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Energy
Oil Clings to Key Level as Coronavirus Adds to Bearishness in Energy Sector

Oil Clings to Key Level as Coronavirus Adds to Bearishness in Energy Sector

Coronavirus has caused a lot of fear in the market, and it comes at an especially bad time for the energy sector. Crude oil already had a glut of supply because of rising production in the U.S. and Russia. Demand was flagging before the disease broke out in China, and...

Stocks Finally Pause as Mideast Tensions Flare

Stocks Finally Pause as Mideast Tensions Flare

Stocks finally halted their advance as tensions in the Middle East gave the bulls something to worry about. The S&P 500 managed to hit a new record high on Thursday, but finished the New Year-shortened week down 0.2 percent. It was only the second negative week...

Global Assets Strengthen as Anxieties Fade and U.S. Dollar Weakens

Global Assets Strengthen as Anxieties Fade and U.S. Dollar Weakens

Global assets have advanced into year end as events and data turn more positive. Emerging markets, metals and energy have all outperformed the S&P 500 in the last month. That marks a sharp change from most of 2019, when investors worried about a global recession...

Oil Heads for Third Weekly Gain as OPEC Prepares to Extend Production Cuts

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....

Options Trader Looking for Happy New Year With Fast Moving Energy Stock

Options Trader Looking for Happy New Year With Fast Moving Energy Stock

Someone's looking for Marathon Petroleum to keep running into the New Year. Options volume spiked to triple the monthly average in the oil refiner yesterday as a trader rolled a bullish position: About 32,000 January 70 calls were sold for $3.72.A matching number of...

Massive Activity Across the Energy Space Following Drone Attacks

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...

Yesterday Was a Session for the Record Books

Yesterday Was a Session for the Record Books

Just like that, volatility returned to the stock market yesterday. The S&P was on pace for its best gain in almost two months, and then President Donald Trump began tweeting at 1:26 p.m. ET. "The U.S. will start, on September 1st, putting a small additional Tariff...

South American Oil Giant Gets Big Vote of Confidence: Options Recap

South American Oil Giant Gets Big Vote of Confidence: Options Recap

Brazilian markets are running higher, and yesterday an investor placed a big vote of confidence in the nation's most important stock. A large put sale occurred in Petrobras (PBR) minutes after the opening bell. The transaction was unusually bullish, looking for the...

Oil Back Over $60 as Bearish Story Fades

Oil Back Over $60 as Bearish Story Fades

Oil crashed less than two months ago as bearish factors piled up. Now the process seems to be going into reverse. Crude oil futures (@CL) held above $60 on Wednesday for the first time since May 22. The price also rallied through its 50- and 200-day moving averages in...