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Bullish, Neutral, Even Bearish: 3 Ways Options Traders Can Use Covered Calls
by David Russell | May 10, 2024
Covered calls are one of the most common strategies for options traders. While many investors have heard of them, they may not realize that covered calls are highly versatile. This article will cover how the method can be bullish, neutral and even bearish. First,...
Quadruple Witching Dates for 2024: How Can They Impact Stock and Futures Trading?
by David Russell | Feb 7, 2024
What Is Quad Witching? Quadruple witching is an event in financial markets when four different sets of futures and options expire on the same day. Futures and options are derivatives, linked to underlying stock prices. When derivatives expire, traders must close...
Earnings Surprises, Strong Economy Push Stocks to Another Record High
by David Russell | Feb 5, 2024
Stocks keep hitting new highs as strong megacap earnings and an accelerating economy draw money from the sidelines. The S&P 500 rose 1.7 percent between Friday, January 26, and Friday, February 2. It was the index's fourth straight positive week, continuing its...
Is Good News Priced In For Now? January Ends On a Weak Note
by David Russell | Feb 1, 2024
Stocks rose for a third straight month in January, but some investors may worry most of the good news is priced in for now. The S&P 500 advanced 1.6 percent between December 29 and January 31. At one point it was up as much as 3.4 percent, but fell sharply to end...
Netflix Leads Market to New Highs Before Fed Meeting
by David Russell | Jan 29, 2024
The stock market set a new record last week, led by communication companies like Netflix, Comcast and Alphabet. The S&P 500 rose 1.1 percent between Friday, January 19, and Friday, January 26. It was the third straight positive week, bringing the index above 4900...
Stocks Break Out as AI Boom Fuels Tech Rally
by David Russell | Jan 22, 2024
Stocks are breaking out to new highs as the Artificial Intelligence boom widens. The S&P 500 rose 1.2 percent in the holiday-shortened week between Friday, January 12, and Friday, January 19. The index closed at a new all-time high for the first time in over two...
Chart of the Day: Can Intel Keep Running?
by David Russell | Jan 18, 2024
Intel has been rallying on hopes of a turnaround, and some chart watchers may see potential for more upside. The first pattern on today’s chart is the series of lower highs since December 27. The chipmaker has tested the falling trendline over the last week. Could a...
Top Stocks for Options Trading
Technology & Communication
Chart of the Day: Nvidia and the Midcap Breakout
by David Russell | Mar 11, 2024
Megacap growth stocks like Nvidia have outperformed for years. But traders looking for the trend to change may see more evidence of a shift. Today’s idea considers three charts. The first shows how NVDA rallied 93 percent this year above its previous record high. It...
Technical Analysis: Don’t Forget About Alphabet
by David Russell | Jun 13, 2023
Alphabet has been on the sidelines since a big rally in May. Is it time for traders to think about more upside? The first pattern on today’s chart is last August’s peak around $122.43. GOOGL chopped on either side of the level for three weeks but has mostly stayed...
Chart of the Day: Micron Pulls Back After Breaking Out
by David Russell | May 22, 2023
Semiconductor stocks have been moving lately. Today’s chart focuses on memory-chip producer Micron Technology. The first pattern to consider is the level around $64.30. MU peaked near this price in November, January, March and April. A breakout followed in mid-May...
Options Alert: Call Volume Grows as Salesforce.com Nears Highs
by David Russell | May 9, 2023
Major technology stocks like Apple and Microsoft jumped on quarterly results. Will peer Saleforce.com make a similar move? Marc Benioff's provider of cloud-based marketing software is up 49 percent this year after a sharp selloff in 2022. It has paused over the last...
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,...