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Stocks Flirt With Highs Amid Strong Economy and Earnings

Stocks Flirt With Highs Amid Strong Economy and Earnings

Stocks flirted with new highs last week as the economy improved and earnings season got underway. The S&P 500 was little changed in the holiday-shortened period between Friday, April 12, and Thursday, April 18. At one point, the index touched its highest level...

What the Surge in Rails May Be Saying About the Economy

What the Surge in Rails May Be Saying About the Economy

Economists have worried about the economy slowing, but railroads are telling a different story. The Dow Jones US Railroads Index ($DJUSRR) rose more than 2 percent today to a new all-time high. They've helped the broader transportation index ($DJT) and industrial...

Options Recap: Traders See Maximum Altitude for Key Airline

Options Recap: Traders See Maximum Altitude for Key Airline

Someone seems to think a major carrier may have reached its maximum altitude for now. Check out the large options trade yesterday in American Airlines (AAL): A block of 37,778 March 36 puts was bought for $1.37. At the same time, a matching number of March 37 calls...

Big Tech Strikes Back: Earnings This Week

Big Tech Strikes Back: Earnings This Week

Big tech results weren't so bad after all: That's the main takeaway from the busiest week of earnings season. Facebook (FB), Apple (AAPL), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Alibaba (BABA) rallied 7 to 16 percent after reporting. Not all beat estimates, but each...

Chips Rip and Transports Move North: Earnings This Week

Chips Rip and Transports Move North: Earnings This Week

Earnings remained strong in the last week, led by economically sensitive industries like semiconductors, transports and financials. Chip stock Xilinx (XLNX) is the S&P 500's biggest gainer today and in the last week after beating estimates across the board. Some...

Bears Keep the Pressure on Struggling Blue Chip

Bears Keep the Pressure on Struggling Blue Chip

Options traders are sticking with one of the most consistent trends in the last two years. They're betting against a stock that once ruled the roost in global markets. General Electric (GE), once the world's most valuable company, has lost more than half its value...

Our Curiously Strong ‘Weakening’ Economy

Our Curiously Strong ‘Weakening’ Economy

Recent headlines have suggested weakness in the economy, but other readings are curiously strong. Last week's employment reports all missed estimates. ADP's private-sector payrolls had 16,000 fewer new jobs than expected, while the government's non-farm tally lagged...

Guess What Index Just Had a Great Week

Guess What Index Just Had a Great Week

Transportation stocks just had their best week in a year. The Dow Jones Transportation Average ($DJT) advanced 4.35 percent since the close on Friday, November 23. Big names like Union Pacific (UNP), Delta Air Lines (DAL) and United Parcel Service (UPS) were among the...

Options Trader Sees No Happy New Year for Ailing Blue Chip

Options Trader Sees No Happy New Year for Ailing Blue Chip

Someone seems to think this year's worst-performing S&P 500 member won't have a happy New Year. Here's a breakdown of a large options trade in General Electric (GE): A block of 12,500 December 8 puts was sold for $0.79 and an equal number of December 7s was bought...