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The scramble for China continues

The scramble for China continues

Google is joining the scramble for China. The Silicon Valley-based search giant bought a 1 percent stake in JD.com (JD), China's No. 2 e-commerce company. JD's products will soon appear in on Google Shopping results for users in U.S., Europe and non-Chinese parts of...

Last week was calm as confidence grew

Last week was calm as confidence grew

Despite a lot of news, last week was the quietest of the year. The S&P 500 moved less than 30 points between its low and high, the narrowest range since Christmas. The index still managed to close slightly positive, its fourth straight weekly gain. The big...

Oil bears double downside bet in key ETF: Options recap

Oil bears double downside bet in key ETF: Options recap

Disclosure: This post is intended for educational purposes only. Options trading may not be suitable for all investors. We just wrote about the drop in oil as the market braces for potential supply increases at next week's OPEC meeting. Almost simultaneously, a big...

Fear sweeps energy market before OPEC meeting

Fear sweeps energy market before OPEC meeting

The Russians are coming, the Russians are coming... coming back to the energy market that is. Crude oil futures (@CL) fell almost 3 percent today, their biggest drop this month, as traders brace for OPEC's next meeting a week from now. The big worry is Russia wanting...

Silver may be nearing a breakout

Silver may be nearing a breakout

Something bullish may be brewing in silver. The TradeStation platform shows silver futures (@SI) up 3 percent in the last two months. Gold futures (@GC), on the other hand are down 3 percent. That's a odd because the two metals usually move in tandem. Perhaps even...

Where options traders are mining for a rally

Where options traders are mining for a rally

Someone wants to turn iron into gold with options. Here's the large bullish trade detected yesterday in Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF): 25,000 August 8 calls bought for $1.29. 25,000 August 8 puts sold for $0.28. 25,000 June 7 calls sold for $1.96 as an existing position...

Fun and games on the rise: Midweek sector check

Fun and games on the rise: Midweek sector check

The S&P 500 is up fractionally on the week as investors target some newer areas of the market. Here's a breakdown of the best- and worst- performing industry groups at the half-way point: Winners: Media is the biggest gainer, led by 10 percent surges in...

Another cloud IPO screams higher

Another cloud IPO screams higher

Last week Zscaler (ZS) ripped to a new high on strong earnings. Today, it's Pivotal Software's (PVTL) turn. PVTL rose about 25 percent in morning trading to a new high after subscription revenue shot up 69 percent. Profit beat. Revenue beat. Guidance wowed. Never...

Here come the central banks

Here come the central banks

Now that the North Korean summit is finished, attention turns to major central bank meetings on both sides of the Atlantic. Both are expected to push interest rates higher. The U.S. Federal Reserve gets things started at 2 p.m. ET today. Forecasts across the board...