Market Insights
Bringing you the trading news around the world.
Stories
S&P 500 Holds Channel, Reclaims 5,000: 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 holds recent channel, weekly low from 2/5 Wilder's RSI remains near overbought Prices hold rising...
Stocks Cross Historic Level on Strong Earnings, Economic Data
Stocks continue their advance into record territory as earnings beat estimates and recession fears melt away. The S&P 500 rose 1.4 percent between Friday, February 2, and Friday, February 9. It was the 14th gain in the last 15 weeks, and the fifth consecutive...
S&P 500 in Tight Channel Near 5,000: 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 forming potential ascending channel since mid-January. Making higher lows above previous peak from...
Microsoft and Toyota Break Out as Apple and Tesla Stall
Apple and Tesla have been two of the best performing large stocks for years. But now they may be falling behind two major rivals: Microsoft and Toyota Motor. The charts below demonstrate how AAPL and TSLA remain trapped under recent highs, while MSFT and TM have...
Quadruple Witching Dates for 2024: How Can They Impact Stock and Futures Trading?
What Is Quad Witching? Quadruple witching is an event in financial markets when four different sets of futures and options expire on the same day. Futures and options are derivatives, linked to underlying stock prices. When derivatives expire, traders must close...
Earnings Surprises, Strong Economy Push Stocks to Another Record High
Stocks keep hitting new highs as strong megacap earnings and an accelerating economy draw money from the sidelines. The S&P 500 rose 1.7 percent between Friday, January 26, and Friday, February 2. It was the index's fourth straight positive week, continuing its...
Stocks Dive From Overbought as Fed Downplays March: 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 Index -1.6% yesterday, biggest drop since September 21. Potential levels: 4800 (weekly peaks in December,...
Is Good News Priced In For Now? January Ends On a Weak Note
Stocks rose for a third straight month in January, but some investors may worry most of the good news is priced in for now. The S&P 500 advanced 1.6 percent between December 29 and January 31. At one point it was up as much as 3.4 percent, but fell sharply to end...
Netflix Leads Market to New Highs Before Fed Meeting
The stock market set a new record last week, led by communication companies like Netflix, Comcast and Alphabet. The S&P 500 rose 1.1 percent between Friday, January 19, and Friday, January 26. It was the third straight positive week, bringing the index above 4900...
S&P 500 Holds Channel, Reclaims 5,000: 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 holds recent channel, weekly low from 2/5 Wilder's RSI remains near overbought Prices hold rising...
Stocks Cross Historic Level on Strong Earnings, Economic Data
Stocks continue their advance into record territory as earnings beat estimates and recession fears melt away. The S&P 500 rose 1.4 percent between Friday, February 2, and Friday, February 9. It was the 14th gain in the last 15 weeks, and the fifth consecutive...
S&P 500 in Tight Channel Near 5,000: 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 forming potential ascending channel since mid-January. Making higher lows above previous peak from...
Microsoft and Toyota Break Out as Apple and Tesla Stall
Apple and Tesla have been two of the best performing large stocks for years. But now they may be falling behind two major rivals: Microsoft and Toyota Motor. The charts below demonstrate how AAPL and TSLA remain trapped under recent highs, while MSFT and TM have...
Quadruple Witching Dates for 2024: How Can They Impact Stock and Futures Trading?
What Is Quad Witching? Quadruple witching is an event in financial markets when four different sets of futures and options expire on the same day. Futures and options are derivatives, linked to underlying stock prices. When derivatives expire, traders must close...
Earnings Surprises, Strong Economy Push Stocks to Another Record High
Stocks keep hitting new highs as strong megacap earnings and an accelerating economy draw money from the sidelines. The S&P 500 rose 1.7 percent between Friday, January 26, and Friday, February 2. It was the index's fourth straight positive week, continuing its...
Stocks Dive From Overbought as Fed Downplays March: 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 Index -1.6% yesterday, biggest drop since September 21. Potential levels: 4800 (weekly peaks in December,...
Is Good News Priced In For Now? January Ends On a Weak Note
Stocks rose for a third straight month in January, but some investors may worry most of the good news is priced in for now. The S&P 500 advanced 1.6 percent between December 29 and January 31. At one point it was up as much as 3.4 percent, but fell sharply to end...
Netflix Leads Market to New Highs Before Fed Meeting
The stock market set a new record last week, led by communication companies like Netflix, Comcast and Alphabet. The S&P 500 rose 1.1 percent between Friday, January 19, and Friday, January 26. It was the third straight positive week, bringing the index above 4900...
Can Stocks Rebound From The Longest Losing Streak Since 2020?
Negativity is plaguing the stock market as investors brace for today's Federal Reserve meeting. The S&P 500 fell 2 percent in October, returning to price levels from mid-May. The index has declined for three straight months, its longest losing streak since the...
Chart of the Day: Netflix Consolidates After Earnings Surge
Netflix jumped earlier this month after announcing results. It's now consolidating, and some traders may see potential for more upside. The first pattern on today's chart is the bullish gap on October 19 following the quarterly report. Prices cleared a peak of $394.90...
