Market Insights
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New Highs Continue in the Stock Market as AI Boom Widens
Stocks keep rallying as investors look for the AI boom to drive earnings and the broader economy. The S&P 500 rose 0.9 percent between Friday, February 23, and Friday, March 1. The index closed above 5,100 for the first time. Technology led the advance. "We have...
Another Record for Stocks in February on Earnings, Economic Growth
Stocks just rose for the fourth straight month, powered by strong earnings and economic growth. The S&P 500 climbed 5.2 percent between December 31 and February 29. Two-thirds of the index's members advanced, along with every major sector. The Nasdaq-100 rose 5.2...
Breadth Widens as Optimism Spreads: 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 Remains in tight uptrend with few bearish signals Breadth widens: Advance / Decline line, new 52-week highs...
Chart of the Day: Caterpillar Could Be Holding an Uptrend
Caterpillar broke out to new highs a month ago, and now some traders may think an uptrend is in place. The first pattern on today’s chart is the close on January 25. It was slightly above ... For more, please click here to view the related idea and chart analysis...
1995 All Over Again? How Today’s Market Compares With History
The past year has seen dramatic changes in investor expectations. We started worrying about inflation, survived a banking crisis and witnessed a tech boom in AI stocks. Another interest-rate panic followed in late summer, but it soon morphed into a surprising bullish...
Nvidia’s AI Surge Lifts Stocks as Market Breadth Widens
Nvidia and the AI boom keep driving stocks to new highs. Still, a long-awaited shift toward smaller companies may be starting. The S&P 500 rose 1.7 percent in the holiday-shortened week between Friday, February 16, and Friday, February 23. The index also crossed...
Range Could Be Forming After Big Events: 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 Index is potentially forming range between 4918 and 5030 Rising trend line potentially broken Shooting star on...
Stocks Pause as Earnings Pass and Inflation Rises
Stocks just paused as a blistering earnings season nears its conclusion. The S&P 500 slid 0.4 percent between Friday, February 2, and Friday, February 9. It was only the second decline in the last 16 weeks, according to TradeStation data. Technology led to the...
Chart of the Day: Will Goldman Sachs Get Going?
Goldman Sachs has gone nowhere for two months, but some traders may look for that to change. The first pattern on today’s chart is the $374 level. It was a weekly closing price from January 2023 that GS remained below through late December. The stock rallied above it...
New Highs Continue in the Stock Market as AI Boom Widens
Stocks keep rallying as investors look for the AI boom to drive earnings and the broader economy. The S&P 500 rose 0.9 percent between Friday, February 23, and Friday, March 1. The index closed above 5,100 for the first time. Technology led the advance. "We have...
Another Record for Stocks in February on Earnings, Economic Growth
Stocks just rose for the fourth straight month, powered by strong earnings and economic growth. The S&P 500 climbed 5.2 percent between December 31 and February 29. Two-thirds of the index's members advanced, along with every major sector. The Nasdaq-100 rose 5.2...
Breadth Widens as Optimism Spreads: 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 Remains in tight uptrend with few bearish signals Breadth widens: Advance / Decline line, new 52-week highs...
Chart of the Day: Caterpillar Could Be Holding an Uptrend
Caterpillar broke out to new highs a month ago, and now some traders may think an uptrend is in place. The first pattern on today’s chart is the close on January 25. It was slightly above ... For more, please click here to view the related idea and chart analysis...
1995 All Over Again? How Today’s Market Compares With History
The past year has seen dramatic changes in investor expectations. We started worrying about inflation, survived a banking crisis and witnessed a tech boom in AI stocks. Another interest-rate panic followed in late summer, but it soon morphed into a surprising bullish...
Nvidia’s AI Surge Lifts Stocks as Market Breadth Widens
Nvidia and the AI boom keep driving stocks to new highs. Still, a long-awaited shift toward smaller companies may be starting. The S&P 500 rose 1.7 percent in the holiday-shortened week between Friday, February 16, and Friday, February 23. The index also crossed...
Range Could Be Forming After Big Events: 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 Index is potentially forming range between 4918 and 5030 Rising trend line potentially broken Shooting star on...
Stocks Pause as Earnings Pass and Inflation Rises
Stocks just paused as a blistering earnings season nears its conclusion. The S&P 500 slid 0.4 percent between Friday, February 2, and Friday, February 9. It was only the second decline in the last 16 weeks, according to TradeStation data. Technology led to the...
Chart of the Day: Will Goldman Sachs Get Going?
Goldman Sachs has gone nowhere for two months, but some traders may look for that to change. The first pattern on today’s chart is the $374 level. It was a weekly closing price from January 2023 that GS remained below through late December. The stock rallied above it...
Megacaps Lag as Stocks Keep Rising. Has the Great Rotation Begun?
Money is streaming into abandoned corners of the stock market as yearend approaches. Are investors finally shifting away from megacap growth names like Apple and Microsoft? The S&P 500 rose 0.8 percent between Friday, November 24, and Friday, December 1. It was...
