Market Insights
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Nasdaq and Tech Are Stabilizing as Investors Prepare for Earnings Season
Growth stocks and the Nasdaq-100 could be attempting a turn after six months of steady declines. The technology-heavy index rose 4.7 percent in the holiday-shortened week between Friday, July 1, and Friday, July 8. In absolute terms, the gain was smaller than two...
Trend Following: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Pullback
Everybody talks about buying the pullback, but sometimes it's easier said than done. Fortunately, TradeStation's desktop and web platforms include several tools for investors looking to follow trends. This information-packed educational video demonstrates how...
Call Volume Spikes in Nikola Before Shareholder Vote
After a big slide, one big options trader is looking for a rebound in Nikola. Large blocks of calls changed hands yesterday in the electric-truck developer. A block of 40,000 July 5.50 calls were bought for $0.22. The investor sold a matching number of July 6.50 calls...
Chart of the Day: Is it Prime Time for Amazon.com?
Amazon.com has retraced almost all of its pandemic gains. Is this an opportunity for buyers? Let's consider some chart patterns. First is the $101.79 level (split adjusted). It was a peak in July 2019 and a breakout area immediately before the coronavirus selloff in...
Recession Fears Swelled Last Week. Is That Good News for the Nasdaq?
Stocks fell again last week as recession worries increased, but there could be some positives as the second half begins. The S&P 500 fell 2.2 percent between Friday, June 24, and Friday, July 1. The decline finished another negative quarter, however a bigger story...
Every Tech Company in the S&P 500 Fell Last Quarter — Except July’s Mystery Stock
The technology sector just had its worst quarter in 14 years. Every member declined in the period -- except for July's mystery stock. The SPDR Technology Sector ETF (XLK) fell 20 percent between March 31 and June 30 -- its worst quarterly performance since late 2008....
AMD Was the Busiest Symbol at TradeStation for the Fifth Straight Month
Advanced Micro Devices made new lows in June, but it remained the most actively traded symbol at TradeStation Securities for the fifth straight month. AMD declined as investors shunned economically sensitive semiconductor stocks. It's lost more than half its value...
Technical Analysis: Discount Retailer Holds Gains as the Broader Market Tanks
The broader market has been super volatile lately, which makes the tranquil behavior of one retailer interesting: Dollar Tree. Notice how the discounter plunged on May 18 after Target's (TGT) poor quarterly results. Also notice how quickly it rebounded after its own...
Options Alert: Is this Airline Headed to a New 52-Week Low?
American Airlines has been losing altitude for the last two months, and now an options trader is looking for new 52-week lows. Check out this transaction in the carrier yesterday afternoon: A block of 9,947 July 13.50 puts was purchased for $0.64.An equal number of...
Nasdaq and Tech Are Stabilizing as Investors Prepare for Earnings Season
Growth stocks and the Nasdaq-100 could be attempting a turn after six months of steady declines. The technology-heavy index rose 4.7 percent in the holiday-shortened week between Friday, July 1, and Friday, July 8. In absolute terms, the gain was smaller than two...
Trend Following: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Pullback
Everybody talks about buying the pullback, but sometimes it's easier said than done. Fortunately, TradeStation's desktop and web platforms include several tools for investors looking to follow trends. This information-packed educational video demonstrates how...
Call Volume Spikes in Nikola Before Shareholder Vote
After a big slide, one big options trader is looking for a rebound in Nikola. Large blocks of calls changed hands yesterday in the electric-truck developer. A block of 40,000 July 5.50 calls were bought for $0.22. The investor sold a matching number of July 6.50 calls...
Chart of the Day: Is it Prime Time for Amazon.com?
Amazon.com has retraced almost all of its pandemic gains. Is this an opportunity for buyers? Let's consider some chart patterns. First is the $101.79 level (split adjusted). It was a peak in July 2019 and a breakout area immediately before the coronavirus selloff in...
Recession Fears Swelled Last Week. Is That Good News for the Nasdaq?
Stocks fell again last week as recession worries increased, but there could be some positives as the second half begins. The S&P 500 fell 2.2 percent between Friday, June 24, and Friday, July 1. The decline finished another negative quarter, however a bigger story...
