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Will the Fed Signal a Pause? Investors Are Waiting
Stocks could be tightening into a range as investors wait for another big Federal Reserve meeting. The S&P 500 fell 0.2 percent between Friday, September 8, and Friday, September 15. It was the second straight negative week, and the second consecutive week that...
Stocks Hold Tight Range Following Major Inflation Report: Market Trends
Downloads are available here. TradeStation’s ideas on TradingView are available here. Register for Market Trends here. Sizing Up the S&P 500 S&P 500 holds middle of range near June high 2nd consecutive inside week RSI in middle of range...
Options Alert: Bulls Remain Active in Key Uranium Name
Uranium miner Cameco has rallied along with the price of the radioactive metal, and at least one big options traders is looking for the move to continue. This unusual activity was detected yesterday in the Canadian company: 10,000 October 42 calls were purchased for...
Chart of the Day: Are Chips Losing Their Edge to Software Stocks?
Semiconductor stocks have surged this year, thanks in large part to Nvidia. But they could be losing relative strength to software makers within the technology sector. Today’s main chart focuses on the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH), which closely tracks the...
Breakout or Breakdown? Events This Week Could Set Market Direction
Stocks face major tests this week as investors brace for inflation data, a potential autoworker strike and the expected introduction of new iPhones. The S&P 500 fell 1.4 percent in the holiday-shortened week between Friday, September 1, and Friday, September 8....
S&P 500 Tries to Hold Potential Support: Market Trends This Week
Downloads are available here. TradeStation’s ideas on TradingView are available here. Register for Market Trends here. Sizing Up the S&P 500 S&P 500 holds 4450 area Near June peak and August 15 breakdown level Holds 50% retracement of 8/25 - 9/1 rally...
Technology Rebounds as New Companies Rally In the Sector
Technology stocks are rebounding from a weak August as investors target a widening swath of companies like Intel and Western Digital. The S&P 500 rose 2.5 percent between Friday, August 25, and Friday, September 1. But technology stocks rallied 4.4 percent, their...
Energy Led in August as Higher Rates Dragged The Stock Market Lower
The stock market pulled back in August after a five-month rally. Energy was the only positive sector, thanks to rising oil prices. The S&P 500 was down 5.5 percent at its low on August 18, but rebounded to end the month with a 1.8 percent decline. More than...
Chart of the Day: Tesla Could Be Accelerating
Tesla skidded lower after its last earnings report on July 19, but now the EV giant could be turning a corner. The first pattern on today's chart is the dive toward $212 on August 18. It was the lowest level in more than two months, but TSLA gapped back to the upside...
Will the Fed Signal a Pause? Investors Are Waiting
Stocks could be tightening into a range as investors wait for another big Federal Reserve meeting. The S&P 500 fell 0.2 percent between Friday, September 8, and Friday, September 15. It was the second straight negative week, and the second consecutive week that...
Stocks Hold Tight Range Following Major Inflation Report: Market Trends
Downloads are available here. TradeStation’s ideas on TradingView are available here. Register for Market Trends here. Sizing Up the S&P 500 S&P 500 holds middle of range near June high 2nd consecutive inside week RSI in middle of range...
Options Alert: Bulls Remain Active in Key Uranium Name
Uranium miner Cameco has rallied along with the price of the radioactive metal, and at least one big options traders is looking for the move to continue. This unusual activity was detected yesterday in the Canadian company: 10,000 October 42 calls were purchased for...
Chart of the Day: Are Chips Losing Their Edge to Software Stocks?
Semiconductor stocks have surged this year, thanks in large part to Nvidia. But they could be losing relative strength to software makers within the technology sector. Today’s main chart focuses on the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH), which closely tracks the...
Breakout or Breakdown? Events This Week Could Set Market Direction
Stocks face major tests this week as investors brace for inflation data, a potential autoworker strike and the expected introduction of new iPhones. The S&P 500 fell 1.4 percent in the holiday-shortened week between Friday, September 1, and Friday, September 8....
S&P 500 Tries to Hold Potential Support: Market Trends This Week
Downloads are available here. TradeStation’s ideas on TradingView are available here. Register for Market Trends here. Sizing Up the S&P 500 S&P 500 holds 4450 area Near June peak and August 15 breakdown level Holds 50% retracement of 8/25 - 9/1 rally...
Technology Rebounds as New Companies Rally In the Sector
Technology stocks are rebounding from a weak August as investors target a widening swath of companies like Intel and Western Digital. The S&P 500 rose 2.5 percent between Friday, August 25, and Friday, September 1. But technology stocks rallied 4.4 percent, their...
Energy Led in August as Higher Rates Dragged The Stock Market Lower
The stock market pulled back in August after a five-month rally. Energy was the only positive sector, thanks to rising oil prices. The S&P 500 was down 5.5 percent at its low on August 18, but rebounded to end the month with a 1.8 percent decline. More than...
