Market Insights
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Stocks Jump to Another Record High With Rate Cuts Expected
Stocks keep climbing as inflation slows and as investors looked for rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. The S&P 500 rose 0.9 percent between Friday, July 5, and Friday, July 12. The index closed above 5,600 for the first time ever, one week after surpassing 5,500....
This Retailer Keeps Reinventing Itself. Can you Guess July’s Mystery Stock?
The last year has been the worst of times for traditional retailers, but also the best of times. That's especially true for a company like today's mystery stock. It rose 94 percent between December 31 and June 30, making it No. 3 performer in the S&P 500 during...
Is Energy’s Long-Term Downtrend Resuming?
Energy stocks have rallied since November, but signs of exhaustion could be appearing. The SPDR Energy ETF (XLE) fell more than 3 percent today and is the market's worst-performing sector fund in the last two weeks. The selling comes despite crude oil prices hitting a...
Amazon.com Could Be Preparing for a Breakout: Technical Analysis
Amazon.com has consolidated since last August. Now it may be ready for a breakout, especially with the Nasdaq leading again. Friday’s close of $3,510.98 was AMZN’s second-highest close ever. It was also the highest close since September 2, a potential sign of...
Prices Have Been Rising. Here’s Why it Might Be Good for the Stock Market
Spiking lumber prices had everyone scared of inflation earlier this year. But now the trend could be turning into a big positive for the stock market. Two important things have happened since the big scare in early May: Major commodities including lumber, corn and...
Housing Stocks Could Be Trying To Turn: Chart of the Day
Homebuilders have pulled back following a big rally. Now the chart could be lining up for another move to the upside. The Philadelphia Housing Index has been finding support at its 100-day simple moving average for the last two weeks. It’s also been holding a price...
Options Alert: Call Buyers Are Targeting a Fast Move in Home Depot
Someone's looking for DIY giant Home Depot to make a fast move this week. Heavy call volume was detected in the short-term weekly contracts expiring this Friday: About 15,000 2-July 320 calls were purchased, initially for $1 to $1.19. Premiums quickly rose to $1.30...
Technology & Communication
Facebook, Amazon.com Miss, Apple Struggles with Supply Chain, Microsoft Jumps: Earnings This Week
Quarterly results from Apple, Amazon.com and Facebook came up short this week, but Microsoft and Alphabet jumped to new highs. It was the busiest period of earnings season, with five of the market's six biggest companies issuing numbers. (Tesla was last week.) Most...
Looking Behind the Numbers as Stocks Test Old Highs
The S&P 500 hit a new all-time high yesterday, slightly above its previous record in January. Many things have changed since that previous peak. Then, stocks drifted upward in a mindless and complacent bubble. Now, they've proven themselves with two strong...
Big Trade in a Little Gaming Stock: Options Recap
A small gaming stock has pulled back hard following a big rally, but now the bulls are back. Remember Scientific Games (SGMS)? It's a provider of gambling-technology like slot machines and lottery systems. But it was also viewed as a key beneficiary to the U.S....
Stocks Keep Climbing as Confidence Builds
Stocks keep inching higher as confidence builds. The S&P 500 rose 0.6 percent between Friday, August 10, and Friday, August 17. It was the seventh positive week in the last eight, and the second-highest weekly close in history. The big stories are the U.S. economy...
Here’s How Much Money Someone Made in Apple on Friday
There's a reason why people trade options in Apple (AAPL). Check out this massive call spread that took shape in the tech giant during Friday's session. Roughly 81,400 August 215 calls were purchased in thousands of small blocks. Buyers paid $1.03 on average. A...