Market Insights
Bringing you the trading news around the world.
Stories
Stocks Break Out as Cyclicals Rally: Market Trends This Week
Downloads are available here. TradeStation’s ideas on TradingView are available here. The next Market Trends will be Thursday, April 4. Register for Market Trends here. Sizing Up the S&P 500 S&P 500 closes at record high above 5200 Advance / decline...
Is Inflation Making a Comeback as the Fed Looks to Cut Interest Rates?
The stock market has been optimistic about inflation since late 2023, but price pressures may be returning as the Federal Reserve considers interest-rate cuts. The price of energy, shelter and materials have quietly risen in the last month. The increases follow months...
Stocks Hesitate as Inflation Returns Before the Fed
Stocks could be hesitating before a key Federal Reserve announcement on Wednesday. The S&P 500 slid 0.1 percent between Friday, March 8, and Friday, March 15. The index has lost value for two consecutive weeks, which hadn't happened since the current rally began...
Energy, Metals Jump as Traders Pivot from Chips: 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 maintains steady uptrend as breadth improves and rate of change stays positive Potential...
Chart of the Day: Nvidia and the Midcap Breakout
Megacap growth stocks like Nvidia have outperformed for years. But traders looking for the trend to change may see more evidence of a shift. Today’s idea considers three charts. The first shows how NVDA rallied 93 percent this year above its previous record high. It...
Stocks Churn Near Highs as Markets Look for June Rate Cut
Stocks keep making new highs as investors feel more confident about inflation and interest rates. The S&P 500 traded above 5150 for the first time, but inched lower to end last week down 0.3 percent. The Nasdaq-100 traded similarly, with chip stocks like Nvidia...
Range Potentially Forms as New Month Begins: 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 Potential short-term range on S&P 500: 5057: 2/27 low 5127: 3/4 low of 5127 Potential "shooting star" on...
Chart of the Day: Royal Caribbean May Be Attempting a Breakout
Royal Caribbean Cruises has spent more than two months consolidating, but it may be getting ready to move again. The first pattern on today’s chart is the trendline along the closes of December 28 and January 31. RCL ended yesterday above it, which could make some...
Troubled Trio? Why These Megacaps Are Faltering in 2024
The stock market is off to a roaring start in 2024, but three former leaders might be left behind. Apple (AAPL), Tesla (TSLA) and Alphabet (GOOGL) have dropped in recent weeks as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 rallied to new highs. They're now below chart levels that...
Stocks Break Out as Cyclicals Rally: Market Trends This Week
Downloads are available here. TradeStation’s ideas on TradingView are available here. The next Market Trends will be Thursday, April 4. Register for Market Trends here. Sizing Up the S&P 500 S&P 500 closes at record high above 5200 Advance / decline...
Is Inflation Making a Comeback as the Fed Looks to Cut Interest Rates?
The stock market has been optimistic about inflation since late 2023, but price pressures may be returning as the Federal Reserve considers interest-rate cuts. The price of energy, shelter and materials have quietly risen in the last month. The increases follow months...
Stocks Hesitate as Inflation Returns Before the Fed
Stocks could be hesitating before a key Federal Reserve announcement on Wednesday. The S&P 500 slid 0.1 percent between Friday, March 8, and Friday, March 15. The index has lost value for two consecutive weeks, which hadn't happened since the current rally began...
Energy, Metals Jump as Traders Pivot from Chips: 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 maintains steady uptrend as breadth improves and rate of change stays positive Potential...
Chart of the Day: Nvidia and the Midcap Breakout
Megacap growth stocks like Nvidia have outperformed for years. But traders looking for the trend to change may see more evidence of a shift. Today’s idea considers three charts. The first shows how NVDA rallied 93 percent this year above its previous record high. It...
Stocks Churn Near Highs as Markets Look for June Rate Cut
Stocks keep making new highs as investors feel more confident about inflation and interest rates. The S&P 500 traded above 5150 for the first time, but inched lower to end last week down 0.3 percent. The Nasdaq-100 traded similarly, with chip stocks like Nvidia...
Range Potentially Forms as New Month Begins: 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 Potential short-term range on S&P 500: 5057: 2/27 low 5127: 3/4 low of 5127 Potential "shooting star" on...
Chart of the Day: Royal Caribbean May Be Attempting a Breakout
Royal Caribbean Cruises has spent more than two months consolidating, but it may be getting ready to move again. The first pattern on today’s chart is the trendline along the closes of December 28 and January 31. RCL ended yesterday above it, which could make some...