Chart of the Day: Tesla Could Be Accelerating
Tesla skidded lower after its last earnings report on July 19, but now the EV giant could be turning a corner. The first pattern on today's chart is the dive toward $212 on August 18. It was the lowest level in more than two months, but TSLA gapped back to the upside...
Chart of the Day: Potentially Bearish Candlestick Pattern in Amazon.com
Amazon.com tried to rally a week ago. It proceeded to fall on weak quarterly results, leaving some potentially difficult patterns on the daily chart . First, the single candlestick on February 2 was isolated above the other recent prices. That is sometimes known as a...
It’s a Quiet Week for Stocks After Mixed Earnings from Apple and Amazon.com
It's a quieter week for stocks after mixed earnings from major technology companies and big economic news. The S&P 500 rose 1.6 percent between Friday, January 27, and Friday, February 3. It was the fourth gain in the last five weeks, bringing the index back to...
Technical Analysis: Does the Nasdaq Need a Pause?
The Nasdaq-100 has been running as investors flock back to growth stocks. But is it time for a pause? The index has gained each of the five weeks so far this year -- its longest winning streak since November 2021. Speaking of November 2021, the Relative Strength Index...
Stocks Begin New Year With a Bang as Inflation Slows
Stocks rallied to start the New Year as investors looked for inflation to ease and the Federal Reserve to stop raising interest rates. The S&P 500 rose 6.2 percent in January, its best monthly performance since October. Some of the gain resulted from bounces in...
Is Tesla Driving Stocks Toward a Breakout Before the Fed?
Tesla could be driving the stock market toward a breakout as a flood of major catalysts hit. The electric car maker jumped 33 percent last week after reporting strong orders and saying production could reach 2 million vehicles this year. The news lifted sentiment in...
Technical Analysis: Pullback in Yum Brands
Yum Brands had a strong rally in late 2022. Now after a pause, the restaurant company may interest pullback buyers. The first pattern on today's chart is $125.70, a daily closing high from last April. YUM hesitated below that level in November and then began the New...
Good-Bye Bear Market? We Could Find Out This Week
After a small pullback, stocks could be trying to end the bear market that started a year ago. The S&P 500 declined the first three sessions of the holiday-shortened week between Friday, January 13, and Friday, January 20. It was down as much as 2.8 percent at...
This Year Could Be Starting to Look Like the Mirror Image of 2022
Stocks just rose for the second straight week, potentially raising an important question: Will 2023 be a mirror image of last year? The S&P 500 advanced 2.7 percent between Friday, January 6, and Friday, January 13. It's gained the first two weeks of 2023. Last...
Technical Analysis: Have Chipmakers Already Bottomed?
Most people know that technology stocks ended 2022 on a weak note. But they may not realize one group started to outperform: chipmakers. The first pattern on today’s chart of the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index is the falling trendline along the highs of last year....
Worried About a Pullback? Here Are Three Go-To Options Strategies
Sentiment has turned more negative this week as investors worry the economy will keep struggling with coronavirus. Let's consider some ways to protect your investments with options. Managing Risk with Collars The first strategy is known as a collar. Say you purchased...
Vertical Spreads Can Be a Key Strategy as Big Tech Stocks Report Earnings
It's the most important week in earnings season. Now's a great time to review one of the most important options strategies -- the vertical spread. Our previous post covered how to profit from stocks going nowhere after a big event. This one considers just the...
Key Things to Know About Volatility as Earnings Season Begins
Earnings season is just getting started. This post will consider what it means for options, and how traders may want to position for the reports. Implied volatility ("IV") is the key term because it often declines after big events like quarterly results. Traders often...
Find Options Trading Strategies During Times of Volatility
Trading options? This spring brings new trading tools for constructing your trades in these volatile times. Today we'll show how to choose an options strategy in TradeStation Web Trading based on your market outlook. You can find option trades not only in up and down...
Understanding Volatility if You’ve Never Encountered It Before
The last month has been one of the most volatile in the history of the stock market. Here are some things to know if you're new to investing and it scared you. Volatility Increases When the Market Drops Volatility measures how much stocks move. The more they jump...
One Mistake to Avoid if You Expect a Bounce at This Key Level
The S&P 500 is trying to hold a key level as doctors talk about a potential coronavirus treatment. Is it market trying to bounce? If your answer is "yes," there's one potential mistake you might want to avoid: overpaying for call options. Several variables...
Here’s a Crash Course in Options Now that Volatility Is Spiking
Stocks are crashing because of coronavirus. Volatility is spiking. What does it mean and how can you learn from today's crazy session? It's time for a crash course in options. Volatility and Options Volatility is the amount a stock or index moves. It's expressed with...
Options in These Two Tech Stocks Are Suddenly on Fire
A pair of technology companies are suddenly on fire in the U.S. options market. International Business Machines (IBM) and Slack Technologies (WORK) and have both set records in the options market over the last few sessions. The surging activity is yet another example...
Are Bulls Coming Back to Ride-Sharing Stocks like Uber and Lyft?
