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After Months of Weakness, Are Megacaps Ready for a Comeback?
by David Russell | Sep 11, 2024
Megacap growth stocks have lagged for a few months, but some investors may see potential for the tide to turn. The Nasdaq-100 led the market in the first half of 2024, powered by AI stocks like Nvidia (NVDA). It stalled in July as money shifted into sectors like real...
Can Marathon Oil Keep Running? At Least One Options Trader Thinks It Can
by David Russell | Jun 2, 2022
Marathon Oil is one of the top-performing stocks this year, and one big options trader is looking for the run to continue. Check out this large transaction yesterday in the Houston-based exploration and production company: Some 13,874 July 26 calls were sold for...
Technical Analysis: Bonds Fly a Potential Bearish Flag Before Key Economic Data
by David Russell | Jun 1, 2022
Bonds have been in a steady downtrend all year. And now, after a period of consolidation, the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF may be set to continue lower. This main pattern on this chart is the modest rebound over the last three weeks. Given the preceding four...
AMD Remained the Busiest Symbol in May With the Chipmaker Reporting Quarterly Results
by David Russell | Jun 1, 2022
Advanced Micro Devices was the busiest stock at TradeStation Securities in May as the chipmaker reported strong quarterly results. AMD held its position at the top of the rankings for the fourth straight month, according to TradeStation data. The company's earnings,...
Stocks Break Historic Losing Streak on Positive Earnings and Inflation News
by David Russell | May 31, 2022
Stocks exploded higher last week, breaking a historic losing streak, as good news chipped away at a wall of negativity. The S&P 500 rose 6.6 percent between Friday, May 20, and Friday, May 27 -- the biggest gain since November 2020. The rally broke a seven-week...
Lumber Prices Tanked in May. Is That a Good Sign for Inflation and the Stock Market?
by David Russell | May 27, 2022
Inflation has been a major worry for investors this year, but there could be signs of the crisis easing. Recent weeks have brought several glimmers of hope for a country facing its sharpest price spiral in 40 years. Continued improvement could prompt the Federal...
Options Alert: Bears Are Targeting a 30-Year Low in the Top Cruise Operator
by David Russell | May 25, 2022
Travel stocks like cruise ships have accelerated lower in the past month, and yesterday the options flow turned bearish in the biggest operator. Carnival (CCL) was especially active, with more than 126,000 puts changing hands. That was triple the average in the last...
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Technology & Communication

Call Volume Spikes in Nikola Before Shareholder Vote
by David Russell | Jul 7, 2022
After a big slide, one big options trader is looking for a rebound in Nikola. Large blocks of calls changed hands yesterday in the electric-truck developer. A block of 40,000 July 5.50 calls were bought for $0.22. The investor sold a matching number of July 6.50 calls...

Podcast: Looking Beyond Tech for 2020
by David Russell | Oct 23, 2019
Software makers and semiconductors have come under pressure recently as investors question their multiples. But unlike a year ago, new sectors like financials and industrials may be coming into favor.

Big Banks and Netflix Surprise to the Upside: Earnings This Week
by David Russell | Oct 17, 2019
Earnings season started on a strong foot as major banks reported surprising growth in their core businesses. JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Bank of America (BAC), Citigroup (C), Morgan Stanley (MS), U.S. Bancorp (USB) and PNC Financial (PNC) all beat estimates in the last...

No More Growth? Triple Downgrade Rocks Software Space
by David Russell | Oct 17, 2019
Software stocks have been growth darlings for years, but doubts are growing on Wall Street. Yesterday three different investment banks made bearish calls on three different companies: Citi downgraded Adobe Systems (ADBE) to "neutral." The analyst thinks recurring...

FireEye Rallies from Lows, Just in Time for Cybersecurity Month
by David Russell | Oct 16, 2019
October is cybersecurity month, and a pioneering stock in the industry has come to life. FireEye (FEYE) has rallied 15 percent in the last two weeks and is having its best month in more than two years. A combination of takeover speculation, improved results and...