Troubled Trio? Why These Megacaps Are Faltering in 2024
The stock market is off to a roaring start in 2024, but three former leaders might be left behind. Apple (AAPL), Tesla (TSLA) and Alphabet (GOOGL) have dropped in recent weeks as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 rallied to new highs. They're now below chart levels that...
Stocks Pause Near Record Highs Before Inflation, Earnings
Stocks are pulling back as traders wait for key inflation data and the start of earnings season. The S&P 500 fell 1.5 percent in the holiday-shortened period between Friday, December 29, and Friday, January 5. It was the first drop in 10 weeks, ending the index's...
Tech, Housing, Inflation: Stock Market Trends To Watch in the New Year
The New Year begins with increased confidence that inflation and interest rates have peaked. What will that mean for the market? Here are some potential outcomes based on recent trends. New Growth Stocks May Go Mainstream The period after 2017 saw a flurry of initial...
What Is Event Risk? Why Does It Matter? How Can it Be Managed?
Investors face several kinds of risk in the stock market. Today we'll consider one of the most common: event risk. While some events are unexpected, many are known. Stocks often move around certain occurrences, like earnings reports, Federal Reserve meetings or...
The Other Shoe Never Dropped: 2023 In Review
The stock market is riding big gains as Wall Street enters the final week of 2023. If there's any way to explain the year, it might be that the "other shoe never dropped." After all, 2023 began on a grim note as investors worried higher interest rates would cause a...
Chart of the Day: Tight Price Action in Microsoft
Microsoft has paused this month as the Nasdaq-100 climbs to new highs. However, some chart watchers could look for the software giant to come off the sidelines. The first pattern on today’s chart is the December 1 close of $374.51, which became resistance. A daily...
‘Inflation Has Eased.’ Stocks Near Highs as Fed Signals Rate Cuts
Stocks are clawing toward record levels after the Federal Reserve confirmed hopes of a soft landing. The S&P 500 rose 2.5 percent between Friday, December 8, and Friday, December 15. The index has advanced for seven straight weeks and is just 2 percent below its...
Chart of the Day: Potential Uptrend in DraftKings
DraftKings spent four months digesting a strong first half. Now after a rally and pullback, traders may see more upside in the sports-betting stock. The first pattern on today's chart is the August peak of $34.49. Strong earnings propelled DKNG through that level in...
This Industry Just Broke Out. Will the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Follow?
Stocks could be attempting a breakout as confidence continues to spread. The S&P 500, Nasdaq-100 and Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed fractionally between Friday, December 1, and Friday, December 8. All three had their highest daily and weekly closes in over a...
Chart of the Day: More Downside in Energy ETF?
Energy was the only the only major sector to fall last month. Is there more downside risk? The first pattern on today's chart of the SPDR Select Sector Energy Fund is the November 6 close of $85.70. XLE ... For more, please click here to view the...
The Basics of Options
Options are an important tool for many retail investors. They can either replace trading shares, or make it easier to position oneself in stocks. Let's consider the first things options traders need to know. An Option's Price Is Usually Called 'Premium' There are some...
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...
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...
One Bearish Story After Another Seems to Be Hitting Crude Oil
Editor's note: This article was originally published on January 22, 2020. Energy may be resuming its downtrend as one bearish story after another piles up. Crude oil futures (@CL) are down for the third straight week. That's the longest losing streak since they last...
Options Alert: Can DoorDash Keep Delivering for the Bulls?
DoorDash jumped earlier in the week, and one big options trader seems to think the move will continue. Check out this large transaction in the food-delivery company: 25,000 December 35 calls were sold for $22.10.35,000 February 45 calls were purchased at almost the...
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...
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...
Historic Turmoil Slams Credit Suisse. Here Are the Key Facts
Credit Suisse has taken a wild ride as investors worry about the iconic European lender. The Zurich-based investment bank's U.S.-listed shares began the week by knifing to a record low of $3.71, 75 percent below their February high. They quickly reversed and rallied...
Technical Analysis: Is Copper Squeezing Toward a Breakout?
Copper had a dramatic run coming out of the pandemic, more than doubling between March 2020 and May 2021. Now, after a period of consolidation, it may be ready for more upside. First consider the ascending triangle that’s formed with a top around $4.35. It’s currently...
CME Launches Micro Crude Oil Futures With Energy Challenging Multiyear Highs
Investors just got a new tool for trading energy as prices surge: micro contracts on CME's Group's WTI crude oil futures. The new product began trading last night under the symbol root "MCL." It will represent 100 barrels of crude oil, one-tenth the standard WTI...
