Market Insights
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A Big Week for Stocks: Megacap Earnings, GDP, Jobs Data
by David Russell | Oct 28, 2024
Money is coming back to megacaps as the biggest week of earnings season begins. The S&P 500 slid 1 percent between Friday, October 18, and Friday, October 25. It was the index's first drop in seven weeks. However the Nasdaq-100 inched toward record highs, with its...
The Basics of Options
by David Russell | Dec 31, 2022
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...
The Structure of Options Trades
by David Russell | Dec 31, 2022
While options can be traded by themselves, investors often use them in conjunction with other securities. So before going further, let's consider the four basic ways that options trades are structured. You Can Trade Options by Themselves As we learned in a previous...
Buying and Selling Options
by David Russell | Dec 31, 2022
Most clients understand buying and selling stocks. Options are similar, and can be traded in the same brokerage accounts. However, you should know some basic differences. Bid / Ask Spreads Matter A bid/ask spread is the difference between where you can sell a security...
Essential Options Knowledge: Time, Volatility and Different Kinds of Value
by David Russell | Dec 31, 2022
Options confuse a lot of investors because several factors impact their value. Unlike stocks, they don't just go up and down based on supply and demand. This post will explain three of the most important concepts you need to get started: time, volatility and intrinsic...
Chart of the Day: Royal Caribbean May Be Cruising Lower
by David Russell | Dec 19, 2022
Royal Caribbean Cruises drifted higher since the summer, but now it may be rolling over. The first pattern on today’s chart is the level around $61.45, where the leisure stock bottomed in March before proceeding to new lows. RCL peaked around that price on November 15...
Stocks Fall as Fed Drives Fear About Earnings and a Potential Recession
by David Russell | Dec 19, 2022
Stocks fell again last week as the Federal Reserve's tough stance on inflation made investors worry about earnings and a potential recession in 2023. The S&P 500 slid 2.1 percent between Friday, December 9, and Friday, December 16. The Nasdaq-100 fell even more,...
Top Stocks for Options Trading
Technology & Communication
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Technical Analysis: What If Apple Holds This Price Level?
by David Russell | Dec 11, 2022
Megacap technology stocks like Apple have dragged on the market amid disruptions in China. But what if the iPhone giant manages to bounce? Could it give the bigger indexes a boost? The main pattern on today’s chart is the $140 level. This price first had importance on...
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The Bulls May Have An Uphill Fight with Apple, Amazon and Facebook in Congress and Issuing Results
by David Russell | Jul 29, 2020
The next two days have a ton of news on major technology stocks like Apple, Amazon.com and Facebook. There are also important things happening on the price charts. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 have some big patterns, most of which are potentially bearish. This may...
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Tesla Results Come Through and Housing Surges: Earnings This Week
by David Russell | Jul 24, 2020
This week's earnings featured a huge quarter from electric-car maker Tesla and several positive surprises in the housing space. TSLA's earnings and revenue beat estimates in the second quarter, despite coronavirus shuttering some factories. Its manufacturing practices...
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Chip Stocks Are Trying to Break Out Before AMD, Intel Earnings
by David Russell | Jul 21, 2020
Semiconductors are starting to outperform as investors prepare for results from firms like Intel and Advanced Micro Devices. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index ($SOX) broke out to new record highs on July 6 and have held their ground since. Its relative strength...
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Tesla Reports This Week, More FANG Stocks Next Week: Key Things to Know
by David Russell | Jul 21, 2020
The most important part of earnings season is about to begin as major technology stocks like Tesla, Microsoft and Facebook present their numbers. TSLA and MSFT get the ball rolling Thursday afternoon. FB, Amazon.com (AMZN), Apple (AAPL) and Alphabet (GOOGL) follow...