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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...
Stock Market Faces Big Tests After a String of Positive Earnings
by David Russell | May 8, 2023
Earnings season has gone better than feared, but traders face new uncertainties this week. Today and the next two sessions bring key news on the impact of bank failures, the U.S. debt ceiling and inflation. It's a big change from recent weeks, when strong quarterly...
Stocks Keep Fighting Higher as Inflation Slows and Earnings Beat Expectations
by David Russell | May 1, 2023
Stocks kept fighting higher last month as inflation slowed and earnings beat estimates. The S&P 500 rose 1.5 percent in April, its third gain in the first four months of the year. The index has returned to challenge its February high, and is still above falling...
Breakout or Breakdown? Stock Movement Grinds to a Halt as Investors Wait and See
by David Russell | Apr 24, 2023
Stocks have stopped moving as investors wait for more news on corporate earnings and interest rates. The S&P 500 slid 0.1 percent between Friday, April 14, and Friday, April 21. If that percentage change sounds small, consider that the index fluctuated less than...
Inflation Fades, Earnings Beat and Stocks Push Higher
by David Russell | Apr 17, 2023
Stocks keep pushing higher as inflation fades and earnings beat expectations. The S&P 500 rose 0.8 percent between Friday, April 7, and Friday, April 14. It was the fourth gain in the last five weeks. Several data points suggested further slowing of inflation, the...
Technical Analysis: Merck Could Be Breaking Out
by David Russell | Apr 14, 2023
Merck surged in late 2022 and consolidated during the first quarter. Now the drug maker could be breaking out. The first pattern on today’s chart is the rally between mid-October and early January, which included a breakout to new record highs. MRK then pulled back...
Technology Rallied in March as Interest Rates Eased and Outlooks Improved
by David Russell | Apr 3, 2023
Technology stocks are rallying again as interest rates fall and fundamentals improve. The S&P 500 rose 3.5 percent in March, while the Nasdaq-100 surged 9.5 percent. That 6 point lead by the Nasdaq was its widest margin of outperformance since early 2009,...
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Technology & Communication
Troubled Trio? Why These Megacaps Are Faltering in 2024
by David Russell | Mar 5, 2024
The stock market is off to a roaring start in 2024, but three former leaders might be left behind. Apple (AAPL), Tesla (TSLA) and Alphabet (GOOGL) have dropped in recent weeks as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 rallied to new highs. They're now below chart levels that...
Tesla and the VIX: Two Big Numbers Reached in Today’s Session
by David Russell | Oct 21, 2021
Tesla and Cboe's volatility index -- the "fear gauge" -- closed at two important levels today. First, Elon Musk's electric-car maker ended the session at $893. That's slightly below the all-time record of $900.40 early this year. However it was the highest closing...
Technical Analysis: The Nightmare Could Be Ending in Chinese Tech Stocks
by David Russell | Oct 19, 2021
The last year for Chinese technology stocks has been nothing short of a nightmare. But now there could be signs of a turn in the KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF, which holds key names like Tencent and Alibaba. The 8-day exponential moving average was under the...
Tech Stocks Just Had Their Worst Week In 7 Months as Inflation Scares Haunt the Market
by David Russell | Oct 4, 2021
Technology stocks just had their worst week since February as rising inflation makes investors worry about higher interest rates. The SPDR Technology ETF (XLK) and Nasdaq-100 both declined more than 3 percent between Friday, September 24, and Friday, October 1. That...
Toast and Freshworks: Two New Disruptors Pull Back After Scorching IPOs
by David Russell | Sep 29, 2021
Initial public offerings (IPOs) have been going strong as a series of disruptive technology firms hit the market. Two prominent names have pulled back sharply following big rallies last week: Toast (TOST) and Freshworks (FRSH). TOST is a nine-year old provider of...