Market Insights
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Options Alert: Call Volume Spikes in Consumer Lender
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...
Greek of the Week: Gamma
Editor’s note: This post, part of a four-part series about options Greeks, was originally published on Monday, August 20, 2018. We previously looked at delta. Delta measures how much an option changes in price when the underlying stock or ETF fluctuates. Calls...
Greek of the Week: Theta
Editor’s note: This post, part of a four-part series about options Greeks, was originally published on Tuesday, August 28, 2018. So far, we’ve looked at delta and gamma. This week, we’ll turn to theta. Theta: T is for “time decay.” Theta measures how...
Greek of the Week: Vega
Editor’s note: This post, part of a four-part series about options Greeks, was originally published on Tuesday, September 4, 2018. So far we’ve reviewed three options “Greeks,” with memory tricks for keeping them straight: Delta: D is for direction.Gamma: G is for...
The Basics of Options
Options are an important tool for many retail investors. They can either replace trading shares, or make it easier to position oneself in stocks. Let's consider the first things options traders need to know. An Option's Price Is Usually Called 'Premium' There are some...
The Structure of Options Trades
While options can be traded by themselves, investors often use them in conjunction with other securities. So before going further, let's consider the four basic ways that options trades are structured. You Can Trade Options by Themselves As we learned in a previous...
Buying and Selling Options
Most clients understand buying and selling stocks. Options are similar, and can be traded in the same brokerage accounts. However, you should know some basic differences. Bid / Ask Spreads Matter A bid/ask spread is the difference between where you can sell a security...
Technology & Communication
How This Correction Is Unlike Anything in the History of the Stock Market
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on March 12, 2020. If the coronavirus is shaking your faith in stocks, you need to keep reading this article. Why? There are three reasons. Reason 1: This Selloff Is a Total Aberration Pretty much every previous...
The Nasdaq Just Had the Worst Week In a Decade, By this Measure
Stocks rose again last week, flirting with post-pandemic highs, even as major technology names declined. The S&P 500 rose 1.25 percent between Friday, July 10, and Friday, July 17. It was the index's third straight weekly gain, with more than four-fifths of its...
Netflix’s Covid Surge Fades and Banks Struggle: Earnings This Week
Earnings season has begun on a weak note as banks struggle and Netflix said its blistering growth will slow. The four biggest U.S. lenders -- JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Citigroup (C), Bank of America (BAC) and Wells Fargo (WFC) -- have issued quarterly results. JPM, C and...
Here’s How to Be Ready the Next Time Momentum Stocks Pull Back
Stocks had a dramatic and fast pullback this week. Here's an example of ways to find pullbacks when something like this happens. The screenshot below shows members of the Nasdaq-100 that pulled back to test their 20-day moving averages on Tuesday. This can be a simple...
Tesla, Netflix and These Other Tech Stocks Broke Out Yesterday
Tesla, Netflix and Amazon.com are leading a breakout in the technology sector as investors prepare for the Fourth of July weekend. The e-commerce giant, electric-car maker and streaming-video provider closed at new highs yesterday. But they weren't alone. Many smaller...