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Ever heard the saying that "close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades?" It means coming close to a goal isn't good enough for most projects. But it can be good enough when it come to charting the S&P 500. Last week, for instance, Market Insights surveyed...
This is the first installment of a four-part series about options Greeks that will appear on Market Insights between now and Labor Day week. Some clients may be confused by options, especially their use of Greek letters. Delta, gamma, theta, and vega. How to remember...
Earlier today, we highlighted the spreading risk of global debt and currency problems. But what does it mean for the chart most of us really care about, the S&P 500? Here are some thoughts. First, the U.S. index is in the midst of its longest weekly winning streak...
Buy low, sell high. It's a basic rule of investing everyone's heard. What they might not appreciate, however, is how it applies to implied volatility. We'll examine that today because it may help spare some readers money and hassle. First, remember that implied...
The S&P 500 hit its highest level since late-January as the index fills a "bearish gap." Remember, gaps are patterns on candle-stick charts that show a security jumping up or down from one price zone to another without any transactions between the two. That leaves...
Earlier this week, we outlined a potential options trade on Apple (AAPL) before earnings. That strategy hit maximum profit this morning after strong results sent the tech giant to a new all-time high. Let's take a look with TradeStation's OptionStation Pro. The green...
One of the most predictable things in the market is time decay after a big event like earnings. Have you ever used a diagonal spread to capitalize on the change? Today we'll see how it's done. First, remember that option premiums attempt to factor in price swings. As...
Stocks may have just broken a key level from early in the year, shortly before they suffered a gut-wrenching drop. Here's what it felt like at the time: The S&P 500 hit a record high on January 26. It then stalled and chopped in a right range before spiraling...
It's a busy week for earnings and economic news. But, don't forget about one the year's strongest areas in the market. We're talking about small-cap stocks, tracked by the iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM). Its 9 percent gain so far this year makes it the second-best...