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Options Focus: ‘Golden Cross’ in J&J as Earnings Approach
by David Russell | Oct 2, 2024
Johnson & Johnson doesn't move quickly, but options traders may see ways to make it interesting. The pharmaceutical company has formed some potentially bullish patterns since July 17, when it rallied on strong quarterly results. First, the stock advanced from...
Inflation Fades, Earnings Beat and Stocks Push Higher
by David Russell | Apr 17, 2023
Stocks keep pushing higher as inflation fades and earnings beat expectations. The S&P 500 rose 0.8 percent between Friday, April 7, and Friday, April 14. It was the fourth gain in the last five weeks. Several data points suggested further slowing of inflation, the...
Technical Analysis: Merck Could Be Breaking Out
by David Russell | Apr 14, 2023
Merck surged in late 2022 and consolidated during the first quarter. Now the drug maker could be breaking out. The first pattern on today’s chart is the rally between mid-October and early January, which included a breakout to new record highs. MRK then pulled back...
Technology Rallied in March as Interest Rates Eased and Outlooks Improved
by David Russell | Apr 3, 2023
Technology stocks are rallying again as interest rates fall and fundamentals improve. The S&P 500 rose 3.5 percent in March, while the Nasdaq-100 surged 9.5 percent. That 6 point lead by the Nasdaq was its widest margin of outperformance since early 2009,...
S&P 500 Challenges Falling Trendline: Market Trends This Week
by David Russell | Mar 30, 2023
Downloads available here and here. Anchored VWAP and Keltner pullback here. Also: multidata crossover strategy. Register for Market Trends here. Next session is Thursday, May 4. Sizing Up the S&P 500 S&P 500 holds rising trendline, tries to...
Chart of the Day: Apple Pulls Back After a ‘Golden Cross’
by David Russell | Mar 29, 2023
Apple clawed to a six-month high last week. Is it done or will prices continue higher? The first pattern on today’s chart is the price level around $156. AAPL peaked there on March 6 and bounced there yesterday. Some chart watchers could think ... For more,...
Will American Express Run Again? A Big Options Trader May Think So
by David Russell | Mar 28, 2023
American Express has dropped along with other financials this month, but one big investor is using options to stay long the name. Check out this large trade that occurred shortly before noon yesterday: A block of 34,843 April 125 calls was sold for $37.88.An equal...
Top Stocks for Options Trading
Technology & Communication
Options Alert: Call Volume Grows as Salesforce.com Nears Highs
by David Russell | May 9, 2023
Major technology stocks like Apple and Microsoft jumped on quarterly results. Will peer Saleforce.com make a similar move? Marc Benioff's provider of cloud-based marketing software is up 49 percent this year after a sharp selloff in 2022. It has paused over the last...
Tesla Keeps Getting More Respect as Elon Musk’s Vision Goes Mainstream
by David Russell | Dec 4, 2020
Tesla closed at a new all-time high yesterday as Elon Musk's electric-car maker keeps getting more respect. An upgrade by Goldman Sachs was the latest catalyst for the stock, already up 609 percent this year. Analyst Mark Delaney based his call on macro and micro...
Chipmaker Industry Group Sees Another Strong Year in 2021
by David Russell | Dec 4, 2020
Semiconductors have been one of the strongest groups this year. Now a trade group sees more gains in 2021. The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) yesterday said worldwide chip sales will increase 8.4 percent in 2021 from this year's estimated $433.1 billion...
Stunner! Alphabet Is Leading the Nasdaq
by David Russell | Dec 3, 2020
Most of the high profile "FANG" stocks haven't done much recently. That is, aside from Alphabet (GOOGL), which is leaving them all in the dust. Click here to view the related idea and chart analysis on TradingView.
This Mini Version of the Nasdaq Is Leaving QQQ in the Dust
by David Russell | Dec 3, 2020
Big cap technology stocks have struggled for months. But that's not true for their smaller cousins. The below compares the performance of the Invesco Nasdaq Next Gen ETF (QQQJ) with the Invesco QQQ (QQQ). QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100 index, so it holds the 100 largest...