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Guess who’s raiding the medicine chest

Guess who’s raiding the medicine chest

News reports have seen it coming for months, but now it's official: Amazon.com (AMZN) is attacking drug distributors. AMZN announced the purchase of closely held PillPack. The smaller company caters to patients who routinely take large numbers of medicines, like for...

Basics of hedging, part 1: Puts

Basics of hedging, part 1: Puts

Market volatility is one the biggest headaches for investors. You can make very good choices on stocks or exchange-traded funds (ETFs), researching the fundamentals and knowing their opportunities. But then a tornado of movement hits and all that hard work turns into...

Bulls pivot back to energy: Midweek sector check

Bulls pivot back to energy: Midweek sector check

The S&P 500 is bouncing at its 50-day moving average as the market drifts into the dog days of summer. Here's a breakdown of the best- and worst-performing industries so far this week. Winners: Energy is surging with life as crude oil (@CL) rallies to a new...

Medical device giant targeted for breakout: Options recap

Medical device giant targeted for breakout: Options recap

Medical-device giant Medtronic (MDT) has gone nowhere for the last two years, but options traders are looking for a breakout. About 25,000 August 90 calls were bought on Tuesday for $0.74 -- pretty noteworthy for a company that averaged only 10,000 contracts per...

How a bull’s playing sneaker earnings: Options recap

How a bull’s playing sneaker earnings: Options recap

Last quarter iconic sneaker maker Nike (NKE) surprised to the upside. One big options trader seem to expect more good news  tomorrow night. Here's a breakdown of the complex, high-risk complex strategy that appeared yesterday afternoon: 4,100 6-July 73.50 calls were...

Traders, keep an eye on oil

Traders, keep an eye on oil

Oil is in the news today with crude futures at a potentially key level. The main item came this morning from the U.S. State Department, which took a hard line against Iran. Washington is reportedly demanding that companies stop shipping oil from the terrorist state by...

A look behind Monday’s wild ride

A look behind Monday’s wild ride

"Lows are never made on Friday." That old trader's rule of thumb seems truer than ever now. The basic idea is that when a week ends on a bearish note, some investors will capitulate over the weekend by submitting sell orders. Those inevitably trigger more selling...

How stocks may be signaling slower growth

How stocks may be signaling slower growth

Even before today's market tumble, stocks seemed to be dismissing good economic news. Most of the U.S. numbers, after all, have impressed recently. Measures of unemployment are still at multi-generational lows, manufacturing and consumer sentiment is through the roof....

Get ready for a summer snooze: Larry Williams Cycle indicator

Get ready for a summer snooze: Larry Williams Cycle indicator

Get ready for a sleepy July and a turbulent August. The Larry Williams Cycle Forecast Indicator sees the Dow Jones Industrial Average inching higher next month. Volatility's expected to remain at current levels over that time, but then spike in the first half of...