Eurex Micro Futures Are Now Available on TradeStation
You don't have to fly to Frankfurt this summer to trade the European markets. Eurex has recently introduced new micro futures contracts on major international benchmarks like the German Dax and Euro STOXX 50 index. The new Eurex products join micros on CME products...
Is Energy’s Long-Term Downtrend Resuming?
Energy stocks have rallied since November, but signs of exhaustion could be appearing. The SPDR Energy ETF (XLE) fell more than 3 percent today and is the market's worst-performing sector fund in the last two weeks. The selling comes despite crude oil prices hitting a...
Bears Could Be Targeting the U.S. Dollar Again. Check Out Today’s Technical Analysis
The U.S. Dollar has been stabilizing all year, but now the bears may be returning to their old hunting ground. Several features have appeared on the greenback's chart, and none of them are bullish . First, consider the rising trendline running from the low of January...
Charting Silver: Is It Groundhog Day for the White Metal?
Silver began a monster rally about a year ago. Now the technicals could be lining up similarly. First, consider how XAGUSD dumped after hitting resistance at its 50-day simple moving average (SMA) in late March. Prices quickly stabilized and then entered a period of...
3 Things to Watch This Week as Stocks Keep Rising With Approval from the Federal Reserve
Stocks and commodities are inflating along with the economy as the dollar crashes and the Federal Reserve cheers the rally. The S&P 500 rose 1.2 percent to close at a new all-time high of 4233. Energy, metals and financials -- potential beneficiaries of higher...
This Currency May Be Getting Ready to Jump as the Greenback Weakens: Technical Analysis
The Australian dollar has squeezed into an increasingly tight range all year. Futures traders may want to be ready in case a breakout occurs. First, Bollinger Bandwidth is near long-term lows on both the daily and weekly charts. This isn’t necessarily bullish, however...
Micro Bitcoin Contracts Are Now Live on TradeStation
Bitcoin futures are 50 times more accessible to TradeStation Securities clients this week, thanks to CME's new Micro futures contracts. CME, the world's biggest derivatives exchange, launched Micro Bitcoin futures last night. The new products will control just 1/10 of...
May Is Bringing a Wave of Good News About the Coronavirus Pandemic
From falling cases to fewer social restrictions, there's all kinds of good news about coronavirus this month. While the pandemic has been easing since winter, several positive trends now appear to be accelerating. It could be especially important as summer begins...
Stocks Crash as Inflation Runs Hot. Has Powell Lost Control?
For months, Jerome Powell told investors not to worry about inflation. Today they started doubting his advice. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this morning that consumer prices rose 4 times faster than expected in April. Much of the surge came from commodities...
Stocks Fell Yesterday, But Did Something Incredibly Bullish By This Measure
Stocks just accomplished something very bullish, despite having their worst day in almost two months. At least 220 members of the S&P 500 hit new 52-week highs, according to TradeStation data. That's the biggest number since the data series began in least 2007....
This Currency May Be Getting Ready to Jump as the Greenback Weakens: Technical Analysis
The Australian dollar has squeezed into an increasingly tight range all year. Futures traders may want to be ready in case a breakout occurs. First, Bollinger Bandwidth is near long-term lows on both the daily and weekly charts. This isn’t necessarily bullish, however...
This Important Candlestick Pattern Just Appeared on the S&P 500: Chart Study
The S&P 500 just finished its third straight winning month. Now there could be signs of weakening as May begins. First, let’s revisit the price channel running along the index all year. SPX has been stuck at the top of that ascending range since the middle of...
The Federal Reserve Meets Next Week. Is a Squeeze Coming in Silver Prices?
Silver made a violent move last summer when it broke a six-year resistance level. Prices have consolidated since but now the bulls may be returning. Notice how XAGUSD probed and held its 200-day moving average in late March and the first half of April. This was the...
Gold Miner ETF May Be Hitting a Bearish Trend Line
Gold miners are one of the worst-performing corners of the market this year. They've bounced recently, creating a potential opportunity for the bears. This chart of the Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX) shows the downward-sloping trendline in place since August....
Small Cap Index Is Holding a Potentially Key Level: Chart Study
The Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) had a strong move coming out of the vaccine news in November. It’s been consolidating for the last two months and now may be ready to continue higher. The main thing jumping out of today's chart is the 50-day moving average. IWM tested it in...
Semiconductors Are Breaking Out. Here Are the Top Stocks For Options Traders
Semiconductor stocks are breaking out amid a global shortage of microchips. Let's take a closer look at an industry that's crushing the market, even with the broader technology sector lagging. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index ($SOX) has risen 18 percent so far...