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Indexes and ETFs
Brazilian Stocks Gain as Bolsonaro Pushes Reforms

Brazilian Stocks Gain as Bolsonaro Pushes Reforms

Most attention yesterday focused on drama in Washington, but important things were also happening in Brazil. President Jair Bolsonaro released details of a pension reform intended to narrow the country's gaping budget deficit. It will go to lawmakers next Wednesday,...

Stocks Keep Climbing as Negativity Lifts

Stocks Keep Climbing as Negativity Lifts

Stocks keep rising as the fourth quarter's gloom continues to lift. The S&P 500 rose 1.6 percent between Friday, January 25, and Friday, February 1. It was the fifth gain in the last six weeks, with every major sector and index moving higher. Good economic news...

Big Hedge Detected in High Flying Sector

Big Hedge Detected in High Flying Sector

Regional banks are one of the strongest groups this year, and now a big investor seems to be hedging a large position. Check out the options activity in the SPDR S&P Regional Bank ETF (KRE) yesterday: A block of 39,265 April 51 puts was bought for $1.16. An equal...

Stocks Hold Gains as Backdrop Continues to Improve

Stocks Hold Gains as Backdrop Continues to Improve

Stocks held their ground last week amid a stream of positive news. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2 percent in the holiday-shortened span between Friday, January 18, and Friday, January 25. It was the first negative week in the last five, coming amid the sharpest rally in...

Indexes Are Fighting at a Key Level

Indexes Are Fighting at a Key Level

Stocks ripped hard to start the year, but now comes the hard work. The S&P 500 is back to a potentially key price area between 2600 and 2650. That's where it bounced in October and November, but then failed to hold in early December. Some chart watchers may now...

Latin American Value Hunt Continues

Latin American Value Hunt Continues

Stocks south of the border keep heading north. The iShares Latin America 40 ETF (ILF) is up 10 percent so far this year, about triple the performance of the S&P 500 over the same period. Unlike the unlike the domestic index, the fund is also above its 50- and...

Stocks Climb Wall of Worry for Third Straight Week

Stocks Climb Wall of Worry for Third Straight Week

Stocks keep climbing as investors return to the market after a terrible fourth quarter. The S&P 500 rose 2.5 percent between Friday, January 4, and Friday, January 11. It was the third straight weekly gain and brought the index back to its highest level since...

Small Companies Outperforming in the New Year

Small Companies Outperforming in the New Year

Suddenly small is beautiful in the eyes of investors. Indexes focused on smaller companies, like the Russell 2000 (IWM) or the Nasdaq Composite ($COMPX), have outperformed larger benchmarks like the S&P 500 ($SPX.X) and Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) since...

Double Dose of Good News for Economy as 2019 Begins

Double Dose of Good News for Economy as 2019 Begins

The U.S. economy has gotten a double dose of good news as 2019 gets underway. Non-farm payrolls had their biggest gain in 10 months, almost doubling forecasters' expectations. But that's not all. The October and November totals were also revised up by 58,000....