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Why Do Stocks Move? Learn 7 Catalysts That Drive Price Action in the Market
by David Russell | Sep 21, 2025
The stock market includes thousands of companies in scores of industries and groupings. While they may go up and down for any reason any day, there are underlying patterns behind price movement. This article considers seven basic catalysts for stock movement. These go...
Where’s the Fear? VIX Keeps Sliding as Big Events Fail to Lift Volatility
by David Russell | Aug 3, 2022
Cboe's "fear index" hasn't been showing a lot of panic lately. The Volatility Index ($VIX.X) declined steadily between mid-June and late July. That six-week slide was the longest negative streak since late 2019, according to TradeStation data. It's up slightly this...
Stocks Leapt Higher in July, But Will the Rally Continue this Month?
by David Russell | Aug 1, 2022
Stocks just finished their best month in over a year. Can they keep running in August? The S&P 500 climbed 4.3 percent in the week between Friday, July 22, and Friday, July 29. That helped lift the index 9.1 percent in July, giving the index its biggest monthly...
Chart of the Day: Chinese Electric Car Stock Rallies and Pulls Back
by David Russell | Jul 28, 2022
Most Chinese stocks remain well below their 52-week highs, but not Li Auto. Let's consider some of the patterns on the Beijing-based maker of electric cars and SUVs. First you have the level around $33. It was the opening price on December 3 when news of Didi's...
The Fed Hints at Peak Hawkishness Following Another Huge Interest Rate Hike
by David Russell | Jul 27, 2022
The Federal Reserve may have reached "peak hawkishness" after seven months of embracing tighter monetary policy. The central bank raised the target for its interest rates by 75 basis points today. The move matched expectations and mirrored a similar historic increase...
Options Alert: Mega Call Spreads Target Historic Level in Brazilian Energy Stock
by David Russell | Jul 26, 2022
For the second session in a row, options traders targeted a key level in South American oil driller Petrobras. Check out this large bullish call spread Monday in Rio De Janeiro-based PBR: A block of 40,000 January 14 calls was purchased for $0.50. An equal number of...
Stocks Muscle Higher as Rate Hike Looms and Earnings Stream In
by David Russell | Jul 25, 2022
Stocks are muscling higher before one of the busiest weeks of the year, packed with key earnings and a major Federal Reserve meeting. The S&P 500 rose 2.5 percent between Friday, July 15, and Friday July 22. The index closed at its highest level in over a month as...
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Technology & Communication
Chart of the Day: Netflix Consolidates After Earnings Surge
by David Russell | Oct 31, 2023
Netflix jumped earlier this month after announcing results. It's now consolidating, and some traders may see potential for more upside. The first pattern on today's chart is the bullish gap on October 19 following the quarterly report. Prices cleared a peak of $394.90...
Semiconductor ETF Reclaiming Leadership in Technology
by David Russell | Apr 5, 2019
Chip stocks began April with a bang, potentially ending a year of underperformance against other parts of the technology sector. The Market Vectors Semiconductor ETF (SMH) is up about 7 percent in the last week, making it the best-performing major fund in the entire...
FANG Stocks Flying as Nirvana Spreads in the Tech Sector
by David Russell | Apr 4, 2019
Big technology stocks are ripping as a combination of favorable conditions sweep markets. The NYSE FANG+ Index ($NYFANG) index is up more than 3 percent since Friday, putting it on pace for the biggest weekly gain since the early January. The index, named after...
Bulls Just Got Another Reason to Like the Chip Sector
by David Russell | Apr 3, 2019
The good news keeps coming for chip makers, the hottest space in the market over the last month. Digitimes reported this morning that Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM), one of the biggest manufacturers on the planet, just got a flurry of orders. It's now running its...
Lyft IPO to Price Higher than Expected Due to Strong Demand
by David Russell | Mar 27, 2019
It will cost investors a little more than they thought to ride Lyft's (LYFT) initial public offering on Friday. The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that the ride-sharing company has met with such strong demand for its IPO that the shares will likely price above...





