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Options Alert: Put Volume Spikes in PepsiCo
by David Russell | Sep 16, 2025
PepsiCo began September with a failed rally, and a big options trade yesterday seemed to target further downside.
Stocks Slide: Is the Fed Behind the Curve Again?
by David Russell | Aug 5, 2024
Almost three years ago, investors thought the Federal Reserve was behind the curve on inflation. Now they have just the opposite fear. The S&P 500 slid 2.1 percent between Friday, July 26, and Friday, August 2. It was the third consecutive negative week, dragging...
Platform Lesson: How Big Was Thursday’s Sharp Move?
by David Russell | Aug 2, 2024
The S&P 500 fell 1.4 percent yesterday, but in some ways the move was much bigger than that. The chart below includes two custom indicators highlighting the size of a symbol's move. Both show that Thursday's drop was the most dramatic in over a year. (They're...
Stocks Rose Again in July as New Sectors Spring to Life
by David Russell | Aug 1, 2024
Stocks kept rising last month, but important changes could be happening as the second half of 2024 begins. The S&P 500 climbed 1.1 percent between Friday, June 28, and Wednesday, July 31. However the Nasdaq-100 fell 1.6 percent and lagged the broader market by its...
Megacaps vs. Small Caps: Market Trends This Week
by David Russell | Aug 1, 2024
Downloads are available here. TradeStation’s ideas on TradingView are available here. Check out our next “State of the Market,” on Monday, 8/5. Sizing Up the S&P 500 S&P 500 holds 50-day moving average New record high for advance / decline line...
Financials Take Leadership as Megacaps Sputter
by David Russell | Jul 29, 2024
Financial stocks have become the year's top performing sector as rotation away from megacaps intensifies. The group, which includes banks, insurers and securities firms, is now up 15 percent in 2024. It just pulled ahead of communications, which includes Nasdaq giants...
Rotation Intensifies as Tesla, Alphabet Drop: Market Trends This Week
by David Russell | Jul 25, 2024
Downloads are available here. TradeStation’s ideas on TradingView are available here. Check out our new webinar "State of the Market," launching on Monday. Sizing Up the S&P 500 S&P 500 revisits mid-June price range, 50-day MA Lowest RSI since early May...
Top Stocks for Options Trading
Technology & Communication
Nvidia Calls Get Active as AI Goes Mainstream
by David Russell | Jan 7, 2025
Options traders flocked to Nvidia yesterday ahead of a potentially key week for the AI giant. Volume surged in short-dated weekly calls expiring this Friday, which suggests investors are looking for a quick move. Here were some of the busiest contracts: More than...
Options Alert: Bulls Target Roku as Original Content Draws Comparisons with Netflix
by David Russell | Jun 23, 2021
Options activity is heating up in Roku as the streaming-video upstart launches original content. Call volume has steadily increased since ROKU signed Kevin Hart for a second season of his action/comedy program. (Last year it was called "Die Hart." The next one will be...
Tesla Faces a Make or Break Moment as Electric Vehicle Stocks Surge Back
by David Russell | Jun 18, 2021
Tesla's stock could be at critical juncture as investors rotate back to zero-emission stocks like electric cars and solar energy. The chart below shows how TSLA has made three higher lows in the last month. Meanwhile it's pushed against roughly $630, resulting in a...
This Social Media Stock May Be Squeezing Toward a Breakout: Technical Alert
by David Russell | Jun 18, 2021
Snap is an expensive growth stock. It’s the kind of name investors have mostly avoided this year, although recent weeks have seen a shift back to such companies. This chart highlights SNAP’s last four months of consolidation. It isn’t exactly a cup and handle, but...
Reopening Stocks Like Banks and Commodities Are Crashing After the Fed Turned Hawkish
by David Russell | Jun 17, 2021
The Federal Reserve turned hawkish yesterday, and reopening stocks are paying the price today. Steelmakers, energy drillers, banks and transports lead the selling. Copper futures are down more than 8 percent this week, their biggest drop since March 2020. Corn,...




