Mylan (MYL) fell the most during the period, down 34 percent. Market Insights...

Utility ETF Soars as Hot Money Shifts to Safe Havens

Utility ETF Soars as Hot Money Shifts to Safe Havens

President Trump's trade war against China isn't hurting all stocks. Just look at the price action in a key safe haven. The SPDR Utilities ETF (XLU) is up 2.5 percent in the last week, while the broader S&P 500 is down almost 2 percent. Aside from real-estate...

Oil Leading Commodity Selloff as Tariffs Hit Sentiment

Oil Leading Commodity Selloff as Tariffs Hit Sentiment

Oil's crashing as supply-and-demand worries hammer commodity prices. Crude oil futures (@CL) are down 3.2 percent in afternoon trading. If the move holds, it will be @CL's biggest decline of the year. Copper (@HG), another economically sensitive product, fell to its...

Trade War Fallout? ‘Boring’ Stocks Are Making New Highs

Trade War Fallout? ‘Boring’ Stocks Are Making New Highs

President Trump's trade war with China has tech investors running for cover as some "boring" stocks keep climbing. Insurers, food companies and utilities aren't glamorous, but several names in each group hit new 52-week highs yesterday. Other un-flashy sectors like...

Options Trader Sees Opportunity in China Crisis: Volatility Spotlight

Options Trader Sees Opportunity in China Crisis: Volatility Spotlight

Semiconductors are having their worst month this decade, but one big options trader is calling a bottom in a key name. Xilinx (XLNX) has been one of the industry's top performers in the last year as investors looked for a boost from 5G networks. That same positive...

Is Real Estate ETF a Stealth Technology Trade?

Is Real Estate ETF a Stealth Technology Trade?

Believe it or not, real-estate investment trusts (REITs) are leading the market this month. The SPDR Real Estate ETF (XLRE) is up 1.8 percent so far in May. That contrasts with a 2.4 percent drop for the broader S&P 500 over the same period. Even more surprising,...

Glass Seems Half Full in Big Tech: Earnings this Week

Glass Seems Half Full in Big Tech: Earnings this Week

Investors stayed bullish on big technology stocks in the last week, even when their results missed estimates. Cisco Systems (CSCO), Take-Two Interactive Software (TTWO) and Booking (BKNG), and JD.com (JD) all rallied after reporting quarterly numbers. Some beat...