Market Insights
Bringing you the trading news around the world.
Stories
Is This a Bear Market Rally or the Start of a New Bull Market?
"I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in which direction we are moving." - Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Stock trading is risky because even experienced forecasters can struggle to anticipate the market's direction. At...
Hedging With Puts Amid Market Volatility
Stocks just finished their most tumultuous period in years. If there was ever a time for hedging with options, this was it! After all, volatility can be a big pain for investors. You do your research to identify promising companies or exchange-traded funds (ETFs)....
Small Companies Outperforming in the New Year
Suddenly small is beautiful in the eyes of investors. Indexes focused on smaller companies, like the Russell 2000 (IWM) or the Nasdaq Composite ($COMPX), have outperformed larger benchmarks like the S&P 500 ($SPX.X) and Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) since...
Double Dose of Good News for Economy as 2019 Begins
The U.S. economy has gotten a double dose of good news as 2019 gets underway. Non-farm payrolls had their biggest gain in 10 months, almost doubling forecasters' expectations. But that's not all. The October and November totals were also revised up by 58,000....
Bearishness Reigns in Energy Giant: Options Recap
Energy's the weakest sector over the long run, and options traders are sticking with that trend. Check out this giant bearish trade in oil-field servicing company Halliburton (HAL): A block of 58,000 22-February 27.50 puts was bought for $1.45. A block of 58,000...
Nasdaq Dominates the Top 10: December at TradeStation
The Nasdaq-100 fell 8.9 percent in December, its worst monthly drop this decade. Not surprisingly, seven of the 10 busiest symbols at TradeStation during the period were somehow associated with the tech-heavy index. Here's the top 10. Nasdaq-related symbols are marked...
Brazil Kicked Off 2019 with a Bang
Latin America's biggest economy kicked off the New Year with a bang as a pro-business government took power. The iShares Brazil ETF (EWZ) ripped 6.4 percent yesterday, its biggest gain since Jair Bolsonaro effectively won the presidency in early October. Brazil is not...
These Were Market Insights’ Top Stories in 2018
TradeStation's Market Insights blog launched in early 2018. It was a great year to write about the markets, thanks to broad volatility, economic changes and geopolitical turmoil. Today as 2019 gets underway, it's a good time to review some of last year's big stories....
Santa Was Naughty and Nice for Stocks in a Crazy Christmas Week
Santa Claus was naughty and nice for investors last week, delivering one of the craziest Christmas weeks ever. It started with the S&P 500 plunging to its lowest level in 16 months. The index then reversed to enjoy its biggest one-day rally in almost 10 years....
Is This a Bear Market Rally or the Start of a New Bull Market?
"I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in which direction we are moving." - Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Stock trading is risky because even experienced forecasters can struggle to anticipate the market's direction. At...
Hedging With Puts Amid Market Volatility
Stocks just finished their most tumultuous period in years. If there was ever a time for hedging with options, this was it! After all, volatility can be a big pain for investors. You do your research to identify promising companies or exchange-traded funds (ETFs)....
Small Companies Outperforming in the New Year
Suddenly small is beautiful in the eyes of investors. Indexes focused on smaller companies, like the Russell 2000 (IWM) or the Nasdaq Composite ($COMPX), have outperformed larger benchmarks like the S&P 500 ($SPX.X) and Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) since...
Double Dose of Good News for Economy as 2019 Begins
The U.S. economy has gotten a double dose of good news as 2019 gets underway. Non-farm payrolls had their biggest gain in 10 months, almost doubling forecasters' expectations. But that's not all. The October and November totals were also revised up by 58,000....
Bearishness Reigns in Energy Giant: Options Recap
Energy's the weakest sector over the long run, and options traders are sticking with that trend. Check out this giant bearish trade in oil-field servicing company Halliburton (HAL): A block of 58,000 22-February 27.50 puts was bought for $1.45. A block of 58,000...
Nasdaq Dominates the Top 10: December at TradeStation
The Nasdaq-100 fell 8.9 percent in December, its worst monthly drop this decade. Not surprisingly, seven of the 10 busiest symbols at TradeStation during the period were somehow associated with the tech-heavy index. Here's the top 10. Nasdaq-related symbols are marked...
Brazil Kicked Off 2019 with a Bang
Latin America's biggest economy kicked off the New Year with a bang as a pro-business government took power. The iShares Brazil ETF (EWZ) ripped 6.4 percent yesterday, its biggest gain since Jair Bolsonaro effectively won the presidency in early October. Brazil is not...
These Were Market Insights’ Top Stories in 2018
TradeStation's Market Insights blog launched in early 2018. It was a great year to write about the markets, thanks to broad volatility, economic changes and geopolitical turmoil. Today as 2019 gets underway, it's a good time to review some of last year's big stories....
Santa Was Naughty and Nice for Stocks in a Crazy Christmas Week
Santa Claus was naughty and nice for investors last week, delivering one of the craziest Christmas weeks ever. It started with the S&P 500 plunging to its lowest level in 16 months. The index then reversed to enjoy its biggest one-day rally in almost 10 years....