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Stocks Keep Climbing: Has ‘Goldilocks’ Arrived?
Stocks keep rising as lower inflation, accelerating growth and strong earnings create a potential "Goldilocks" scenario. The S&P 500 rose 1 between Friday, July 21, and Friday, July 28. It was the third straight weekly advance, placing the index at its highest...
Market Stair-Steps Higher as Fed Passes: 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 forms another tight range near 52-week high July 20 low held July 14 high as resistance becomes...
Blue Chips Break Out as Traders Pivot Before the Fed
Blue chips are breaking out as investors pivot from growth stocks to value. The S&P 500 rose 0.7 percent between Friday, July 14, and Friday, July 21. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was the big mover, jumping to a new 52-week high. Its 2.1 percent gain...
Options Alert: Two Giant Trades In Uber Technologies
Uber Technologies has been steadily trending higher, and options traders seem to think the move will continue. Two large transactions appeared in the ride-sharing stock yesterday. Both were bullish, although one involved significant risk and the other was...
Lower Inflation Keeps Bulls in the Driver’s Seat as Earnings Begin
Stocks keep rising as lower inflation spurs hope the Federal Reserve is almost done hiking interest rates. The S&P 500 rose 2.4 between Friday, July 7, and Friday, July 14. The index touched its highest level since April 2022, with 82 percent of its members...
Stocks Rise Into Earnings as ‘Soft Landing’ Hopes Grow: 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 bounces after holding 50% retracement of June 26-30 weekly candle Index has few apparent bearish signals...
Chart of the Day: Is Caesars Following Travel Stocks Higher?
Travel stocks have climbed recently, and now Caesars Entertainment could be showing signs of strength. The first pattern on today’s chart is the falling trendline along the highs of February, March and mid-June. The casino operator pushed above it at the end of the...
Options Alert: Large Put Spread Targets Key Level in Apple
Apple has surged this year as Wall Street anticipates a new iPhone cycle and growth opportunities in India. But yesterday options traders looked for a pause. Check out this large transaction that occurred shortly after Monday's open: 20,000 4-August 180 puts traded...
Tesla Gets a Rival on Wall Street as Traders Await Big Inflation Report
Tesla, one of the most active stocks in the market, suddenly has a rival among traders. Rivian Automotive (RIVN) announced better-than-expected deliveries last week. That gave Wall Street confidence the maker of electric pickups and SUVs is finally overcoming...
Stocks Keep Climbing: Has ‘Goldilocks’ Arrived?
Stocks keep rising as lower inflation, accelerating growth and strong earnings create a potential "Goldilocks" scenario. The S&P 500 rose 1 between Friday, July 21, and Friday, July 28. It was the third straight weekly advance, placing the index at its highest...
Market Stair-Steps Higher as Fed Passes: 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 forms another tight range near 52-week high July 20 low held July 14 high as resistance becomes...
Blue Chips Break Out as Traders Pivot Before the Fed
Blue chips are breaking out as investors pivot from growth stocks to value. The S&P 500 rose 0.7 percent between Friday, July 14, and Friday, July 21. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was the big mover, jumping to a new 52-week high. Its 2.1 percent gain...
Options Alert: Two Giant Trades In Uber Technologies
Uber Technologies has been steadily trending higher, and options traders seem to think the move will continue. Two large transactions appeared in the ride-sharing stock yesterday. Both were bullish, although one involved significant risk and the other was...
Lower Inflation Keeps Bulls in the Driver’s Seat as Earnings Begin
Stocks keep rising as lower inflation spurs hope the Federal Reserve is almost done hiking interest rates. The S&P 500 rose 2.4 between Friday, July 7, and Friday, July 14. The index touched its highest level since April 2022, with 82 percent of its members...
Stocks Rise Into Earnings as ‘Soft Landing’ Hopes Grow: 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 bounces after holding 50% retracement of June 26-30 weekly candle Index has few apparent bearish signals...
Chart of the Day: Is Caesars Following Travel Stocks Higher?
