Market Insights
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Bullish Option Strategy: Put Credit Spread
by David Russell | Jun 29, 2025
Traders sell a put option near the money and buy another at a lower strike. This strategy generates a credit, while limiting potential losses if prices decline. Learn more
Stocks Fall as Fed Drives Fear About Earnings and a Potential Recession
by David Russell | Dec 19, 2022
Stocks fell again last week as the Federal Reserve's tough stance on inflation made investors worry about earnings and a potential recession in 2023. The S&P 500 slid 2.1 percent between Friday, December 9, and Friday, December 16. The Nasdaq-100 fell even more,...
Art of TradeStation: Getting Ready for Earnings Season
by David Russell | Dec 19, 2022
Earnings season is a key time because it lets the market assess the finances of individual companies and whole industries. Earnings season is also a time of increased volumes and price movements, creating potential opportunities for investors and active traders. While...
Negatives Are Piling Up in This Year’s Only Positive Sector
by David Russell | Dec 12, 2022
Energy stocks are the only positive sector in 2022, but they're ending the year under a cloud of negativity. Crude oil futures (@CL) have fallen 13 percent so far in December, putting them on pace for their biggest drop in over a year. They're down in six of the last...
Technical Analysis: What If Apple Holds This Price Level?
by David Russell | Dec 11, 2022
Megacap technology stocks like Apple have dragged on the market amid disruptions in China. But what if the iPhone giant manages to bounce? Could it give the bigger indexes a boost? The main pattern on today’s chart is the $140 level. This price first had importance on...
Attention Amazon Traders! Check Out This Chart
by David Russell | Dec 9, 2022
Amazon.com has declined along with the broader Nasdaq-100. But other consumer-facing companies have fared much better. The chart below compares AMZN with competing retailers. It uses percentage-change charts with a six-month interval. Notice how the e-commerce giant...
Stocks Could Face a Lull as Investors Wait for Bigger Events Next Week
by David Russell | Dec 5, 2022
Action in the stock market could hit a brief lull as investors wait for big events later in the month. The S&P 500 rose 1.1 percent between Friday, November 25, and Friday, December 2. All of the gain occurred on Wednesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome...
Top Stocks for Options Trading
Technology & Communication
Options Alert: Two Giant Trades In Uber Technologies
by David Russell | Jul 20, 2023
Uber Technologies has been steadily trending higher, and options traders seem to think the move will continue. Two large transactions appeared in the ride-sharing stock yesterday. Both were bullish, although one involved significant risk and the other was...
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...