Earnings Have Been Decent, But the Market Has Other Worries
Earnings season is off to a decent start as key themes like Artificial Intelligence boost technology results. But other issues are weighing on the market. Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon.com (AMZN), Alphabet (GOOGL) and Meta Platforms (META) all beat estimates. But they...
Chart of the Day: CrowdStrike Pulls Back
CrowdStrike has been making new 52-week highs as the broader market languishes. Now after a quick pullback, some traders may look for the cybersecurity stock to continue higher. The first pattern on today’s chart is the bullish gap on August 31 after results and...
Higher Rates, Geopolitical Risks Keep Stocks Under Pressure
Stocks face continued pressure as interest rates rise and geopolitical risks mount. The S&P 500 fell 2.4 percent between Friday, October 13, and Friday, October 20. The index ended the week at its lowest level since June 1, erasing all its gains since Congress...
Oil’s Fundamentals Could Be Weakening After a Big Surge
Energy stocks and crude oil were among the market's best performers in the third quarter, but fundamentals may be weakening. The sector started climbing in late June as Energy Department data showed crude-oil inventories remaining near long-term lows. The Strategic...
Stocks Try to Bounce as Yields Fall But Global Risks Increase
Stocks are trying to bounce as investors weigh potential positives against rising global risks. The S&P 500 rose 0.4 percent between Friday, October 6, and Friday, October 13. It was the index's second straight positive week as the fourth quarter gets underway....
Stocks Rebounded Last Week as Investors Put Rate Fears Behind Them
Stocks clawed higher last week as investors stopped worrying about high interest rates. The S&P 500 rose 0.5 percent between Friday, September 29, and Friday, October 6. At one point the index was down 1.7 percent, but it rallied sharply on Friday after...
Higher Rates Just Gave Stocks Their Worst Month of The Year
Stocks pulled back hard in September as interest rates and oil prices soared. The S&P 500 dropped 4.9 percent last month, its biggest decline since December 2022. About 85 percent of the index's members lost value. Similar to August, energy was the only positive...
Options Traders Are Hedging After FedEx’s Historic Move
Big things are happening at FedEx, and one options trader is hedging against a small pullback. A block of 1,280 June 235 puts were purchased yesterday in the delivery company for $3.99. A matching number of June 225 puts were sold at the same time for $1.25, resulting...
Bulls in the China Shop? Call Buyers Just Piled Into Alibaba
Most stocks have been under pressure lately, but there could be bulls in the China shop. E-commerce giant Alibaba (BABA) surged 15 percent to $119.62 despite the S&P 500 sinking more than 1 percent. The rally landed BABA at its highest closing price since February...
Can Marathon Oil Keep Running? At Least One Options Trader Thinks It Can
Marathon Oil is one of the top-performing stocks this year, and one big options trader is looking for the run to continue. Check out this large transaction yesterday in the Houston-based exploration and production company: Some 13,874 July 26 calls were sold for...
Options Alert: Bears Are Targeting a 30-Year Low in the Top Cruise Operator
Travel stocks like cruise ships have accelerated lower in the past month, and yesterday the options flow turned bearish in the biggest operator. Carnival (CCL) was especially active, with more than 126,000 puts changing hands. That was triple the average in the last...
Options Alert: Twitter Traders Break Records as Elon Musk Fuels Historic Rally
Twitter leaped yesterday after Elon Musk revealed a giant stake in the social-media company. The news also triggered historic options volume. More than 1.5 million calls and puts changed hands in TWTR on Monday, according to TradeStation data. That was 346,000...
July Breakout? Options Trader Extends Bullish Position in This Major Hotel Operator
Hotel stocks have consolidated since the winter, and yesterday an options trader extended their stay in one of the biggest names. Check out this large transaction in Hilton Worldwide (HLT): A block of 25,000 April 115 calls was sold for $38.28.An equal number of July...
Options Alert: Call Buyer Gives Chinese Tech Stock More Time for a Potential Move
Chinese technology stocks jumped last week, and one big options trader is targeting a former high flier. Check out this unusual options activity in Shanghai-based e-commerce company Pinduoduo (PDD): A block of 15,000 April 50 calls was sold for $1.67 against open...
After Getting Cut in Half, An Options Trader Thinks this Social Media Giant May Have Bottomed
Social-media giant Meta Platforms has gotten cut in half, and now one big investor seems to think it will stabilize. Check out the unusual options activity detected in the company formerly known as Facebook (FB) yesterday: A trader sold 16,500 8-April 200 puts for...
Bullish Call Volume Was Just Detected in This High Flying Coal Miner
Coal miners have surged as the Ukraine crisis boosts energy prices, and options traders are active in a key name. Check out this large transaction in Peabody Energy (BTU), the world's largest private-sector coal miner: Some 7,500 December 25 calls were sold for an...