Travel stocks have climbed recently, and now Caesars Entertainment could be showing signs of strength. The first pattern on today’s chart is the falling trendline along the highs of February, March and mid-June. The casino operator pushed above it at the end of the...
Options Alert: Large Put Spread Targets Key Level in Apple
Apple has surged this year as Wall Street anticipates a new iPhone cycle and growth opportunities in India. But yesterday options traders looked for a pause. Check out this large transaction that occurred shortly after Monday's open: 20,000 4-August 180 puts traded...
Tesla Gets a Rival on Wall Street as Traders Await Big Inflation Report
Tesla, one of the most active stocks in the market, suddenly has a rival among traders. Rivian Automotive (RIVN) announced better-than-expected deliveries last week. That gave Wall Street confidence the maker of electric pickups and SUVs is finally overcoming...
Stocks Could Face a Lull as Investors Wait for Bigger Events Next Week
Action in the stock market could hit a brief lull as investors wait for big events later in the month. The S&P 500 rose 1.1 percent between Friday, November 25, and Friday, December 2. All of the gain occurred on Wednesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome...
Three Potential Signs of a Turn, Even After Stocks Had Another Bearish Week
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on April 6, 2020. Stocks fell again last week, but there may be signs the market is starting to see light at the end of the coronavirus tunnel. The S&P 500 slid 2.1 percent between Friday, March 27, and Friday,...
How This Correction Is Unlike Anything in the History of the Stock Market
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...
Suddenly, Everyone’s Talking About Rate Cuts
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on March 2, 2020. Last week's selloff is making people think the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates again soon. The market is pricing in a near-unanimous opinion that the Fed will lower its target rate by 50...
Undercounting: A Potentially Bearish Twist to the Coronavirus Outbreak
Editor's note: This article was originally published on February 27, 2020. A new and potentially bearish twist is emerging in the coronavirus outbreak: the risk of health officials undercounting cases. "We could have it spread here in the United States and not be...
Diagnosing the Coronavirus Selloff: Just How Bad Is It?
Editor's note: This article was originally published on February 25, 2020. Stocks continued their selloff on Tuesday as coronavirus spreads around the world. Here are some facts on what it means for your money. First, this pullback is now a "big one." The S&P 500...
Stocks Just Did Something For the 1st Time Since Bear Market Began: November Recap
Stocks just completed back-to-back positive months for the first time in over a year as investors look for the Federal Reserve to slow aggressive interest-rate hikes. The S&P 500 rose 4 percent in November following an 8 percent surge in October. (The last set of...
Stocks Eye Key Resistance as the Fed Looks to Slow Interest Rate Hikes
Stocks are eying key resistance as the market attempts its second straight positive month. The S&P 500 rose 1.5 percent in the holiday-shortened week between November 18 and November 25. The index is up 4 percent so far in November. If the gains hold through...
Technical Analysis: Potential Uptrend in DexCom
Diabetes company DexCom has been fighting higher since June, and now it may be interesting to trend followers. The first pattern on today’s chart is the pair of bullish gaps last month. The initial rally came after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services...
Yesterday’s Selloff Had Some Important Lessons For Traders
Stocks fell again yesterday, illustrating three important lessons for traders. The first lesson is that activity focuses on indexes and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) when the market crashes. For example, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) traded more than 6.1 million...
Can Financials Hold? Huge Options Trade Targets Key Level
Financial stocks got hammered yesterday, and someone's watching a key level. Check out this giant put spread in the SPDR Financial ETF (XLF), which holds key names like Bank of America (BAC) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM): 72,540 November 26 puts were bought for...
What Options Traders Need to Know About ‘Greeks’ Like Delta and Gamma
Options are definitely more complicated than stocks. Their prices don't just go up and down. They also fluctuate based on things like time, implied volatility and underlying stock movements. You may need a system to keep all the moving pieces straight. Options Greeks...
