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Options Focus: ‘Golden Cross’ in J&J as Earnings Approach
by David Russell | Oct 2, 2024
Johnson & Johnson doesn't move quickly, but options traders may see ways to make it interesting. The pharmaceutical company has formed some potentially bullish patterns since July 17, when it rallied on strong quarterly results. First, the stock advanced from...
Attention Fed Watchers: 4 Reasons Why April’s Inflation Report Could Be Good News
by David Russell | May 11, 2023
Consumer prices rose 4.9 percent in April, which could be good news for investors worried about inflation and the Federal Reserve. The reading was below 5.25 percent, the top of the central bank's target range. This represents the first drop below the Fed funds rate...
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...
Technical Analysis: Amazon.com Could Be Struggling After Uncertain Guidance
by David Russell | May 8, 2023
Amazon.com may be showing signs of weakness after another post-earnings drop. The first pattern on today’s chart is the rising trendline along the lows of March and April. AMZN fell to that support last week after issuing so-so guidance and has remained there since....
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...
Top Stocks for Options Trading
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...