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Options Alert: Call Volume Surges in Wells Fargo
by David Russell | Jul 2, 2025
Wells Fargo is flirting with new highs, and options traders are getting active. Heavy volume was detected yesterday in the bank's September 97.50 calls. The initial blocks priced for $1.44, followed by larger blocks at $1.65. Volume of 27,990 contracts was more than...
Four Signs That Normalcy Could Be Returning to the Market
by David Russell | Nov 23, 2022
After nearly three years of turmoil, normalcy could be returning to markets and the economy. Today we'll consider four trends that could indicate big changes from the chaos that began in early 2020 as coronavirus spread from China's Wuhan province. If they continue,...
Tesla Is Headed for Its Worst Month Ever As Elon Musk Veers Into the Twitterverse
by David Russell | Nov 22, 2022
Tesla is headed for its worst month ever as Elon Musk focuses on Twitter and China continues pandemic lockdowns. The electric-vehicle giant is down 26 percent in November through Monday's close. The only other month with a similar decline, according to TradeStation...
Stock Investors Could Gain Optimism as Fed Officials Eye Smaller Hikes
by David Russell | Nov 21, 2022
Conditions may be improving in the stock market as investors prepare for a busy week before the homestretch of the year. The S&P 500 slid 0.7 percent between Friday, November 11, and Friday, November 18. The index held its ground following a rally of almost 6...
Positive Inflation News Propels the Nasdaq Higher: Finally a Turn?
by David Russell | Nov 14, 2022
Stocks jumped last week on signs inflation may finally be coming under control. The S&P 500 rose 5.9 percent between Friday, November 4, and Friday November 11. It was the biggest weekly gain since June, with 95 percent of the index's members advancing. The...
Art of TradeStation: Go Deeper With Market Breadth
by David Russell | Nov 14, 2022
Market breadth analyzes the strength of the overall market by showing how stocks are performing in aggregate. It's a kind of technical analysis that looks deeper than the simple price performance of market-cap weighted major indexes like the S&P 500 and...
Chart of the Day: Does the S&P 500 Have Lessons From History?
by David Russell | Nov 11, 2022
Yesterday's CPI report was a reminder that, despite how it feels, the inflation crisis might not last forever. This raises the question of how to think about the Federal Reserve, and makes us look back to previous moments in history. The most relevant precedent could...
Top Stocks for Options Trading
Technology & Communication
Options Alert: Large Put Spread Targets Key Level in Apple
by David Russell | Jul 11, 2023
Apple has surged this year as Wall Street anticipates a new iPhone cycle and growth opportunities in India. But yesterday options traders looked for a pause. Check out this large transaction that occurred shortly after Monday's open: 20,000 4-August 180 puts traded...
Is the Glass Half Full in Chip Stocks as Tariff Worries Fade?
by William Owens | Sep 10, 2019
Chip stocks are pushing old highs as investors seem to expect better news for one of the market's most traded industries. The Market Vectors Semiconductor ETF (SMH) closed 2 percent below its all-time high yesterday. It's also up 5.8 percent in the last month, more...
A Wave of IPOs Is Building, Led by WeWork and SmileDirectClub
by David Russell | Sep 5, 2019
Volatility is fading this month, just as a wave of companies looks to go public. Prominent firms including WeWork (WE) and SmileDirectClub (SDC) are expected to raise more than $1 billion each in their initial public offerings (IPOs). Combined with other big names...
Apple Slips From Top Spot as Volatility Spikes: August at TradeStation
by David Russell | Aug 30, 2019
Volatility spiked in August, shifting attention away from individual stocks and toward the indexes. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) was the busiest symbol on TradeStation since the end of July, ending a four-month reign at the top by Apple (AAPL). Other index-linked...
Retailers Rebound as Earnings Season Ends on a Strong Note
by David Russell | Aug 23, 2019
Retail stocks rebounded from a selloff last week as investors shrugged off tariff fears and looked for strong earnings into the holidays. Target (TGT), Home Depot (HD), Lowe's (LOW) and Nordstrom (JWN) are among the market's biggest gainers in the last week. Some had...




