Market Insights
Opportunity knocks for those with trading in their DNA.
Curiosity creates opportunity. Insights create strategy. Born traders create their destiny.
Bullish Option Strategy: Put Credit Spread
Traders sell a put option near the money and buy another at a lower strike. This strategy generates a credit, while limiting potential losses if prices decline. Learn more
Has Inflation Passed Away? Stocks Keep Climbing as Price Gains Slow
Stocks just had their longest winning streak of the year as inflation cooled and investors plowed cash back into the market. The S&P 500 rose 3.3 percent between Friday, August 5, and Friday, August 12. It was the index's fourth straight weekly gain, its longest...
Next Week Mover? Options Trader Targets Quicker Upside in Lottery and Gambling Stock
International Game Technology jumped on strong results, and one options trader is looking for the move to continue next week. Check out this morning's unusual activity in the provider of lotteries and casino machines: 15,000 October 21 calls were sold for $2.73.An...
Technical Analysis: Netflix Shares Are Inching Toward a Big Price Gap
Does anyone remember Netflix? After losing three-quarters of its value between November and May, the streaming-video stock may be trying to claw its way back. The first pattern on today’s chart is the bearish price gap on April 20 after the business unexpectedly lost...
Videogame Slowdown Is the Latest Negative to Hit Semiconductor Stocks
Nvidia fell sharply after cutting guidance yesterday, the latest bearish headline facing the semiconductor industry. "Our gaming product sell-through projections declined significantly," CEO Jensen Huang said in a statement preannouncing weak results for the fiscal...
Stocks Keep Advancing as Economic, Inflation Hopes Draw Investors Back to the Market
Stocks advanced again last week as inflation-wary investors keep inching back into the market. The S&P 500 rose 0.36 percent between Friday, July 29, and Friday, August 5. It was the third straight weekly advance, returning the index to its highest level in two...
Options Alert: Big Investor Adjusts Upside Trade In Ford Motor
Ford Motor has jumped as its business roars back to life, and one options trader is giving the automaker more room to run. Check out this unusual options activity in F this morning: Some 20,000 August 16 calls were purchased for $0.25 against open interest of 68,700...
Technology & Communication
Technical Analysis: Have Chipmakers Already Bottomed?
Most people know that technology stocks ended 2022 on a weak note. But they may not realize one group started to outperform: chipmakers. The first pattern on today’s chart of the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index is the falling trendline along the highs of last year....
Is Real Estate ETF a Stealth Technology Trade?
Believe it or not, real-estate investment trusts (REITs) are leading the market this month. The SPDR Real Estate ETF (XLRE) is up 1.8 percent so far in May. That contrasts with a 2.4 percent drop for the broader S&P 500 over the same period. Even more surprising,...
Glass Seems Half Full in Big Tech: Earnings this Week
Investors stayed bullish on big technology stocks in the last week, even when their results missed estimates. Cisco Systems (CSCO), Take-Two Interactive Software (TTWO) and Booking (BKNG), and JD.com (JD) all rallied after reporting quarterly numbers. Some beat...
Good News Shrugged Off: Earnings This Week
Investors are looking past good quarterly results and punishing stocks that missed estimates. In the last week, companies like Walt Disney (DIS), Allergan (AGN), Electronic Arts (EA) and KLA Tencor (KLAC) beat estimates, only to drift or fall. The tepid response comes...
Solar ETF Shining as Rest of Market Dives Lower
The S&P 500 had its worst day in over a month, but one forgotten corner of the market was shining. The Invesco Solar Energy ETF (TAN) rose 2.35 percent on Tuesday, bucking a drop of 1.65 percent for the broader S&P 500. TAN's gain of almost 4.2 percent in the...