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Will Retailers Enjoy a Happy Holiday Shopping Season?
by David Russell | Nov 26, 2024
Traditional retailers are jumping as money shifts from megacap growth stocks to forgotten corners of the market. Companies like Williams-Sonoma (WSM), Dillard's (DDS) and Deckers Outdoor (DECK) have outperformed the broader S&P 500 by a wide margin in the last...
Could Sentiment Finally Turn? Market Trends This Week
by David Russell | Aug 15, 2024
Downloads are available here. TradeStation’s ideas on TradingView are available here. Check out our next “State of the Market,” on Monday, 8/12. (Time now at at 2 p.m. ET.) Sizing Up the S&P 500 S&P 500 rebounds to 50-day MA, erasing more than 50% of...
Stocks Have Been Volatile, But Does the News Get Better From Here?
by David Russell | Aug 12, 2024
Historic volatility hit the stock market last week, but attention could soon turn to a series of upcoming catalysts. Some of them may be viewed positively -- especially after last week's big recovery. The S&P 500 was down as much as 4.3 percent the morning of...
Options Alert: Call Volume Spikes as Apparel Stock Attempts a Turnaround
by David Russell | Aug 8, 2024
Options activity is surging as beaten-down VF jumps and traders unwind bearish positions. The owner of brands like Vans and The North Face rallied 7 percent yesterday after earnings and revenue beat expectations. It was the company's second big surge in the last two...
How Long Will the Volatility Last? Market Trends This Week
by David Russell | Aug 8, 2024
Downloads are available here. TradeStation’s ideas on TradingView are available here. Check out our next “State of the Market,” on Monday, 8/12. Sizing Up the S&P 500 S&P 500 down for 4th straight week, longest negative streak since...
Chart of the Day: The Nasdaq Could Be Oversold
by David Russell | Aug 6, 2024
The Nasdaq-100 has fallen sharply in the last three weeks, but some traders may think the tech-heavy index is oversold. The first pattern on today's chart is the sequence of simple moving averages (SMAs). The 50-day SMA is above the 100-day SMA and both are above the...
Stocks Slide: Is the Fed Behind the Curve Again?
by David Russell | Aug 5, 2024
Almost three years ago, investors thought the Federal Reserve was behind the curve on inflation. Now they have just the opposite fear. The S&P 500 slid 2.1 percent between Friday, July 26, and Friday, August 2. It was the third consecutive negative week, dragging...
Top Stocks for Options Trading
Technology & Communication
China Stimulus, Chip Rally Drive Stocks to Another New High
by David Russell | Sep 30, 2024
Stocks are pushing to new record highs as China unleashes economic stimulus and chipmakers keep rising. The S&P 500 rose 0.6 percent between Friday, September 20, and Friday, September 27. It was the third straight positive week, with almost two-thirds of the...
Chart of the Day: Micron Pulls Back After Breaking Out
by David Russell | May 22, 2023
Semiconductor stocks have been moving lately. Today’s chart focuses on memory-chip producer Micron Technology. The first pattern to consider is the level around $64.30. MU peaked near this price in November, January, March and April. A breakout followed in mid-May...
Options Alert: Call Volume Grows as Salesforce.com Nears Highs
by David Russell | May 9, 2023
Major technology stocks like Apple and Microsoft jumped on quarterly results. Will peer Saleforce.com make a similar move? Marc Benioff's provider of cloud-based marketing software is up 49 percent this year after a sharp selloff in 2022. It has paused over the last...
Chart of the Day: Apple Pulls Back After a ‘Golden Cross’
by David Russell | Mar 29, 2023
Apple clawed to a six-month high last week. Is it done or will prices continue higher? The first pattern on today’s chart is the price level around $156. AAPL peaked there on March 6 and bounced there yesterday. Some chart watchers could think ... For more,...
Growth Comeback? Nasdaq Surged Last Week Amid Banking Scares
by David Russell | Mar 20, 2023
Stocks face a confusing mix of positives and negatives, but the biggest story could be an unexpected surge in the Nasdaq-100. The technology-heavy index rallied 5.8 percent between Friday, March 10, and Friday March 17. In absolute terms, it was the biggest weekly...