Individuals Institutional

Call toll-free 800.328.1267

Market Insights

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

Indexes and ETFs
Latin American Value Hunt Continues

Latin American Value Hunt Continues

Stocks south of the border keep heading north. The iShares Latin America 40 ETF (ILF) is up 10 percent so far this year, about triple the performance of the S&P 500 over the same period. Unlike the unlike the domestic index, the fund is also above its 50- and...

Stocks Climb Wall of Worry for Third Straight Week

Stocks Climb Wall of Worry for Third Straight Week

Stocks keep climbing as investors return to the market after a terrible fourth quarter. The S&P 500 rose 2.5 percent between Friday, January 4, and Friday, January 11. It was the third straight weekly gain and brought the index back to its highest level since...

Small Companies Outperforming in the New Year

Small Companies Outperforming in the New Year

Suddenly small is beautiful in the eyes of investors. Indexes focused on smaller companies, like the Russell 2000 (IWM) or the Nasdaq Composite ($COMPX), have outperformed larger benchmarks like the S&P 500 ($SPX.X) and Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) since...

Double Dose of Good News for Economy as 2019 Begins

Double Dose of Good News for Economy as 2019 Begins

The U.S. economy has gotten a double dose of good news as 2019 gets underway. Non-farm payrolls had their biggest gain in 10 months, almost doubling forecasters' expectations. But that's not all. The October and November totals were also revised up by 58,000....

Brazil Kicked Off 2019 with a Bang

Brazil Kicked Off 2019 with a Bang

Latin America's biggest economy kicked off the New Year with a bang as a pro-business government took power. The iShares Brazil ETF (EWZ) ripped 6.4 percent yesterday, its biggest gain since Jair Bolsonaro effectively won the presidency in early October. Brazil is not...

Santa Was Naughty and Nice for Stocks in a Crazy Christmas Week

Santa Was Naughty and Nice for Stocks in a Crazy Christmas Week

Santa Claus was naughty and nice for investors last week, delivering one of the craziest Christmas weeks ever. It started with the S&P 500 plunging to its lowest level in 16 months. The index then reversed to enjoy its biggest one-day rally in almost 10 years....

Bulls Target Coca Cola and Silver Options

Bulls Target Coca Cola and Silver Options

What do a soft-drink giant and a precious metal fund have in common? They both have bullish options trades today, that's what. Let's start with Coca-Cola (KO). The soda maker is one of the few members of the Dow Jones Industrial Average with a gain so far this year or...

Market Jitters Are Lifting Gold Miners

Market Jitters Are Lifting Gold Miners

Gold miners are the only winners in this market as mounting worries drive investors to the ultimate safety play. The Dow Jones US Gold Miner Index ($DJUSPM) has gained 5 percent in the last month. That makes the best performer -- and only real gainer -- of more than...

Investors Sold Everything That Wasn’t Nailed Down Last Week

Investors Sold Everything That Wasn’t Nailed Down Last Week

Stocks just finished their worst week in seven years as investors sold everything that wasn't nailed down. All the major sectors declined at least 5 percent. Energy cratered 10 percent, small caps slid 9 percent and Technology dropped 8 percent. The S&P 500's 6.6...