All of a Sudden, Investors Are Waking Up to Global Stocks
The U.S. dollar is under pressure, spurring interest in a whole new universe of stocks and commodities. The iShares China Large Cap ETF (FXI) flew 9.5 percent on Monday, its biggest rally in more than a decade. KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF (KWEB) also rose more...
Swift Rotation into Big Cap Tech, as Russell Support Nears
Since the global financial crisis in 2008, the theme in the overall market has been drastic outperformance in large-cap technology stocks such as the “FANG” names- Facebook (FB), Amazon (AMZN), Netflix (NFLX), Google (GOOGL). The aforementioned names are members of...
Oil’s Having its Worst Week in a Generation, and it’s Only Monday
Monday, March 9, 2020: A date that will go down in the history books for energy. Consider these milestones: Crude oil futures plummeted 24 percent today. It was their biggest drop since the U.S. invaded Iraq in January 1991. The front month contracts expiring on March...
Silver on a Roll as Commodities Gain and Green Energy Takes Off
Silver is in the midst of its longest winning streak in three years as several potentially bullish forces line up. Silver futures (@SI) are rising for the fifth straight week, their longest rally since early 2017. Volume and open interest have increased at the same...
Oil Heads for Third Weekly Gain as OPEC Prepares to Extend Production Cuts
Energy has gone nowhere for months, but now some positive forces may be lining up. Reuters reported yesterday that OPEC will probably extend its oil-production cuts from March 2020 until June. The change could be announced at the cartel's next meeting on December 5-6....
Monex Crypto Market Weekly: November 15
This post is a translation of the weekly cryptocurrency analysis by Block Insight, a wholly owned subsidiary of Monex Group (Tokyo, Japan). Monex is the parent of TradeStation Group. Summary Bitcoin (BTC) has fallen steadily in the last week, returning back...
Inverted Heads & Shoulders Appearing Across the Market
A potentially bullish reversal pattern is appearing across the market: inverted heads and shoulders. This chart formation involves two higher lows on either side of a lower low. It's the opposite of a bearish head and shoulders, and is sometimes viewed as a sign that...
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...
Trade War Escalates as China and Trump Exchange Blows
So much for a quiet Friday in August. The drama started early today when China slapped tariffs on $75 billion of U.S. goods. S&P 500 futures (@ES) fell 25 points. About 2-1/2 hours later President Donald Trump hinted in a tweet that he viewed Chinese leader Xi...
QQQ Is Lagging After FANG Earnings. Here’s Where Money Is Shifting Now
In December, Market Insights noted how money was shifting away from large, well-known companies to smaller and less-known companies. That trend paused during earnings season as quarterly reports focused attention on mega-caps like Apple (AAPL) and Alphabet (GOOGL)....
Facebook Crashes as Energy Soars: This Chart Shows the Massive Rotation Happening in the Market
Stocks have barely moved this week. You almost wouldn't guess how much drama is swirling beneath the surface. Major stocks like Facebook (FB), Amazon.com (AMZN) and Apple (AAPL) have drifted sideways or lower. Meanwhile former laggards in the energy, financial and...
Market Pulse: Homebuilder ETF: Oh Breakout, Where Art Thou?
Homebuilders were one of the strongest industries early in the pandemic as city dwellers headed to the suburbs. While the social trend has continued, bullishness has faded in the stocks. Click here to view the related idea and chart analysis on TradingView.
Basics of Exchange Traded Funds
Exchange-traded funds have become an increasingly important part of financial markets in recent years. Let's consider some basic information all investors and traders need to know. ETFs Are Thematic Exchange traded funds, commonly known as ETFs, are thematic because...
Market Pulse: Equal Weighted Index Highlights Megacap Abandonment
One of the most interesting things about the rally since early November is the broad participation by smaller companies, and the near-total abandonment of megacaps. Click here to view the related idea and chart analysis on TradingView.
Market Pulse: Are Solar Stocks Powering Down?
Solar energy stocks have been one of the strongest groups in 2020, but they're lagging this month. One potential warning sign is the bearish engulfing candle on the Invesco Solar Energy ETF (TAN) on November 30. TAN has bled steadily lower since. The fact it occurred...
Market Pulse: Airbnb, DoorDash Driving Historic Surge in IPO ETF
IPO frenzy is driving record activity in an exchange-traded fund dedicated to new companies. Renaissance IPO ETF (IPO) traded about 1 million shares on Monday and Tuesday. Those are the two busiest days in its history, and roughly triple the average volume in the past...
Market Pulse: QQQ Is Making a Comeback as Tesla Keeps Flying
The Nasdaq-100 tracking QQQ has lagged since September, along with FANG stocks. But recent price action may suggest they're coming back to life. The Nasdaq was the only major index to rise yesterday. (The S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrials and Russell 2000 all fell.)...
This Mini Version of the Nasdaq Is Leaving QQQ in the Dust
Big cap technology stocks have struggled for months. But that's not true for their smaller cousins. The below compares the performance of the Invesco Nasdaq Next Gen ETF (QQQJ) with the Invesco QQQ (QQQ). QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100 index, so it holds the 100 largest...