Market Insights
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What Tools Can Help With Extended Hours Trading?
TradeStation recently increased its window for extended-hours trading. This article will consider some of the tools that might help in the pre- and post-market. The first application is Chart Analysis, which typically shows only regular stock-market hours of 9:30 a.m....
Chart of the Day: Make or Break Time for the Russell?
The Russell 2000 has gone nowhere since December, but some traders may think the small cap index is poised for a move. The main pattern on today’s chart is the pair of converging lines along the lows since April and the highs since May. Will there be a breakout from...
Bulls in the China Shop? Options Surge Before Big Events
Options traders are getting active in Chinese technology companies like Baidu before two potentially important events. The first catalyst is at 8:30 a.m. ET tomorrow, when the U.S. Labor Department releases the consumer price index (CPI). It's the first reading of...
Stocks Keep Climbing as Lower Rates Push Growth Names Higher
Large growth stocks are leading the market to new highs again as investors anticipate lower interest rates. The S&P 500 rose almost 2 percent in the holiday-shortened week between Friday, June 28, and Friday, July 5. The index closed above 5,500 for the first time...
Key Points About Selling Credit Spreads
A previous post covered debit spreads, when you pay a debit looking for a stock or ETF to move in a certain direction. Credit spreads are just the opposite, with traders collecting premium up front in hope that the stock won’t move a certain way. What a...
Measuring the Summer Calm With TradeStation’s Custom Functionality
Stocks have enjoyed a calm drift higher since the beginning of May. But just how smooth has the ride been? Today we'll answer that question using TradeStation's award-winning platform. One approach is to measure the amount of time since the S&P 500 last had a...
Technology and the Nasdaq Surged Back to Life in June
Stocks keep hitting new highs as technology comes back to life. The S&P 500 rose 3.5 percent in June, while the Nasdaq-100 climbed 6.2 percent. Software companies, chipmakers and other large technology companies broadly drove the gains. As a result, the technology...
Technology & Communication
Options Alert: Bears Could Be Active in Social Media Stock
Snap plunged on weak results last month, and some options traders may be targeting further downside. Check out this unusual activity from yesterday in the social-media stock: More than 29,000 November 6 puts traded, mostly for $0.17. About 16,000 December 8 puts...
Options Alert: Bearish Traders Could Be Sticking With Western Digital
Western Digital tried to bounce after a big drop, but the bears don't seem to be going away. Check out this unusual options activity in the maker of data-storage products: A block of 7,500 October 36 puts was sold for $2.05.A trader bought an equal number of October...
Chart of the Day: Will T-Mobile Follow Other Telecoms Lower?
Telecom stocks have mostly fallen in recent months. One exception has been T-Mobile US. Could it soon follow its peers lower? The first pattern on today's chart is TMUS's break below its 100-day moving average in late September. Price bounced there several times this...
Technical Analysis: Tight Consolidation in Another Clean Energy Stock
Clean-energy stocks have been one of the strongest parts of the market lately, and today’s chart focuses on a new battery-tech name: Stem. The first pattern is the quick uptrend in late summer, fueled by the Inflation Reduction Act and strong quarterly results on...
Options Alert: Call Volume Swells in Apple as IPhone 14 Hits the Market
The options activity may be turning bullish in Apple as the smart-phone giant rolls out the iPhone 14. Some 1.1 million call contracts traded in AAPL yesterday. That was the most since the earnings came out in late July, according to TradeStation data. Our analytics...