Market Insights
Opportunity knocks for those with trading in their DNA.
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Bullish Option Strategy: Call Spread
Traders buy a call option near the money and sell another at a higher strike. This strategy can leverage a price increase with limited capital at risk. Learn more
Housing Market Defies Higher Rates as Strong Demand Fuels Construction Boom
Housing stocks are down sharply this year as investors worry about higher interest rates. However activity on the ground continues to accelerate. The Commerce Department reported that February housing starts rose almost 7 percent to 1.77 million. It beat forecasts by...
After Getting Cut in Half, An Options Trader Thinks this Social Media Giant May Have Bottomed
Social-media giant Meta Platforms has gotten cut in half, and now one big investor seems to think it will stabilize. Check out the unusual options activity detected in the company formerly known as Facebook (FB) yesterday: A trader sold 16,500 8-April 200 puts for...
Bullish or Bearish? The S&P 500 Faces a Death Cross as It Tries to Break a Falling Trendline
The S&P 500 has been in a steady downtrend all year. That makes it a good time to assess the state of the index before the big Fed announcement later today. Bearish and bullish forces are battling each other on this chart. First you have the sharply falling...
Inflation, War, Covid: The Federal Reserve Could Be Raising Interest Rates At a Complicated Time
The Federal Reserve begins a key meeting today as war and coronavirus create an increasingly complicated economic environment. Markets widely expect the Fed to raise its target interest rate by 25 basis points at 2 p.m. ET tomorrow. It would be not only the first...
Stocks Keep Sliding as Inflation Squeezes Profits and Consumers
Stocks fell again last week as investors see more risk from the war in Ukraine and rising inflation. The S&P 500 slid 2.9 percent between Friday, March 4, and Friday, March 11. It was the fourth decline in the last five weeks, miring the index at levels from...
Charting Tutorial: Comparing Multiple Stocks on TradeStation’s Platform
TradeStation is known for its powerful charting tools. Today we'll explain how to analyze two or more stocks in a single chart. Start by opening a new chart on TradeStation's desktop platform. Click on the Apps bar at the top of the workspace and select the Chart...
Technology & Communication
Options Alert: Bearish Traders Could Be Sticking With Western Digital
Western Digital tried to bounce after a big drop, but the bears don't seem to be going away. Check out this unusual options activity in the maker of data-storage products: A block of 7,500 October 36 puts was sold for $2.05.A trader bought an equal number of October...
Popular Chip Stock Holds Key Level Into G20
One of the most heavily traded names in the chip space is holding a potentially key level. Micron Technology (MU) dropped 38 percent from the start of June through yesterday. But now the giant producer of memory circuits is holding its ground above $36.50, an old peak...
This Forgotten Industry Is Quietly Shining
Remember solar stocks? They're quietly screaming higher. PowerShares Solar Energy exchange-traded fund (TAN) is up 14 percent since the end of October. That outpaces every other major portfolio on our Market Action dashboard and puts the industry on pace for its best...
Showdowns in Tech: Battle for the Cloud
The world of technology is all about disruption, and now a fight is brewing in the cloud. Microsoft (MSFT) is making serious efforts to enter the world of "cloud computing," the business of large companies using third-party servers and software instead of running...
This Chart Shows Just How Bearish Tech Has Gotten
Most clients know technology stocks are getting hammered. But just how bad is the selling? Pretty bad, it turns out, according to TradeStation's award-winning platform. This chart compares the Select Technology Index ($XLK.IV) to the Select Consumer Staples Index...