Call Buyers Look for a Heavily Traded Chip Stock to Start Running
Some options traders seem to think one of the market's most active stocks is ready for a rally. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has barely moved for the last month, but a surge of volume yesterday looked for a rally by the end of this week. Traders amassed more than...
Essential Options Knowledge: Time, Volatility and Different Kinds of Value
Options confuse a lot of investors because several factors impact their value. Unlike stocks, they don't just go up and down based on supply and demand. This post will explain three of the most important concepts you need to get started: time, volatility and intrinsic...
Massive Activity Across the Energy Space Following Drone Attacks
Trading volumes surged across the energy space yesterday after a drone attack clobbered the heart of Saudi Arabia's oil industry. Crude oil futures (@CL) traded more than 1.3 million contracts, the busiest session in at least a decade. Several other securities...
Options Action: Big Trade Detected in the Small-Cap ETF
Stocks keep grinding higher, and one trader is inching up protection on the small-cap index. Check out this morning's options activity in the iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM): 52,825 September 145 puts were sold for $0.1252,825 September 142 puts were bought for...
The Structure of Options Trades
While options can be traded by themselves, investors often use them in conjunction with other securities. So before going further, let's consider the four basic ways that options trades are structured. You Can Trade Options by Themselves As we learned in a previous...
Buying and Selling Options
Most clients understand buying and selling stocks. Options are similar, and can be traded in the same brokerage accounts. However, you should know some basic differences. Bid / Ask Spreads Matter A bid/ask spread is the difference between where you can sell a security...
Stocks Inch Higher as Money Keeps Shifting to New Areas
Last week was a lot more interesting than it seemed. After all, the S&P 500 rose just 0.6 percent in the holiday-shortened week between Friday, February 15 and Friday, February 22. Most other major indexes hardly budged, either. But there was disruption beneath...
Brazilian Stocks Gain as Bolsonaro Pushes Reforms
Most attention yesterday focused on drama in Washington, but important things were also happening in Brazil. President Jair Bolsonaro released details of a pension reform intended to narrow the country's gaping budget deficit. It will go to lawmakers next Wednesday,...
Stocks Keep Climbing as Negativity Lifts
Stocks keep rising as the fourth quarter's gloom continues to lift. The S&P 500 rose 1.6 percent between Friday, January 25, and Friday, February 1. It was the fifth gain in the last six weeks, with every major sector and index moving higher. Good economic news...
Big Hedge Detected in High Flying Sector
Regional banks are one of the strongest groups this year, and now a big investor seems to be hedging a large position. Check out the options activity in the SPDR S&P Regional Bank ETF (KRE) yesterday: A block of 39,265 April 51 puts was bought for $1.16. An equal...
Stocks Hold Gains as Backdrop Continues to Improve
Stocks held their ground last week amid a stream of positive news. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2 percent in the holiday-shortened span between Friday, January 18, and Friday, January 25. It was the first negative week in the last five, coming amid the sharpest rally in...
Indexes Are Fighting at a Key Level
Stocks ripped hard to start the year, but now comes the hard work. The S&P 500 is back to a potentially key price area between 2600 and 2650. That's where it bounced in October and November, but then failed to hold in early December. Some chart watchers may now...
Latin American Value Hunt Continues
Stocks south of the border keep heading north. The iShares Latin America 40 ETF (ILF) is up 10 percent so far this year, about triple the performance of the S&P 500 over the same period. Unlike the unlike the domestic index, the fund is also above its 50- and...
Stocks Climb Wall of Worry for Third Straight Week
Stocks keep climbing as investors return to the market after a terrible fourth quarter. The S&P 500 rose 2.5 percent between Friday, January 4, and Friday, January 11. It was the third straight weekly gain and brought the index back to its highest level since...
Small Companies Outperforming in the New Year
Suddenly small is beautiful in the eyes of investors. Indexes focused on smaller companies, like the Russell 2000 (IWM) or the Nasdaq Composite ($COMPX), have outperformed larger benchmarks like the S&P 500 ($SPX.X) and Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) since...