Stocks Jumped in November as Sentiment Quickly Turned Bullish
Stocks ripped higher in November as extreme pessimism morphed into confidence about interest rates and inflation. The S&P 500 surged 8.9 percent between October 31 and November 30, its biggest monthly gain since July 2022. The index is back near peaks from the...
Nvidia Is Sitting Quietly After Another Strong Report
Nvidia is the only member of the S&P 500 that's tripled this year. Now it's stuck near record highs as traders enter the home stretch into 2024. This chart highlights some a few patterns on the semiconductor giant. First, notice how prices have shown signs of...
Confidence or Complacency? Fear Index Returns to Pre-Covid Levels
Stocks continued their winning streak last week as the market sees a potential return to normal following years of turmoil. The S&P 500 rose 1 percent in the Thanksgiving-shortened period between Friday, November 17, and Friday, November 24. It was the fourth...
The Nasdaq Pushes Weekly Highs. Are Rate Cuts in the Cards?
Stocks are nearing key highs on optimism the Federal Reserve is finished raising interest rates. The S&P 500 rose 2.2 percent between Friday, November 10, and Friday, November 17. It was the third consecutive positive week, landing the index back near peaks from...
Chart of the Day: Lululemon Could Be Running
Lululemon spent more than half of 2023 in a range, but now it could be starting to run. The first pattern on today’s chart is the bullish gap after LULU was added to the S&P 500 last month. The stock pulled back in late October, made a higher low and proceeded to...
Did Stocks Just Break Out? Here Are Key Facts as Inflation Cools
Higher inflation sank stocks into a bear market early last year. Now slowing inflation may be setting the market up for a return to new highs. The S&P 500 jumped 1.9 percent yesterday. But perhaps more important, the index broke a falling trendline from the...
Nasdaq Powers to 3-Month High as Fears Keep Dissolving
Big growth stocks are continuing their rebound as fears dissolve and investors put money to work before yearend. The S&P 500 rose 1.3 percent between Friday, November 3, and Friday, November 10. The index was little changed for most of the week before clawing...
Stocks Jump as Evidence Mounts That the Fed Is Done Hiking Rates
Stocks just exploded higher on hopes that the Federal Reserve is done hiking interest rates. The S&P 500 rose 5.9 percent between Friday, October 27, and Friday, November 3. It was the biggest weekly gain since last November. About 94 percent of the index's...
Options Alert: Call Volume Swells in Apple as IPhone 14 Hits the Market
The options activity may be turning bullish in Apple as the smart-phone giant rolls out the iPhone 14. Some 1.1 million call contracts traded in AAPL yesterday. That was the most since the earnings came out in late July, according to TradeStation data. Our analytics...
Options Alert: Call Buyers Target Plug Power After Amazon.com Deal
Options traders are buying the pullback in Plug Power, two weeks after a key deal with Amazon.com. Unusual activity in the provider of hydrogen-fuel technology began less than five minutes after Wednesday's opening bell. Traders initially purchased the 9-September...
Next Week Mover? Options Trader Targets Quicker Upside in Lottery and Gambling Stock
International Game Technology jumped on strong results, and one options trader is looking for the move to continue next week. Check out this morning's unusual activity in the provider of lotteries and casino machines: 15,000 October 21 calls were sold for $2.73.An...
Options Alert: Big Investor Adjusts Upside Trade In Ford Motor
Ford Motor has jumped as its business roars back to life, and one options trader is giving the automaker more room to run. Check out this unusual options activity in F this morning: Some 20,000 August 16 calls were purchased for $0.25 against open interest of 68,700...
Options Alert: Mega Call Spreads Target Historic Level in Brazilian Energy Stock
For the second session in a row, options traders targeted a key level in South American oil driller Petrobras. Check out this large bullish call spread Monday in Rio De Janeiro-based PBR: A block of 40,000 January 14 calls was purchased for $0.50. An equal number of...
Options Alert: Traders Hedge Bets in Volatile Sports Wagering Stock
Someone could be hedging their bets in sport-betting stock DraftKings (DKNG). Check out this options activity yesterday morning: A trader purchased 27,000 October 10 puts for $0.94.At the same time, he or she sold 27,000 October 15 calls for $1.59. There was no open...
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...
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...
Options Alert: Giant Trade Thinks Automaker Is Stuck In Neutral
Traders usually buy options to position for a stock moving, but just the opposite happened in the No. 2 U.S. automaker yesterday. Check out this activity in Ford Motor (F): An investor sold 83,000 29-July 12 puts for $1.06.At the same time, he or she sold an equal...
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...
Bulls May Be Coming Back to Energy as Global Economy Reopens
Energy stocks jumped yesterday as inventories tightened and traders looked for demand to increase. The SPDR Energy ETF (XLE) rose 2.8 percent, its biggest one-day gain in six weeks. Crude oil futures also leaped almost 5 percent. The Energy Department reported that...
