Market Insights
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Is Technology The Only Game in Town?
by David Russell | Oct 30, 2025
Only 1/4 of the S&P 500’s members are up this week.
Options Alert: Bears Could Be Shopping at Troubled Retailer
by David Russell | Aug 21, 2024
Kohl's has been under pressure for years, and one big trader may see further downside into next month. Check out this unusual options activity in the retailer: Roughly 15,000 23-August 20 puts were sold for $0.44. A matching number of September 19 puts were bought for...
Stocks Rebound Sharply as Good News Punishes the Bears
by David Russell | Aug 19, 2024
Stocks just had their best week of the year as a string of good news erased worries about a recession. The S&P 500 rose 3.9 percent between Friday, August 9, and Friday, August 16. It was the biggest gain since early November. Major growth stocks like Nvidia...
Could Sentiment Finally Turn? Market Trends This Week
by David Russell | Aug 15, 2024
Downloads are available here. TradeStation’s ideas on TradingView are available here. Check out our next “State of the Market,” on Monday, 8/12. (Time now at at 2 p.m. ET.) Sizing Up the S&P 500 S&P 500 rebounds to 50-day MA, erasing more than 50% of...
Stocks Have Been Volatile, But Does the News Get Better From Here?
by David Russell | Aug 12, 2024
Historic volatility hit the stock market last week, but attention could soon turn to a series of upcoming catalysts. Some of them may be viewed positively -- especially after last week's big recovery. The S&P 500 was down as much as 4.3 percent the morning of...
Options Alert: Call Volume Spikes as Apparel Stock Attempts a Turnaround
by David Russell | Aug 8, 2024
Options activity is surging as beaten-down VF jumps and traders unwind bearish positions. The owner of brands like Vans and The North Face rallied 7 percent yesterday after earnings and revenue beat expectations. It was the company's second big surge in the last two...
How Long Will the Volatility Last? Market Trends This Week
by David Russell | Aug 8, 2024
Downloads are available here. TradeStation’s ideas on TradingView are available here. Check out our next “State of the Market,” on Monday, 8/12. Sizing Up the S&P 500 S&P 500 down for 4th straight week, longest negative streak since...
Top Stocks for Options Trading
Technology & Communication
Have Tariffs Ended the AI Trade?
by David Russell | Mar 31, 2025
Stocks are falling again as tariff fears deflate the AI trade and economic sentiment. The S&P 500 has declined in five of the last six weeks, with selling focused on the technology sector and AI names like Super Micro Computer.
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,...
Check Out This Bullish Options Activity in Giant Semiconductor and Mining Stocks
by David Russell | Jun 15, 2021
The two largest companies in their industries had bullish options activity today: Intel and Vale. Intel (INTC), the world's biggest semiconductor maker, saw heavy call buying shortly after the opening bell. Traders initially purchased the 25-June 62 calls for $0.10 to...
This Major Index Is Breaking Out as Value Stocks Pause: Chart Study
by David Russell | Jun 15, 2021
Value stocks and reopening plays have been the main themes in 2021, but now the bulls seem to be returning to Big Tech and the Nasdaq-100. The yellow histogram on this chart compares the 21-day return of NDX against the S&P 500. (It uses our Smart Relative...




