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Stocks Just Had Their Best Quarter Since 2013

Stocks Just Had Their Best Quarter Since 2013

Stocks dipped slightly last week, but still had their best quarter in almost five years. The S&P 500 slid 0.5 percent between Friday, September 21, and Friday, September 28. It was only the third negative week in the last 13. The index's 7.2 percent gain since the...

Traders Try to Catch a Falling Knife: Options Recap

Traders Try to Catch a Falling Knife: Options Recap

Someone's trying to call a bottom in one of the market's worst-performing stocks. General Electric (GE) has lost more than half its value in the last two years, landing it at the bottom of the S&P 500's rankings over that time frame. It would also be the top loser...

Cannabis Craze Drives Activity: September at TradeStation

Cannabis Craze Drives Activity: September at TradeStation

The cannabis craze swept markets in September, with TradeStation clients riding the wave. Canadian marijuana firm Tilray (TLRY) was the third-busiest stock on our platforms this month, catapulting from No. 24 in August. Related companies Canopy Growth (CGC) and Cronos...

A Tough Slog For Banks, With a Happy Ending

A Tough Slog For Banks, With a Happy Ending

There was a day when higher interest rates lifted financials. But not anymore. Selling in the sector has been intense, with 64 of the 67 members of the SPDR Financial ETF (XLF) down so far this week. Banks, insurers and asset managers have all taken a beating. (Don't...

Attention Returns to Oil as Iran Sanctions Loom

Attention Returns to Oil as Iran Sanctions Loom

Bullish sentiment seems to be growing in the energy market as Iranian sanctions take hold. U.S. WTI crude oil futures (@CL) are pushing the top of their 2018 range, while the spot price on European Brent hit a four-year high this week. The gains have come despite...

This Global Energy Stock May Be Flashing a Bullish Signal

This Global Energy Stock May Be Flashing a Bullish Signal

A momentum growth stock could be flashing a bullish signal. Cheniere Energy (LNG) is the biggest player in the rapidly expanding natural-gas export business. It's been consolidating after a big rally in the first half, and now a "cup and handle" pattern may suggest...

IPOs Keep Coming in September

IPOs Keep Coming in September

Initial public offerings (IPOs) are running at their quickest pace in years. Have you been watching? Volume at the end of August was already close to the total for all of 2017, according to data from ClickIPO. In fact, if you include Spotify's (SPOT)'s unusual direct...

Options 101: Hedging With Ratio Spreads

Options 101: Hedging With Ratio Spreads

This post is part of an educational series on equity derivatives. Want to learn more? Sign up for our Options Stars 2018 symposium in Chicago next month. Sometimes I love trading options so much I forget they were invented to be used in tandem with stocks. This post...

Your Favorite Sector’s Getting Reshuffled

Your Favorite Sector’s Getting Reshuffled

Everyone loves tech. Did you know the sector's about to get reshuffled? Over the years, "technology" has become an increasingly ambiguous term. What do semiconductors have in common with phone companies? Why should routers and photocopiers get lumped alongside social...