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IPOs Keep Coming in September

IPOs Keep Coming in September

Initial public offerings (IPOs) are running at their quickest pace in years. Have you been watching? Volume at the end of August was already close to the total for all of 2017, according to data from ClickIPO. In fact, if you include Spotify's (SPOT)'s unusual direct...

Options 101: Hedging With Ratio Spreads

Options 101: Hedging With Ratio Spreads

This post is part of an educational series on equity derivatives. Want to learn more? Sign up for our Options Stars 2018 symposium in Chicago next month. Sometimes I love trading options so much I forget they were invented to be used in tandem with stocks. This post...

Bears Cry Uncle as FOMO Takes Hold

Bears Cry Uncle as FOMO Takes Hold

Stocks kept climbing last week as fears of a trade war morphed into fear of missing out. The S&P 500 rose 0.85 percent between Friday, September 14, and Friday, September 21. It was the tenth gain in the last 12 weeks, and keeps the index on pace for its sixth...

Why Stocks Move: Macro Trends

Why Stocks Move: Macro Trends

This post is part of a series about the catalysts for stock movements. It’s based on a series of talks at TradeStation’s Master Class learning sessions.  On Wednesday, we examined the process of investor rotation. That's when stocks move based on shifts...

Your Favorite Sector’s Getting Reshuffled

Your Favorite Sector’s Getting Reshuffled

Everyone loves tech. Did you know the sector's about to get reshuffled? Over the years, "technology" has become an increasingly ambiguous term. What do semiconductors have in common with phone companies? Why should routers and photocopiers get lumped alongside social...

Small Caps Suffer as Dow Roars to Life

Small Caps Suffer as Dow Roars to Life

Shifts in sentiment seem to be hurting small-cap stocks, one of the market's strongest areas this year. The Russell 2000 small cap ETF (IWM) is the only major index with a negative return in the last month. That marks a big change versus its performance over the...

Options Light Up as Cannabis Craze Sweeps Market

Options Light Up as Cannabis Craze Sweeps Market

Marijuana's supposed to calm people down, but that didn't happen in the stock market yesterday. Frenzied with Canada's legalization on October 17, traders streamed in and out of a trio of high-profile weed stocks. The moves were epic for companies many clients had...

Here Comes the Dow…

Here Comes the Dow…

The world's most famous stock benchmark has been caged up all year. Is it ready for a breakout? The Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) is the best-performing major index in the last month, even though it's lagged on a year-to-date basis. (See the RadarScreen®...

There Are Signs of Fear Leaving the Market

There Are Signs of Fear Leaving the Market

Stocks are bouncing today after Washington and Beijing exchanged tariffs. Beyond those headlines, various signs have suggested fear is leaving the market. First, look at sector performance. In the last week, "risk-on" sectors like energy and industrials have...