Market Insights
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Bearish Option Strategy: Put Spread
by David Russell | Jun 29, 2025
Traders buy a put option near the money and sell another at a lower strike. This strategy can leverage a price drop with limited capital at risk. Learn more
Is a Reversal Coming? Rate of Change Can Help Spot Turns in the Stock Market
by David Russell | Sep 20, 2022
Not all price moves are created equal. Today we'll explore a common tool for judging the strength of a rally or decline: the rate of change indicator. Rate of change shows the percentage change over a certain number of trailing bars. (TradeStation's platforms use a...
Stocks Remain Under Pressure Before a Major Federal Reserve Meeting
by David Russell | Sep 19, 2022
Stocks remain under pressure as investors brace for another interest-rate hike by the Federal Reserve. The S&P 500 slid 4.8 percent between Friday, September 9, and Friday, September 16. It was the fourth negative week in the last five, and the biggest drop since...
Technical Analysis: Tight Consolidation in Another Clean Energy Stock
by David Russell | Sep 14, 2022
Clean-energy stocks have been one of the strongest parts of the market lately, and today’s chart focuses on a new battery-tech name: Stem. The first pattern is the quick uptrend in late summer, fueled by the Inflation Reduction Act and strong quarterly results on...
Inflation Jumps Before the Fed: Are There Any Signs of Improvement?
by David Russell | Sep 14, 2022
Inflation jumped again in August, but there could be signs of price increases slowing. The Consumer Price Index rose 8.3 percent last month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That was 0.2 percentage point higher than expected. The surprise made investors...
Options Alert: Call Volume Swells in Apple as IPhone 14 Hits the Market
by David Russell | Sep 13, 2022
The options activity may be turning bullish in Apple as the smart-phone giant rolls out the iPhone 14. Some 1.1 million call contracts traded in AAPL yesterday. That was the most since the earnings came out in late July, according to TradeStation data. Our analytics...
Chart of the Day: Is It Time to Go Back to the Well in Occidental?
by David Russell | Sep 12, 2022
Occidental Petroleum is the biggest gainer in the S&P 500 this year, but was the biggest decliner last week. Is the dip an opportunity for the bulls? The first pattern on today's chart is the surge to a new 52-week high in late August. It is one of only 12 S&P...
Top Stocks for Options Trading
Technology & Communication
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,...
Big Tech Goes to Capitol Hill for Busy Day of Hearings
by David Russell | Jul 16, 2019
Big technology companies face not one. Not two. But, three hearings in Congress today. Representatives from Facebook (FB), Alphabet (GOOGL), Amazon.com (AMZN) and Apple (AAPL) are scheduled to appear before the House of Representatives and Senate today. The committees...
IPO Insider: Market Set for Busy Summer Following Big Quarter
by David Russell | Jul 10, 2019
The initial public offerings (IPOs) are surging as a new generation of technology and health-care stocks join the market. Roughly $32.5 billion of deals priced between April and June, according to ClickIPO. That made it the most active quarter since July-September of...
Trio of FANG Stocks Flirts With Breakouts as Big Events Approach
by David Russell | Jul 9, 2019
Remember FANG stocks? Three members of this elite club may be flirting with breakouts before some big events. Netflix (NFLX), Facebook (FB) and Amazon.com (AMZN) are less than 1 percent from their highs for the year. The trio has quietly outperformed the broader...
Bull Markets Climb a Wall of Worry, Once Again
by David Russell | Jul 1, 2019
"Bull markets climb a wall of worry." The old adage proved true again today as the S&P 500 breaks out to new highs. Investors ended last week fearing higher tariffs against China before the G20 Summit in Osaka. Then President Trump withdrew the threat after...




