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Futures

Micro Futures on Wheat, Corn, Soybean Products
by David Russell | Mar 19, 2025
TradeStation just widened its offering of futures products with micro contracts on key agricultural products. Micros are now available on corn, wheat, soybeans, soybean oil and soybean meal. The micros, recently launched by CME, are one-tenth the size of standard...
Visualizing Price Action with Candlestick Charts
by TradeStation | Feb 18, 2025
Candlestick charts have become one of the go-to methods for traders to visualize market data. To help you trade the way you want, TradeStation offers two distinct candlestick charting styles to cater to different preferences and analytical needs. Choosing Your...
Stocks Shake Off Inflation Scare, Stay Near Highs
by David Russell | Feb 13, 2025
Downloads are available here. TradeStation’s ideas on TradingView are available here. Check out our next “State of the Market,” on Monday, 2/24. (Market closed Monday 2/17.) Sizing Up the Market S&P 500 stair-steps upward, finding incrementally higher support...
Options Alert: Calls Surge as Coca-Cola Rallies
by David Russell | Feb 12, 2025
Options activity surged in Coca-Cola yesterday as strong results triggered the biggest rally in years. More than 206,000 calls traded in the beverage giant on Tuesday, according to TradeStation Data. It was the highest total since June 2021, with transactions focused...
Options Alert: Are Puts in Gold Fields Bearish?
by David Russell | Feb 11, 2025
Gold Fields has been surging along with bullion, and yesterday someone took a position with options. This large transaction occurred less than an hour into Monday's session as the South African miner pushed above $19: 8,000 March 18 puts traded for $0.55. 8,000 March...
Quadruple Witching Dates for 2025: How Can They Impact Stock and Futures Trading?
by David Russell | Feb 11, 2025
What Is Quad Witching? Quadruple witching is an event in financial markets when four different sets of futures and options expire on the same day. Futures and options are derivatives, linked to underlying stock prices. When derivatives expire, traders must close or...
Stocks May Be Battered, But Are They Broken?
by David Russell | Feb 10, 2025
Stocks are trying to hold their ground amid a flood of bearish headlines and negative sentiment. For the second week in a row, the S&P 500 fell sharply on Monday before rebounding into Friday. The index held potentially important levels both times. (See "Charting...
Top Stocks for Options Trading
Technology & Communication

Tech: Smaller Names Break Out as the ‘Big 3’ Lag
by David Russell | Feb 4, 2025
Technology is the worst-performing sector this year. A lot of the weakness is at the top, but some smaller names are breaking out. Apple (AAPL), Nvidia (NVDA) and Microsoft (MSFT) are the three biggest technology stocks, accounting for more than 40 percent of the...

Stocks Keep Climbing as Chips Falter and ‘Everything Else’ Advances
by David Russell | Oct 21, 2024
Chipmakers have led the market all year, but they could be losing their edge as investors position for new conditions into yearend. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index ($SOX) dominated price action in the first half and remained the top performer through the end of...

Stocks Break Out as Technology and Cyclicals Come Back to Life
by David Russell | Oct 14, 2024
Stocks broke out to new highs last week, led by technology and cyclicals like financials and cruise ships. The S&P 500 rose 1.1 percent between Friday, October 4, and Friday, October 11. It was the fifth straight positive...

Software Powers Growth-Stock Comeback as 4th Quarter Begins
by David Russell | Oct 9, 2024
2024 is entering its homestretch, and large-cap growth stocks could be making a comeback. Technology, communications and consumer discretionaries are the three best-performing sectors in the last month, according to TradeStation data. That's important for at least two...

AMD Has Lagged in the AI Race. Could It Catch Up This Week?
by David Russell | Oct 8, 2024
Advanced Micro Devices was an early mover in the AI boom. Now, after a long period of stagnation, traders may see potential for the chip stock to play catch-up. Thursday, October 10, could be a pivotal session. That's when CEO Lisa Su plans to unveil the company's...