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Bullish and Bearish: Key Points About Vertical Option Spreads
by David Russell | May 8, 2024
Vertical spreads are one of the most common strategies in the options market because they can generate leverage with limited risk. This article will consider key points about bullish and bearish spreads. Vertical spreads involve two "legs" on the same underlier to...
1995 All Over Again? How Today’s Market Compares With History
by David Russell | Feb 28, 2024
The past year has seen dramatic changes in investor expectations. We started worrying about inflation, survived a banking crisis and witnessed a tech boom in AI stocks. Another interest-rate panic followed in late summer, but it soon morphed into a surprising bullish...
Nvidia’s AI Surge Lifts Stocks as Market Breadth Widens
by David Russell | Feb 26, 2024
Nvidia and the AI boom keep driving stocks to new highs. Still, a long-awaited shift toward smaller companies may be starting. The S&P 500 rose 1.7 percent in the holiday-shortened week between Friday, February 16, and Friday, February 23. The index also crossed...
Range Could Be Forming After Big Events: Market Trends This Week
by David Russell | Feb 22, 2024
Downloads are available here. TradeStation’s ideas on TradingView are available here. Register for Market Trends here. Sizing Up the S&P 500 Index is potentially forming range between 4918 and 5030 Rising trend line potentially broken Shooting star on...
Stocks Pause as Earnings Pass and Inflation Rises
by David Russell | Feb 20, 2024
Stocks just paused as a blistering earnings season nears its conclusion. The S&P 500 slid 0.4 percent between Friday, February 2, and Friday, February 9. It was only the second decline in the last 16 weeks, according to TradeStation data. Technology led to the...
Chart of the Day: Will Goldman Sachs Get Going?
by David Russell | Feb 16, 2024
Goldman Sachs has gone nowhere for two months, but some traders may look for that to change. The first pattern on today’s chart is the $374 level. It was a weekly closing price from January 2023 that GS remained below through late December. The stock rallied above it...
S&P 500 Holds Channel, Reclaims 5,000: Market Trends This Week
by David Russell | Feb 15, 2024
Downloads are available here. TradeStation’s ideas on TradingView are available here. Register for Market Trends here. Sizing Up the S&P 500 Index holds recent channel, weekly low from 2/5 Wilder's RSI remains near overbought Prices hold rising...
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Technology & Communication

Troubled Trio? Why These Megacaps Are Faltering in 2024
by David Russell | Mar 5, 2024
The stock market is off to a roaring start in 2024, but three former leaders might be left behind. Apple (AAPL), Tesla (TSLA) and Alphabet (GOOGL) have dropped in recent weeks as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 rallied to new highs. They're now below chart levels that...

Options Alert: Trader Looks for More Upside in Chinese Tech Stock
by David Russell | Jan 5, 2023
Chinese technology stocks have been jumping, and one options trader is positioning for the move to continue. Check out this unusual activity this afternoon in e-commerce company JD.com (JD): Some 5,000 February 70 calls were purchased for $4.01.At the same time, the...

Chart of the Day: Is Oracle Attempting a Breakout?
by David Russell | Jan 4, 2023
Oracle has performed better than most technology and software companies, and now it may be attempting a breakout. The first pattern on today’s chart is the triangle that took shape in December. Prices ended 2022 slightly above the top, and buyers jumped in yesterday....

Technical Analysis: What If Apple Holds This Price Level?
by David Russell | Dec 11, 2022
Megacap technology stocks like Apple have dragged on the market amid disruptions in China. But what if the iPhone giant manages to bounce? Could it give the bigger indexes a boost? The main pattern on today’s chart is the $140 level. This price first had importance on...

How This Correction Is Unlike Anything in the History of the Stock Market
by David Russell | Dec 3, 2022
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on March 12, 2020. If the coronavirus is shaking your faith in stocks, you need to keep reading this article. Why? There are three reasons. Reason 1: This Selloff Is a Total Aberration Pretty much every previous...