Market Insights
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Will Energy Join Metals in Hard Asset Rally?
by David Russell | Sep 29, 2025
Hard assets like gold, silver and crude oil have rallied with inflation stuck near 3 percent.
Chart of the Day: Can Anything Stop Hess?
by David Russell | Nov 7, 2022
Energy remains the top-performing sector this year. Today we're focusing a member of the group with potentially classic breakout behavior: Hess. The first pattern on the oil and gas stock's chart is the is the October 26 surge above $137. That was the previous...
Investors Survive a Turbulent October, Shifting to New Stocks as Interest Rates Climb
by David Russell | Nov 1, 2022
Stocks held their ground during a turbulent October as investors focused on new areas that could lead in the market's next cycle. The S&P 500 rose 8 percent, advancing for the first time in three months. The move came after a higher-than-expected inflation report...
Stocks Keep Climbing Before the Fed: Will Jerome Powell Finally Slow Down?
by David Russell | Oct 31, 2022
Will Jerome Powell finally hit the brakes? Stocks could be moving like the Federal Reserve is near the end of its rate-hiking cycle. The S&P 500 rose 4 percent between Friday, October 21, and Friday, October 28. It was the second weekly gain of at least 4 percent,...
Options Traders Look for Marathon Oil to Keep Running
by David Russell | Oct 25, 2022
Marathon Oil is the third-best performer in the S&P 500 this year, and options traders seem to think it will keep running. Check out this large complex trade in the Houston-based energy driller: 15,423 January 24 calls were sold for $6.70.15,423 January 21 puts...
Stocks Try to Bounce Before a Huge Week of Earnings
by David Russell | Oct 24, 2022
Stocks are trying to bounce as investors await key earnings and hope for slower rate hikes. The S&P 500 rose 4.7 percent between Friday, October 14, and Friday, October 21. It was the biggest weekly gain since June, with every major sector advancing. More than...
Chart of the Day: Is Walmart Squeezing Toward a Breakout?
by David Russell | Oct 19, 2022
Walmart has squeezed into a tight range after a big drop in the spring. Now some traders may be looking for a potential breakout. The main pattern on today’s chart is the falling trendline along the highs of April, August and September. WMT remained consistently below...
Top Stocks for Options Trading
Technology & Communication
Chart of the Day: Nvidia and the Midcap Breakout
by David Russell | Mar 11, 2024
Megacap growth stocks like Nvidia have outperformed for years. But traders looking for the trend to change may see more evidence of a shift. Today’s idea considers three charts. The first shows how NVDA rallied 93 percent this year above its previous record high. It...
Trio of FANG Stocks Flirts With Breakouts as Big Events Approach
by David Russell | Jul 9, 2019
Remember FANG stocks? Three members of this elite club may be flirting with breakouts before some big events. Netflix (NFLX), Facebook (FB) and Amazon.com (AMZN) are less than 1 percent from their highs for the year. The trio has quietly outperformed the broader...
Bull Markets Climb a Wall of Worry, Once Again
by David Russell | Jul 1, 2019
"Bull markets climb a wall of worry." The old adage proved true again today as the S&P 500 breaks out to new highs. Investors ended last week fearing higher tariffs against China before the G20 Summit in Osaka. Then President Trump withdrew the threat after...
Disney, Microsoft Led the Dow Higher in the Second Quarter
by David Russell | Jun 28, 2019
Today's the last day of the second quarter. A pair of blue-chip disruptors led the market higher during the period. Walt Disney (DIS) and Microsoft (MSFT) were the best performers in the Dow Jones Industrial Average since the end of March. DIS surged 25 percent as it...
Videogame Bulls Fight for Key Level: Options Recap
by David Russell | Jun 18, 2019
Videogame stocks are still hurting from last year's selloff in tech. But now options traders are defending a key level in major stock. We're talking about Activision Blizzard (ATVI), which makes titles like Call of Duty, Candy Crush and Overwatch. The stock briefly...





