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Stocks Keep Climbing Before the Fed: Will Jerome Powell Finally Slow Down?

Stocks Keep Climbing Before the Fed: Will Jerome Powell Finally Slow Down?

Will Jerome Powell finally hit the brakes? Stocks could be moving like the Federal Reserve is near the end of its rate-hiking cycle. The S&P 500 rose 4 percent between Friday, October 21, and Friday, October 28. It was the second weekly gain of at least 4 percent,...

Options Traders Look for Marathon Oil to Keep Running

Options Traders Look for Marathon Oil to Keep Running

Marathon Oil is the third-best performer in the S&P 500 this year, and options traders seem to think it will keep running. Check out this large complex trade in the Houston-based energy driller: 15,423 January 24 calls were sold for $6.70.15,423 January 21 puts...

Stocks Try to Bounce Before a Huge Week of Earnings

Stocks Try to Bounce Before a Huge Week of Earnings

Stocks are trying to bounce as investors await key earnings and hope for slower rate hikes. The S&P 500 rose 4.7 percent between Friday, October 14, and Friday, October 21. It was the biggest weekly gain since June, with every major sector advancing. More than...

Chart of the Day: Is Walmart Squeezing Toward a Breakout?

Chart of the Day: Is Walmart Squeezing Toward a Breakout?

Walmart has squeezed into a tight range after a big drop in the spring. Now some traders may be looking for a potential breakout. The main pattern on today’s chart is the falling trendline along the highs of April, August and September. WMT remained consistently below...

Stocks Keep Sliding as Inflation Spreads and Earnings Fail to Impress

Stocks Keep Sliding as Inflation Spreads and Earnings Fail to Impress

Stocks keep falling as inflation remains high and earnings disappoint. The S&P 500 fell 1.6 percent between Friday, October 7, and Friday, October 14. It was the fourth negative week in the last five as the index flirts with its lowest levels since late 2020....

Stocks Cling to Support, Bracing for Another Inflation Report and Earnings

Stocks Cling to Support, Bracing for Another Inflation Report and Earnings

Stocks are trying to hold a key level as investors brace for more inflation news and a potentially bearish earnings season. The S&P 500 rose 1.5 percent between Friday, September 30, and Friday, October 7. It was the first positive week in the last four, although...

Options Alert: Bearish Traders Could Be Sticking With Western Digital

Options Alert: Bearish Traders Could Be Sticking With Western Digital

Western Digital tried to bounce after a big drop, but the bears don't seem to be going away. Check out this unusual options activity in the maker of data-storage products: A block of 7,500 October 36 puts was sold for $2.05.A trader bought an equal number of October...

Energy Stocks Just Got a Triple Dose of Bullish News

Energy Stocks Just Got a Triple Dose of Bullish News

After months of relative quiet, energy stocks are back in focus with a triple dose of bullish news. The sector began the week rallying on reports that OPEC+ would lower output by 1 million barrels per day. The cartel then did the unexpected by cutting 2 million...

Chart of the Day: Will T-Mobile Follow Other Telecoms Lower?

Chart of the Day: Will T-Mobile Follow Other Telecoms Lower?

Telecom stocks have mostly fallen in recent months. One exception has been T-Mobile US. Could it soon follow its peers lower? The first pattern on today's chart is TMUS's break below its 100-day moving average in late September. Price bounced there several times this...

Inflation Good, Inflation Bad: Price Spirals Are Splitting Consumer Stocks

Inflation Good, Inflation Bad: Price Spirals Are Splitting Consumer Stocks

It's the best of times and worst of times for consumer stocks, thanks to the fastest inflation in 40 years. Companies like Kraft Heinz (KHC), Tyson Foods (TSN) and Kellogg (K) have advanced in the last two weeks. In the process they've bucked a selloff in the broader...

Stocks Fall Again as Russia and the Fed Keep the Bears Active

Stocks Fall Again as Russia and the Fed Keep the Bears Active

Stocks fell again last week as inflation and geopolitical tensions added to a potentially bearish technical picture for big indexes. The S&P 500 dropped 1.6 percent between Friday, February 11 and Friday, February 18. It was the second straight negative week,...

Travel Stocks Are Jumping as the Coronavirus Pandemic Continues to Fade

Travel Stocks Are Jumping as the Coronavirus Pandemic Continues to Fade

After more than a year of waiting, travel stocks may finally be recovering. Companies including Walt Disney (DIS), Expedia (EXPE) and Airbnb (ABNB) have rallied sharply in the last month. Their gains have bucked weakness in the broader market as investors braced for...

Chart of the Day: Is This Gold Mining Giant Headed for a Breakout?

Chart of the Day: Is This Gold Mining Giant Headed for a Breakout?

Last week, we cited the potential breakout in the SPDR Gold ETF. Today’s chart shows a similar pattern in miner Barrick Gold. First, consider the series of lower highs since August 2020. Then notice how the price action Friday and today violated this downward...

Stocks Hit Another Wall as Inflation Fears Hammer the Nasdaq Again

Stocks Hit Another Wall as Inflation Fears Hammer the Nasdaq Again

Investors are starting to worry that the Federal Reserve is behind the curve and will need to hike rates aggressively to slow inflation. The S&P 500 was positive for most of last week, but slid into the red on Friday afternoon. It ended with a drop of 1.8 percent...

Technical Analysis: Amazon.com Bounced After Earnings. Now What?

Technical Analysis: Amazon.com Bounced After Earnings. Now What?

Amazon.com rallied sharply on some bullish news last week. But it may face some bearish patterns over the intermediate and longer terms. First, consider the level around $3,175. AMZN bounced there in the second, third and fourth quarters of last year before breaking...

Feeding frenzy in the Golden Arches: Options recap

Feeding frenzy in the Golden Arches: Options recap

The world's top burger joint has gone nowhere all year. But yesterday news of a corporate shakeup triggered a feeding frenzy in the Golden Arches. McDonald's (MCD) ripped 4.37 percent to $169.48, its highest close since early February. Investors supersized positions...

Why furniture bulls may expect an earnings pop

Why furniture bulls may expect an earnings pop

Will a high-end furniture stock go higher? At least one big trader seems to think so. RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, peddles four-figure sofas, rugs and cabinets. Yesterday someone bought 5,000 June 110 calls for $5.75 and sold an equal number of June 120...

Casinos, copper and online actions: Options recap

Casinos, copper and online actions: Options recap

Below is a summary of noteworthy options trades from Monday, June 4. Melco Resorts & Entertainment (MLCO) operates casinos in the Chinese gambling hub of Macau. It last saw $35 in July 2014, and options traders targeted a move to that level with a bullish ratio...

Going Mobile for Earnings: TradeStation Tutorial

Going Mobile for Earnings: TradeStation Tutorial

Plenty of customers were trading Apple (AAPL) yesterday before the company's earnings report. Even if they didn't log from their desks, they still could have placed orders on the go using TradeStation's uber-powerful Mobile App. In case you haven't installed it yet,...

Bulls Return to Gaming Space: Options Recap

Bulls Return to Gaming Space: Options Recap

Two weeks ago, a options traders were bullish in a slot-machine maker. Yesterday, a similar transaction lit up a race-track and casino operator. Traders bought 6,000 June 31 calls in Penn National Gaming (PENN) for $1.25 in the middle of the afternoon. A block of...

How the bulls are chasing Fox: Options activity

How the bulls are chasing Fox: Options activity

If you've ever wondered about bulls chasing a Fox, look no further than the activity yesterday's options market. And no, we're not talking about a rerun of Downton Abbey. We're talking about the big spike of options activity in media conglomerate Twenty-First Century...