Utilities
Stock Gains Widen as Investors Hope for Lower Inflation

Stock Gains Widen as Investors Hope for Lower Inflation

Money is flowing back into stocks as investors hope for a better inflation report this week. The S&P 500 rose 1.9 percent between Friday, May 3, and Friday, May 10. It was the third straight positive week. More than four-fifths of the index's members advanced,...

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...

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...

Don’t Ignore This Currency as Fear Sweeps Market

Don’t Ignore This Currency as Fear Sweeps Market

The Japanese yen is gaining steam as fear sweeps the market. The currency has long been viewed as a safe haven because of Japan's huge trade surplus and low interest rates. Money traditionally flows away from the country when times are "good" and vice versa when times...

Tech and FANG Languish as Sentiment Shifts

Tech and FANG Languish as Sentiment Shifts

FANG seems to be losing its mojo along with the rest of tech as sentiment shifts in the market. FANG, if you don't know, stands for Facebook (FB), Amazon.com (AMZN), Netflix (NFLX) and Alphabet (GOOGL). This grouping accounted for a big chunk of the market's gains...

Traders Doubt Safety of Classic Safe Haven: Options Recap

Traders Doubt Safety of Classic Safe Haven: Options Recap

So much for utilities being a safe haven. The SPDR Utility Fund (XLU) has risen about 6 percent in the last month, making it the top-performing major sector. But yesterday, traders braced for a potential selloff: A block of 75,000 September 50 puts in XLU was bought...