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Microsoft and Toyota Break Out as Apple and Tesla Stall
by David Russell | Feb 7, 2024
Apple and Tesla have been two of the best performing large stocks for years. But now they may be falling behind two major rivals: Microsoft and Toyota Motor. The charts below demonstrate how AAPL and TSLA remain trapped under recent highs, while MSFT and TM have...
Technical Analysis: Exxon Mobil Could Be Stalling
by David Russell | Aug 4, 2022
Energy stocks have dominated the market this year, but now the biggest of the bunch is showing signs of weakness: Exxon Mobil. The first pattern on today’s chart is the jump following strong quarterly results on July 29. While that may have been impressive, it soon...
Where’s the Fear? VIX Keeps Sliding as Big Events Fail to Lift Volatility
by David Russell | Aug 3, 2022
Cboe's "fear index" hasn't been showing a lot of panic lately. The Volatility Index ($VIX.X) declined steadily between mid-June and late July. That six-week slide was the longest negative streak since late 2019, according to TradeStation data. It's up slightly this...
Stocks Leapt Higher in July, But Will the Rally Continue this Month?
by David Russell | Aug 1, 2022
Stocks just finished their best month in over a year. Can they keep running in August? The S&P 500 climbed 4.3 percent in the week between Friday, July 22, and Friday, July 29. That helped lift the index 9.1 percent in July, giving the index its biggest monthly...
Chart of the Day: Chinese Electric Car Stock Rallies and Pulls Back
by David Russell | Jul 28, 2022
Most Chinese stocks remain well below their 52-week highs, but not Li Auto. Let's consider some of the patterns on the Beijing-based maker of electric cars and SUVs. First you have the level around $33. It was the opening price on December 3 when news of Didi's...
The Fed Hints at Peak Hawkishness Following Another Huge Interest Rate Hike
by David Russell | Jul 27, 2022
The Federal Reserve may have reached "peak hawkishness" after seven months of embracing tighter monetary policy. The central bank raised the target for its interest rates by 75 basis points today. The move matched expectations and mirrored a similar historic increase...
Options Alert: Mega Call Spreads Target Historic Level in Brazilian Energy Stock
by David Russell | Jul 26, 2022
For the second session in a row, options traders targeted a key level in South American oil driller Petrobras. Check out this large bullish call spread Monday in Rio De Janeiro-based PBR: A block of 40,000 January 14 calls was purchased for $0.50. An equal number of...
Top Stocks for Options Trading
Technology & Communication

Chart of the Day: Is it Prime Time for Amazon.com?
by David Russell | Jul 5, 2022
Amazon.com has retraced almost all of its pandemic gains. Is this an opportunity for buyers? Let's consider some chart patterns. First is the $101.79 level (split adjusted). It was a peak in July 2019 and a breakout area immediately before the coronavirus selloff in...

How Much Is Zoom Video Up Since its IPO?
by David Russell | Sep 1, 2020
Zoom Video Communications just rallied to new record highs after the coronavirus pandemic fueled one of the most dramatic growth stories ever. ZM closed at $457.67 today. That's 1,171 percent above the $36 price where it went public just 16 months ago on April 18,...

These Were the Top Stocks on TradeStation in August
by David Russell | Sep 1, 2020
Tesla dominated activity on TradeStation's platform last month, and no other stock even came close. The electric-car maker held the No. 1 spot on our monthly ranking, outpacing runner-up Apple (AAPL) by a huge margin. Other major technology stocks remained highly...

Tesla and Apple Leap After Stock Splits. Will Amazon.com Follow?
by David Russell | Aug 31, 2020
Apple and Tesla jumped to new highs today after splitting their stocks. Will other big Nasdaq companies like Amazon.com follow? AAPL rose more than 3 percent and TSLA spiked over 13 percent. Their gains helped lift the the Nasdaq-100 to its ninth record level in the...

Apple and Tesla Are Splitting Their Shares. Here Are Key Details for Stock and Options Traders
by David Russell | Aug 28, 2020
Apple and Tesla are about the split their shares. Here are the key details you need to know. Both operations take effect using the official closing price on Friday, August 28. (The cutoff is technically 8 p.m. ET.) Investors with positions in the stock or options will...