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Tech Unwind Continues as Traders Wait for the Fed
by David Russell | Sep 9, 2024
Technology stocks are still falling as investors wait for big news events like inflation and the Federal Reserve. The Nasdaq-100 shed 5.9 percent of its value in the holiday-shortened period between Friday, August 30, and Friday, September 6. It was the biggest weekly...
Technical Analysis: Oil Giant Hasn’t Done This All Year
by David Russell | Sep 27, 2022
Exxon Mobil has been drifting since the late spring along with other energy stocks. But now it’s trying to do something it hasn’t done all year. The main pattern on today’s chart is the 200-day moving average, one of the most basic measures of long-term support. XOM...
Can Stocks Hang On After Another Painful Blow from the Federal Reserve?
by David Russell | Sep 26, 2022
Stocks are trying to hold their lows of the year after another painful blow from the Federal Reserve. The S&P 500 dropped 4.7 percent between Friday, September 16, and Friday, September 25. It was the fifth negative week in the last six, landing the index at its...
Chart of the Day: Target Could Be Breaking a Triangle
by David Russell | Sep 22, 2022
Target gapped lower on weak earnings four months ago. Now it may be showing signs of the bearish trend continuing. The main pattern on the retailer is a converging squeeze between the 50-day moving average and the 100-day moving average . This has produced ... For...
Federal Reserve Gives No Sign of Relenting in Battle Against Inflation
by David Russell | Sep 22, 2022
The Federal Reserve is giving markets no relief in its battle against inflation. Aside from hiking interest rates by 75 basis points, as expected yesterday, the central bank increased its guidance. Policymakers indicated that their rate will end the year at 4.4...
Is a Reversal Coming? Rate of Change Can Help Spot Turns in the Stock Market
by David Russell | Sep 20, 2022
Not all price moves are created equal. Today we'll explore a common tool for judging the strength of a rally or decline: the rate of change indicator. Rate of change shows the percentage change over a certain number of trailing bars. (TradeStation's platforms use a...
Stocks Remain Under Pressure Before a Major Federal Reserve Meeting
by David Russell | Sep 19, 2022
Stocks remain under pressure as investors brace for another interest-rate hike by the Federal Reserve. The S&P 500 slid 4.8 percent between Friday, September 9, and Friday, September 16. It was the fourth negative week in the last five, and the biggest drop since...
Top Stocks for Options Trading
Technology & Communication
Options Alert: Large Put Spread Targets Key Level in Apple
by David Russell | Jul 11, 2023
Apple has surged this year as Wall Street anticipates a new iPhone cycle and growth opportunities in India. But yesterday options traders looked for a pause. Check out this large transaction that occurred shortly after Monday's open: 20,000 4-August 180 puts traded...
Apple Is Barely Holding Support. Should the Bulls Worry?
by David Russell | Mar 11, 2021
Apple rallied in December after holding $120. Now it’s back and threatening to break support at that level. The price action is part of the ongoing technical weakness in the smart-phone giant. It had a false breakout in January and a trend-line failure last month....
The ‘Communications’ Sector Is Coming Into Its Own, Thanks to Alphabet, Disney, Twitter
by David Russell | Mar 10, 2021
It’s been 2-1/2 years since the Communications Sector was launched. And now the benefits are becoming apparent. TradeStation data shows that the S&P 500 Communication Sector ETF (XLC) came within 0.05 percent of a new 52-week high yesterday, the closest of all the...
This Social Media Stock Has Pulled Back Following a Breakout
by David Russell | Mar 10, 2021
Recent weeks have seen breakouts in smaller social-media stocks like Twitter and Snap , which have both pulled back. Today we’re looking at TWTR . Jack Dorsey’s microblogging service didn’t only beat earnings and revenue estimates on February 9. It also showed...
Tesla Causes QQQ’s Worst Showing in a Generation: This Chart Shows the Dramatic Shift Taking Place
by David Russell | Mar 8, 2021
The rotation away from large Nasdaq stocks like Tesla has intensified, resulting in the market's biggest divergence since the dotcom bubble broke a generation ago. Here's a weekly chart of the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ). The lower study shows its relative strength versus...