Crypto Futures Are in Contango, Creating Potential Opportunities for Savvy Traders
Cryptocurrencies may be new financial assets. But that's not keeping some savvy traders from using one of the oldest strategies in the book: "cash and carry" income plays. Bitcoin futures currently trade at a premium to the underlying price. For instance, CME's June...
Chinese Stocks Are Crashing. Here’s Why It Could Be Good Luck for U.S. Investors
Most investors know that big Nasdaq stocks have struggled lately. They may be less aware of the carnage in Chinese markets. The iShares China Large-Cap ETF (FXI) has dropped 8 percent so far in March. That puts it on pace for the worst month in the last year. It also...
Reuters: Hedge Funds Expect Crude Oil Rally
Are hedge funds bullish on crude-oil again? Reuters thinks so, according to a report yesterday. An article titled "Hedge funds bet on oil's 'big comeback' after pandemic hobbles producers" says fossil-fuel production is expected to rebound slowly after coronavirus....
Ethereum Futures Launch Next Week as No. 2 Cryptocurrency Goes Increasingly Mainstream
Ethereum hit record highs yesterday as crypto investors prepare for futures contracts and other products. ETHUSD, the second biggest cryptocurrency by market cap, passed $1,500 for the first time on Tuesday. Unlike larger peer Bitcoin (BTCUSD), which broke its 2017...
Market Pulse: Energy Hasn’t Done This Since the Pandemic
Energy is the top performing sector this year by a wide margin. The SPDR Energy ETF (XLE) has advanced 13 percent so far in 2021, compared with a 0.3 percent gain for the S&P 500. Hopes about the economy reopening and a rebound in China are obviously parts of the...
‘Lower for Longer’ Is the New Mantra at the Federal Reserve
The Federal Reserve meets today, with markets expecting its low-rate policy to continue. Last month, Chairman Jerome Powell gave a major speech at the central bank's annual conference. The big change was a willingness to accept higher inflation in the short term. That...
Here’s Your Ultimate Guide to Trading the Weak Dollar
A perfect storm of forces is lining up against the U.S. dollar. Here are some key things for investors to know. First, even if you don’t trade currencies (and most people don't), they can have a big influence on the stock market. Moves in the foreign-exchange markets...
Trade QQQ? The Nasdaq Just Had its Worst Quarter in a Decade, by This Measure
The Nasdaq-100 went from an amazing year in 2020 to its worst quarter in a decade, compared with the rest of the stock market. The technology heavy index, home to trillion-dollar giants like Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT), rose just 1.6 percent between the end of...
Bitcoin Regains Trillion Dollar Status as the ETF Story Keeps Developing
A Bitcoin ETF. It hasn't happened yet, but the story won't go away. Grayscale Investments announced yesterday it wants to hire nine employees with expertise in exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The posts included a compliance officer and a specialist in creating and...
Tesla Causes QQQ’s Worst Showing in a Generation: This Chart Shows the Dramatic Shift Taking Place
The rotation away from large Nasdaq stocks like Tesla has intensified, resulting in the market's biggest divergence since the dotcom bubble broke a generation ago. Here's a weekly chart of the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ). The lower study shows its relative strength versus...
Industrial Stocks Are Breaking Out as the Economy Roars Back from Coronavirus
Industrial stocks are breaking out as the strengthening economy draws capital away from large technology stocks like Apple and Amazon.com. The SPDR Industrial ETF (XLI) set a new all-time closing high on Friday, while the SPDR Technology ETF (XLK) slid for a third...
What Are Value Stocks? Why Are They Suddenly Important?
Value stocks are surging in 2021 as the market positions for the economy to rebound. It's a big change from recent years, when so-called growth stocks like Apple and Facebook dominated. Retail investors with less experience may be struggling to adjust because they're...
The S&P 500’s Channel Is at Risk: Chart Study
Two weeks ago, we highlighted some potential topping patterns on the S&P 500 . It's played out as expected, and now attention turns to the price channel highlighted in that idea. Notice how prices ranged from the bottom to the top of the channel since November,...
Tesla Is Lagging as ‘Old Economy’ Stocks Make a Comeback
Tesla is probably the most prominent stock in the last 12-18 months, surging about 2,000 percent from its peak to trough. But now it may be at risk as sentiment pivots from "new economy" stocks to "old economy" stocks. The chart in this study compares TSLA’s relative...
Financial ETF Is Attempting a Historic Breakout as Interest Rates Rise
The SPDR Financial ETF quietly did something historic last week: It closed at the highest price ever. This is a big deal because XLF has been trapped at resistance running back to 2007 (before the subprime crisis). It was trying to break the old highs around $31...
Volatility Closes at Post-Covid Low as Confidence Sweeps the Market
The "fear index" just broke 20 for the first time in almost a year. It was one of several milestones suggesting the market sees further recovery from last year's coronavirus pandemic. Cboe's volatility index fell 0.9 point this week to 19.97. It was the lower close on...