Ride-sharing stocks like Uber and Lyft struggled after IPOs last year. Yesterday, the bulls seemed to think both have turned a corner. UBER shot to a five-month high after Morgan Stanley said core profitability was improving and management shed a money-losing Indian...
What’s cooking in copper?
Just two days ago, a large bullish call roll appeared in copper giant Freeport McMoRan (FCX). The red metal's gone straight up since the options trade appeared. Copper futures (@HG) rose about 1.8 percent today, their fourth consecutive positive day. Press reports...
Transports Jump as Oil Retreats
Airlines were the best subgroup in the market yesterday and railroads closed at a new record high.
Gold Jumps on Korean News, Dovish Fed
Gold futures are on pace for their best session since early April amid Korean jitters and a weaker dollar.
Don’s Notebook May 23, 2018
New homes have been one of the strongest areas of the economy, however today's April New Homes Sales Report is expected to show a decrease from the March total. A related announcement from the Mortgage Bankers' Association already out is that purchase applications for...
Suddenly energy is flying
Energy's gone from forgotten to en fuego quicker than you can say "missiles over Damascus." Crude oil (@CL) hit $67.45 this morning, its highest level in 2-1/2 years. It's up almost 8 percent on the week, its biggest three-session rally since December 2016. There are...
A look behind yesterday’s wild session
This article is not a recommendation and is intended for educational purposes only. Yesterday was a roller coaster for the market, but it could suggest volatility will ease. S&P 500 futures (@ES) began the session down more than 30 points after China retaliated...
Window Linking: Ideal Tool in Volatile Markets
It's easy to lose track of things when the market swings wildly like it did last week. So, let's review a TradeStation feature that's especially handy in times of volatility: Window linking. As most users know, the platform consists of several different "apps"......
Power-charting the Selloff in Bonds
There's a growing consensus interest rates may be headed higher, which means bond prices may be headed lower. The idea went mainstream a month ago when headlines swept the globe: "Japan to end quantitative easing!" "Fixed-income guru Bill Gross calls the end of a...
Suddenly Latin America is Red Hot
Move over China, here comes Brazil. Global stocks have outperformed domestics since last spring, mostly led by Chinese equities. But in the last week or so there's been a sudden gush into a region that many traders may have forgotten: Latin America. The region's...
Bitcoin Bulls Were Running as Fear Swept Equity Markets
Something bullish has taken place in cryptocurrency markets as stocks crashed on trade worries. Bitcoin (BTCUSD) climbed 11 percent last week and is up almost triple that amount so far this week. The leading crypto is not only in the midst of its best month since...
Rollercoaster Week for Stocks as Trump Renews the Trade War
Stocks just had their most dramatic week of the year after President Trump renewed his trade war against China. The S&P 500 swung 112 points between its high and low, the biggest weekly range since markets were crashing in December. The overall decline of 2.2...
Solar ETF Shining as Rest of Market Dives Lower
The S&P 500 had its worst day in over a month, but one forgotten corner of the market was shining. The Invesco Solar Energy ETF (TAN) rose 2.35 percent on Tuesday, bucking a drop of 1.65 percent for the broader S&P 500. TAN's gain of almost 4.2 percent in the...
Stocks Inch to New Highs as ‘Goldilocks’ Conditions Remain
Stocks remained near record highs last week, bolstered by a strong economy, decent earnings and low inflation. The S&P 500 rose 0.2 percent between Friday, April 26 and Friday, May 3. It was the fifth gain in the last six weeks, with the index holding its ground...
Energy ETF Resumes its Losing Ways as Bears Return to Weakest Sector
The bears may be coming back to energy stocks as oil falters. The SPDR Energy ETF (XLE) fell 2 percent yesterday to its lowest close since March 8. It's also the worst-performing major sector fund in the last week, down almost 4 percent. Several negative factors are...
Another ‘Golden Cross’ May Be Coming Soon
April began with a "golden cross" in the S&P 500. Early May could see a similar pattern in the Russell 2000. In case you don't know, a golden cross is when a chart's 50-day moving average rises above its 200-day MA. It's often viewed as a sign that momentum is...
Stocks Keep Climbing as Market Enters a Huge Week for Events
Stocks keep climbing amid bullish news as we enter a super-busy week of events. The S&P 500 rose 1.2 percent between Friday, April 19, and Friday, April 26. The index also closed at a new all-time high of 2940, with technology and the Nasdaq-100 still leading the...
Can Internet ETF Break Out as Big Tech Stocks Announce Earnings?
Major Internet stocks are running as investors prepare for a crowd of earnings. The First Trust Dow Jones Internet ETF (FDN) is challenging its old highs from 2018, hours before Facebook (FB) and PayPal (PYPL) announce quarterly results. Other big names like...
Futures Trading Coach: This Key Market Could Accelerate Higher
The S&P 500 has potential to accelerate higher as it flirts with last year's highs. That was the view this morning from John Hoagland at TopstepTrader. S&P 500 E-mini futures (@ES) have consolidated in a tight range since the beginning of last week. On this...