Market Insights
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Options Alert: Are the Puts in Southwest Bullish?
Southwest Airlines reports earnings this afternoon, and one big trader is using options to shield against potential turbulence.
Double Top Before the Debt Ceiling? Market Trends This Week
Downloads are available here. Register for Market Trends here. Sizing Up the S&P 500 Attention now turns to debt ceilingPotential double-top versus February highFalse breakout on weekly chart versus last weekTight range has potential for increased volatilityFewer...
Stocks Keep Fighting Higher as Inflation Slows and Earnings Beat Expectations
Stocks kept fighting higher last month as inflation slowed and earnings beat estimates. The S&P 500 rose 1.5 percent in April, its third gain in the first four months of the year. The index has returned to challenge its February high, and is still above falling...
Chart of the Day: Will Alcoa Continue Lower?
Alcoa rallied early last year after the Ukraine war threatened aluminum supplies. It’s struggled since and now some traders may expect further pushes to the downside. The first pattern on today’s chart is the series of lower highs since August (marked with red...
Breakout or Breakdown? Stock Movement Grinds to a Halt as Investors Wait and See
Stocks have stopped moving as investors wait for more news on corporate earnings and interest rates. The S&P 500 slid 0.1 percent between Friday, April 14, and Friday, April 21. If that percentage change sounds small, consider that the index fluctuated less than...
Inflation Fades, Earnings Beat and Stocks Push Higher
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
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 & Communication
Bulls in the China Shop? Options Surge Before Big Events
Options traders are getting active in Chinese technology companies like Baidu before two potentially important events. The first catalyst is at 8:30 a.m. ET tomorrow, when the U.S. Labor Department releases the consumer price index (CPI). It's the first reading of...
Are Bulls Coming Back to Ride-Sharing Stocks like Uber and Lyft?
Ride-sharing stocks like Uber and Lyft struggled after IPOs last year. Yesterday, the bulls seemed to think both have turned a corner. UBER shot to a five-month high after Morgan Stanley said core profitability was improving and management shed a money-losing Indian...
Big Banks Announce Strong Results as Earnings Season Begins
Earnings season is off to another strong start, thanks to big banks and financials. JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Bank of America (BAC), Citigroup (C) and Morgan Stanley (MS) all reported strong quarters. A combination of banking, trading and investment management drove the...
This Social Media Upstart Just Got a Lot of Attention in the Options Market
Suddenly the bulls are logging into Pinterest. The social-media upstart had record call volume yesterday as options traders positioned for a potential move higher. The activity came after a report showed growing user traffic. PINS' user base rose 9 percent to 82.4...
From Bear to Bull in a Few Months: Charting Tesla’s Stunning U-Turn
Never argue with price action. Look no further than Tesla for an example of why traders love technical analysis. If you haven't noticed, Elon Musk's electric-car disrupter made a dramatic U-turn last year. It's more than doubled since the summer, punishing short...