Market Insights
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Options Alert: Call Volume Surges in Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo is flirting with new highs, and options traders are getting active. Heavy volume was detected yesterday in the bank's September 97.50 calls. The initial blocks priced for $1.44, followed by larger blocks at $1.65. Volume of 27,990 contracts was more than...
Options Alert: Ford Motor Calls Rolled Up as Rivian IPO Electrifies the Market
Options traders keep rolling bullish positions in Ford Motor with a key event coming as soon as next week. This large transaction occurred in the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker shortly before the closing bell yesterday: 20,000 January 20 calls were bought for...
Is It a Good Idea? Learn How to Back Test Trading Ideas Before Risking Capital
Backtesting is can be an important part of refining market strategies. TradeStation's platform includes tools for analyzing trade ideas and methods. This instructional webinar covers how traders can use both long and short entries on an unlimited number of ideas,...
Technical Analysis: Is It Showtime for AMC Entertainment?
AMC Entertainment had a dramatic short squeeze in May and June. Now it may be ready to move again following months of consolidation. The price level around $35 is the first noteworthy pattern on the chart of the movie-theater operator. That was a peak in 2015 and...
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...
Technology & Communication
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...
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...
Suddenly Tech Is a Margin Story
Technology stocks are usually all about growth, but in the last few days costs have been the talk of the town more recently. Facebook (FB) is the big example, losing a record $119 billion of market value yesterday. Slower growth was part of the problem, but most...
Caution Reigns in Chip Space: Options Recap
Options traders are bracing against a drop in chip makers as earnings season marches on. Here's a breakdown a large bearish spread in the Market Vectors Semiconductor ETF (SMH) yesterday: Roughly 22,000 September 100 puts were bought for $1.85. Roughly 22,000...