Market Insights
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Stocks Set a New Record as Pharma Comes to Life
by David Russell | Oct 6, 2025
Stocks keep setting records as new sectors come to life. Last week, healthcare and pharmaceuticals led the charge.
Greek of the Week: Gamma
by David Russell | Dec 31, 2022
Editor’s note: This post, part of a four-part series about options Greeks, was originally published on Monday, August 20, 2018. We previously looked at delta. Delta measures how much an option changes in price when the underlying stock or ETF fluctuates. Calls...
Greek of the Week: Theta
by David Russell | Dec 31, 2022
Editor’s note: This post, part of a four-part series about options Greeks, was originally published on Tuesday, August 28, 2018. So far, we’ve looked at delta and gamma. This week, we’ll turn to theta. Theta: T is for “time decay.” Theta measures how...
Greek of the Week: Vega
by David Russell | Dec 31, 2022
Editor’s note: This post, part of a four-part series about options Greeks, was originally published on Tuesday, September 4, 2018. So far we’ve reviewed three options “Greeks,” with memory tricks for keeping them straight: Delta: D is for direction.Gamma: G is for...
The Basics of Options
by David Russell | Dec 31, 2022
Options are an important tool for many retail investors. They can either replace trading shares, or make it easier to position oneself in stocks. Let's consider the first things options traders need to know. An Option's Price Is Usually Called 'Premium' There are some...
The Structure of Options Trades
by David Russell | Dec 31, 2022
While options can be traded by themselves, investors often use them in conjunction with other securities. So before going further, let's consider the four basic ways that options trades are structured. You Can Trade Options by Themselves As we learned in a previous...
Essential Options Knowledge: Time, Volatility and Different Kinds of Value
by David Russell | Dec 31, 2022
Options confuse a lot of investors because several factors impact their value. Unlike stocks, they don't just go up and down based on supply and demand. This post will explain three of the most important concepts you need to get started: time, volatility and intrinsic...
Top Stocks for Options Trading
Technology & Communication
Chart of the Day: Does ARK Innovation Have Downside Risk?
by David Russell | Apr 25, 2024
The ARK Innovation ETF has chopped in a range for the last two years, and some traders may expect a push back to longer-term lows. The first pattern on today’s chart is the rounded top in February and March. It was slightly below the peak of ... For more,...
What You Need to Know as Money Rotates Back to Value Stocks
by David Russell | Sep 26, 2019
A potentially big change tried to continue in the market yesterday. Two weeks ago, a new kind of stocks began to rally: banks, industrials, retailers and small caps. Meanwhile previous outperformers including technology, gold miners and real-estate investment trusts...
Call Buyers Look for a Heavily Traded Chip Stock to Start Running
by David Russell | Sep 24, 2019
Some options traders seem to think one of the market's most active stocks is ready for a rally. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has barely moved for the last month, but a surge of volume yesterday looked for a rally by the end of this week. Traders amassed more than...
Apple’s Releasing New IPhones, But a Lot More Is Happening With the Stock
by David Russell | Sep 10, 2019
Apple is expected to release new iPhones today, but a lot of other things are happening with the tech giant. Wall Street's narrative on the company has shifted toward other initiatives like services and stock buybacks. After all, AAPL's a victim of its own success now...
Is the Glass Half Full in Chip Stocks as Tariff Worries Fade?
by William Owens | Sep 10, 2019
Chip stocks are pushing old highs as investors seem to expect better news for one of the market's most traded industries. The Market Vectors Semiconductor ETF (SMH) closed 2 percent below its all-time high yesterday. It's also up 5.8 percent in the last month, more...


