Market Insights
Opportunity knocks for those with trading in their DNA.
Curiosity creates opportunity. Insights create strategy. Born traders create their destiny.
Stocks
Options
Futures

Chips Push Higher Before Big Tech Earnings
by David Russell | Jan 22, 2025
Fourth-quarter earnings season has begun. Financials were the first major sector to report and the agenda will soon turn to large technology companies like Microsoft and Apple. This article will cover some key dates and recent news on these major growth stocks. It...
Chart of the Day: Exxon Challenges Short Term Resistance
by David Russell | May 20, 2024
Exxon Mobil rallied in March and early April. Now, after a pullback, some traders may expect further upside. The first pattern on today’s chart is the falling trendline along last month’s highs. The energy giant closed above it on Friday, which could be considered ......
Stocks Break Out as Inflation Cools and China Steps In
by David Russell | May 20, 2024
Stocks have broken out as inflation cools and China moves to support its ailing property market. The S&P 500 rose 1.5 percent between Friday, May 10, and Friday, May 17. It was the fourth straight positive week, with the index passing 5,300 for the first time. The...
RadarScreen Is One of TradeStation’s Powerful Tools. Get Started With This Lesson
by David Russell | May 16, 2024
RadarScreen™ is one of TradeStation's most powerful tools. If you're new to our platform here are some basics to get you started with this versatile application. What Does RadarScreen Do? First, what does it do? RadarScreen is a customizable grid that can track and...
Could This Week’s Events Get Walmart Moving Again?
by David Russell | May 14, 2024
Walmart has been stuck in a tight range, and some events this week could trigger a move. The retail giant broke out to new record highs on February 20 before settling into a range between about $58.50 and $61. Prices have recently moved above the convergence of the...
Stock Gains Widen as Investors Hope for Lower Inflation
by David Russell | May 13, 2024
Money is flowing back into stocks as investors hope for a better inflation report this week. The S&P 500 rose 1.9 percent between Friday, May 3, and Friday, May 10. It was the third straight positive week. More than four-fifths of the index's members advanced,...
The Basics of Options
by David Russell | May 12, 2024
Options are an important tool for many retail investors. They can either replace trading shares, or make it easier to position oneself in stocks. Let’s consider the first things options traders need to know. An Option’s Price Is Usually Called ‘Premium’ There are some...
Top Stocks for Options Trading
Technology & Communication

Options Alert: Bears Could Be Active in Social Media Stock
by David Russell | Sep 10, 2024
Snap plunged on weak results last month, and some options traders may be targeting further downside. Check out this unusual activity from yesterday in the social-media stock: More than 29,000 November 6 puts traded, mostly for $0.17. About 16,000 December 8 puts...

Options Alert: Twitter Traders Break Records as Elon Musk Fuels Historic Rally
by David Russell | Apr 5, 2022
Twitter leaped yesterday after Elon Musk revealed a giant stake in the social-media company. The news also triggered historic options volume. More than 1.5 million calls and puts changed hands in TWTR on Monday, according to TradeStation data. That was 346,000...

Tesla Is Leading a Rebound in Megacap Growth Stocks as the Fed Fades and Earnings Approach
by David Russell | Mar 29, 2022
High-multiple growth stocks have lagged since late 2021. But that's changing thanks to Tesla. The electric-vehicle giant is up 25 percent so far this month, making it the top performer in the Nasdaq-100 in March. The rally began when TSLA refused to stay under $800...

Chart of the Day: Here’s a Rare Breakout in the Technology Sector
by David Russell | Mar 28, 2022
Most technology stocks remain well off their highs in 2022, but not Juniper Networks. The maker of routers and switches closed at its highest level in almost 11 years last week. The breakout followed some interesting patterns that may anticipate a bigger move. First,...

Options Alert: Call Buyer Gives Chinese Tech Stock More Time for a Potential Move
by David Russell | Mar 22, 2022
Chinese technology stocks jumped last week, and one big options trader is targeting a former high flier. Check out this unusual options activity in Shanghai-based e-commerce company Pinduoduo (PDD): A block of 15,000 April 50 calls was sold for $1.67 against open...