Every Tech Company in the S&P 500 Fell Last Quarter — Except July’s Mystery Stock
The technology sector just had its worst quarter in 14 years. Every member declined in the period -- except for July's mystery stock. The SPDR Technology Sector ETF (XLK) fell 20 percent between March 31 and June 30 -- its worst quarterly performance since late 2008....
AMD Was the Busiest Symbol at TradeStation for the Fifth Straight Month
Advanced Micro Devices made new lows in June, but it remained the most actively traded symbol at TradeStation Securities for the fifth straight month. AMD declined as investors shunned economically sensitive semiconductor stocks. It's lost more than half its value...
Technical Analysis: Discount Retailer Holds Gains as the Broader Market Tanks
The broader market has been super volatile lately, which makes the tranquil behavior of one retailer interesting: Dollar Tree. Notice how the discounter plunged on May 18 after Target's (TGT) poor quarterly results. Also notice how quickly it rebounded after its own...
Options Alert: Is this Airline Headed to a New 52-Week Low?
American Airlines has been losing altitude for the last two months, and now an options trader is looking for new 52-week lows. Check out this transaction in the carrier yesterday afternoon: A block of 9,947 July 13.50 puts was purchased for $0.64.An equal number of...
Energy Charts Are Challenging Key Levels as Forecasters Predict More Price Gains
Two key energy charts are challenging important levels as investors and analysts look for prices to keep rising. First is the weekly price of CME's WTI Crude Oil Futures (@CL), which recently approached $85.50. That was near a peak from October 2018, which at the time...
Stocks Just Had Their Best Month in a Year as Strong Earnings Drive Away the Bears
Stocks just finished their best month in a year as strong quarterly results melted a bubble of extreme negativity. The S&P 500 finished October up 6.9 percent at a new all-time high. It was the biggest monthly gain since November 2020, with over three-quarters of...
Facebook, Amazon.com Miss, Apple Struggles with Supply Chain, Microsoft Jumps: Earnings This Week
Quarterly results from Apple, Amazon.com and Facebook came up short this week, but Microsoft and Alphabet jumped to new highs. It was the busiest period of earnings season, with five of the market's six biggest companies issuing numbers. (Tesla was last week.) Most...
Margins, Pricing, Demand: The Stars Line Up for Automakers as Tesla Joins the ‘Big Three’
If there's one message from this month's earnings reports, it could be that "automakers are back." A powerful combination of forces seems to be lining up for companies like Tesla (TSLA), General Motors (GM) and Ford Motor (GM): Tight supply and broad demandImproving...
Megacaps Report This Week, But Small Caps Could Be Nearing a Breakout
Giant Nasdaq stocks like Apple and Amazon.com report earnings this week, but another corner of the market could deserve some attention. The Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) has made a series of higher lows since mid-August. Some chart watchers may consider that a bullish...
Technical Analysis: This Data Storage Company Is Breaking Its Downtrend
Seagate Technology has spent the last five months pulling back. But now it may be turning around. The main pattern on today's chart is the descending trendline that started in May and ran along the peaks of August and September. Notice how STX closed above that line...
Stocks Bounced Last Week, But Can They Overcome These Two Risks?
Stocks bounced again last week, but two potential risks may challenge investors. The S&P 500 rose 1.6 percent between Friday, October 15, and Friday, October 22. It was the third straight weekly gain following a sharp drop earlier in the month. The rebound brought...
Tesla and the VIX: Two Big Numbers Reached in Today’s Session
Tesla and Cboe's volatility index -- the "fear gauge" -- closed at two important levels today. First, Elon Musk's electric-car maker ended the session at $893. That's slightly below the all-time record of $900.40 early this year. However it was the highest closing...
Energy and Financials Are Crushing Technology as Reopening Accelerates into the Holidays
The reopening trade is back with vengeance, with investors shifting to energy and financials as coronavirus infections plummet into yearend. The SPDR Energy Fund (XLE) has gained 20 percent since the market peaked on September 2. Financials (XLF) are up 5 percent over...