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Options Alert: Call Volume Spikes in Consumer Lender
by David Russell | Nov 6, 2024
Synchrony Financial jumped on strong earnings last month, and options traders seem to think the move will continue. Call volume in the consumer-lending company spiked to a four-year high yesterday, according to TradeStation data. Two contracts were especially active...
Stocks Rebound Sharply as Good News Punishes the Bears
by David Russell | Aug 19, 2024
Stocks just had their best week of the year as a string of good news erased worries about a recession. The S&P 500 rose 3.9 percent between Friday, August 9, and Friday, August 16. It was the biggest gain since early November. Major growth stocks like Nvidia...
Stocks Have Been Volatile, But Does the News Get Better From Here?
by David Russell | Aug 12, 2024
Historic volatility hit the stock market last week, but attention could soon turn to a series of upcoming catalysts. Some of them may be viewed positively -- especially after last week's big recovery. The S&P 500 was down as much as 4.3 percent the morning of...
Options Alert: Call Volume Spikes as Apparel Stock Attempts a Turnaround
by David Russell | Aug 8, 2024
Options activity is surging as beaten-down VF jumps and traders unwind bearish positions. The owner of brands like Vans and The North Face rallied 7 percent yesterday after earnings and revenue beat expectations. It was the company's second big surge in the last two...
Chart of the Day: The Nasdaq Could Be Oversold
by David Russell | Aug 6, 2024
The Nasdaq-100 has fallen sharply in the last three weeks, but some traders may think the tech-heavy index is oversold. The first pattern on today's chart is the sequence of simple moving averages (SMAs). The 50-day SMA is above the 100-day SMA and both are above the...
Stocks Slide: Is the Fed Behind the Curve Again?
by David Russell | Aug 5, 2024
Almost three years ago, investors thought the Federal Reserve was behind the curve on inflation. Now they have just the opposite fear. The S&P 500 slid 2.1 percent between Friday, July 26, and Friday, August 2. It was the third consecutive negative week, dragging...
Financials Take Leadership as Megacaps Sputter
by David Russell | Jul 29, 2024
Financial stocks have become the year's top performing sector as rotation away from megacaps intensifies. The group, which includes banks, insurers and securities firms, is now up 15 percent in 2024. It just pulled ahead of communications, which includes Nasdaq giants...
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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...
Chart of the Day: Arista Networks Has Pulled Back
by David Russell | Jun 11, 2024
Arista Networks jumped to a record high last month, and now it’s pulled back. The first pattern on today’s chart is the high-volume jump on May 8 after earnings and revenue beat estimates. Notice how its closing price that day of $291.67 became apparent support on May...
Bears Rejected: Nasdaq Reclaims Leadership on AI, Earnings Growth
by David Russell | May 28, 2024
Strong earnings and optimism about rate cuts seem to be overpowering bearish news in the stock market. The S&P 500 rose less than 0.1 percent between Friday, May 17, and Friday, May 24. The index recovered from a sharp drop on Thursday and stayed above its...
These AI Stocks Could Be Active With Nvidia Earnings Later Today
by David Russell | May 22, 2024
Nvidia releases earnings today, and it could impact other stocks in the AI space. While per-share earnings are expected to increase about 8 percent from the previous quarter, attention could focus on demand trends. Some investors have worried that the planned launch...
Chart of the Day: Oracle May Have Found Support
by David Russell | May 7, 2024
Oracle jumped to new highs almost two months ago. Now, after a pullback, the software giant may have found support. The first pattern on today’s chart is the gap higher on March 12 after earnings surprised to the upside. ORCL retraced the move and is starting to...