Market Insights
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Megacaps vs. Small Caps: Market Trends This Week
Downloads are available here. TradeStation’s ideas on TradingView are available here. Check out our next “State of the Market,” on Monday, 8/5. Sizing Up the S&P 500 S&P 500 holds 50-day moving average New record high for advance / decline line...
Stocks Retreat as Data Weakens. Is Stagflation Coming?
Stocks had their worst week in almost three months as the economy slows and the Federal Reserves prepares to tighten monetary policy. The S&P 500 slid 1.7 percent in the holiday-shortened period between September 3 and September 10. It was the biggest drop since...
This Tech-Savvy Restaurant Chain Took Off During the Pandemic. Can You Guess September’s Mystery Stock?
The coronavirus pandemic transformed the nature of in-person businesses like retail and restaurants. This month's mystery stock was ready for the change, and has thrived amid the crisis. It started 28 years ago when a sous chef noticed the popularity of tacos and...
Is the S&P 500 Rolling Over? Check Out Today’s Technical Analysis
The S&P 500 has climbed for seven straight months. But it may face some near-term challenges as September gets underway. The main pattern on today’s chart is the resistance line running along the highs since mid-April. Notice how prices have stalled once again at...
Options Alert: Call Buyers Target Breakout in Up-and-Coming Cloud Stock
Datadog, an 11-year old cloud-computing firm, broke out to new highs last month. Today, options traders looked for the rally to continue. More than 20,000 call options changed hands at the 140 strike, plus another 5,000 at the 142 strike. Four contracts accounted for...
IPOs, iPhones and Fed Tapering: Stocks Enter the Home Stretch for 2021
The U.S. economy took a hit last month, but investors may find new opportunities as they come back from the summer. A wave of initial public offerings (IPOs), changes in Federal Reserve policy and technology news could prove catalysts in coming weeks. We'll consider...
Looking for Support or Resistance? Fibonacci Levels Could Help
Stocks often pullback after rallying, or bounce following a decline. Traders must often rely on their own judgement to determine when such a countertrend move is complete. However the Fibonacci retracement tools available on TradeStation's desktop platform can assist...
Technology & Communication
This Corner Of the Technology Sector Was Coming to Life Before Omicron Struck the Market
Stocks have tumbled in the last week as investors worry about the omicron variant of coronavirus. However a certain group of technology firms was rallying before the selloff: computer hardware. HP (HPQ) and Dell Technologies (DELL), the world's No. 2 and 3 PC makers,...
History May Favor Bulls This Quarter, Despite Volatility
Stocks are coming off their worst week since March, but history may favor the bulls. After all, we're in the fourth quarter -- a time of the year with a strong bias to the upside. Consider some of these points we crunched from TradeStation's wealth of chart data: The...
Basics of Hedging, Part 3: Buying Vs. Selling Options
We recently outlined protective puts and covered calls as common hedging techniques. This brings us to the important question of selling options versus buying options. To understand the these two basic kinds of transactions, traders need to recognize the difference...
Nasdaq Gets Slammed as Rates Shoot Higher
Stocks began the fourth quarter in the red as interest rates spiked and money streamed out of the technology sector. The S&P 500 slid 1 percent between Friday, September 28, and Friday, October 5. But that was nothing compared with the Nasdaq-100's 3 percent drop...
The Message Behind Yesterday’s Volatility Spike
Yesterday was a reminder for traders who forgot what volatility feels like. The S&P 500 had its biggest drop since June 25, and Cboe's Volatility Index ($VIX.X) had its biggest spike over the same period. Even more impressive, TradeStation data showed 23.6 million...