Market Insights
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Bearish Option Strategy: Call Credit Spread
Traders sell a call option near the money and buy another at a higher strike. This strategy generates a credit, while limiting potential losses if prices increase. Learn more
Energy Charts Are Challenging Key Levels as Forecasters Predict More Price Gains
Two key energy charts are challenging important levels as investors and analysts look for prices to keep rising. First is the weekly price of CME's WTI Crude Oil Futures (@CL), which recently approached $85.50. That was near a peak from October 2018, which at the time...
Stocks Just Had Their Best Month in a Year as Strong Earnings Drive Away the Bears
Stocks just finished their best month in a year as strong quarterly results melted a bubble of extreme negativity. The S&P 500 finished October up 6.9 percent at a new all-time high. It was the biggest monthly gain since November 2020, with over three-quarters of...
Facebook, Amazon.com Miss, Apple Struggles with Supply Chain, Microsoft Jumps: Earnings This Week
Quarterly results from Apple, Amazon.com and Facebook came up short this week, but Microsoft and Alphabet jumped to new highs. It was the busiest period of earnings season, with five of the market's six biggest companies issuing numbers. (Tesla was last week.) Most...
Margins, Pricing, Demand: The Stars Line Up for Automakers as Tesla Joins the ‘Big Three’
If there's one message from this month's earnings reports, it could be that "automakers are back." A powerful combination of forces seems to be lining up for companies like Tesla (TSLA), General Motors (GM) and Ford Motor (GM): Tight supply and broad demandImproving...
This Week’s Altair Upgrade Moves Ethereum Closer to Proof of Stake and Supply Scarcity
Ethereum is taking a step this week toward the elusive "proof of stake" model, which promises faster processing times and greater scarcity. The so-called Altair upgrade will take effect on Wednesday morning on Ethereum's beacon chain. That's the parallel system...
Megacaps Report This Week, But Small Caps Could Be Nearing a Breakout
Giant Nasdaq stocks like Apple and Amazon.com report earnings this week, but another corner of the market could deserve some attention. The Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) has made a series of higher lows since mid-August. Some chart watchers may consider that a bullish...
Technology & Communication
Chart of the Day: Chinese Electric Car Stock Rallies and Pulls Back
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...
Big Tech De-fangs the SPY: July at TradeStation
FANG ruled the roost in this month as volatility swept the Nasdaq. The two busiest stocks for TradeStation clients in July were members of the high-tech quartet: Facebook (FB) and Netflix (NFLX). Both crashed from record highs after mediocre quarterly reports raised...
Buyers Rotate into These Sectors as Tech Stalls
Last week was rough for technology. But now investors are looking for gains in some new areas. The SPDR Industrial ETF (XLI) and SPDR Health Care ETF (XLV) are the two best performing sector funds over the last month with gains of about 7 percent each. XLI is also on...
Know Your Options: Diagonal Spread Targets Apple Volatility Crush
One of the most predictable things in the market is time decay after a big event like earnings. Have you ever used a diagonal spread to capitalize on the change? Today we'll see how it's done. First, remember that option premiums attempt to factor in price swings. As...
Tech Falls as Earnings and Economic Data Disappoint
Technology stocks took a hit last week, but the broader market still managed a fourth straight gain. The S&P 500 rose 0.6 percent between Friday, July 20, and Friday, July 27. That contrasted with the Nasdaq-100's decline of 0.7 percent. Sub-par earnings and...