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Goldilocks Drives S&P 500 to New Highs

Goldilocks Drives S&P 500 to New Highs

If the longest bull market in history had a patron saint, it would be Goldilocks. This Wednesday marked the 3,453rd session in the uptrend that began on March 9, 2009. That outlasted the earlier run between late 1990 and early 2000. While improving economics and...

Calls Spike as Small Cap Goes Mobile: Options Recap

Calls Spike as Small Cap Goes Mobile: Options Recap

Last month, Market Insights highlighted a surging maker of smart-phone games. Yesterday, options traders lit up the name. Here's a breakdown of the large transactions detected in Glu Mobile (GLUU): A block of 5,500 September 5.50 calls was bought for $2.04. A block of...

Retail Revival Underway: Earnings This Week

Retail Revival Underway: Earnings This Week

Remember when everyone thought traditional retailers were going extinct? This week's earnings reports may have destroyed that narrative. "This is the healthiest environment I have ever seen," Target (TGT) CEO Brian Cornell told CNBC as his stock shot into record...

Looking Behind the Numbers as Stocks Test Old Highs

Looking Behind the Numbers as Stocks Test Old Highs

The S&P 500 hit a new all-time high yesterday, slightly above its previous record in January. Many things have changed since that previous peak. Then, stocks drifted upward in a mindless and complacent bubble. Now, they've proven themselves with two strong...

Big Trade in a Little Gaming Stock: Options Recap

Big Trade in a Little Gaming Stock: Options Recap

A small gaming stock has pulled back hard following a big rally, but now the bulls are back. Remember Scientific Games (SGMS)? It's a provider of gambling-technology like slot machines and lottery systems. But it was also viewed as a key beneficiary to the U.S....

Stocks Keep Climbing as Confidence Builds

Stocks Keep Climbing as Confidence Builds

Stocks keep inching higher as confidence builds. The S&P 500 rose 0.6 percent between Friday, August 10, and Friday, August 17. It was the seventh positive week in the last eight, and the second-highest weekly close in history. The big stories are the U.S. economy...

Here’s How Much Money Someone Made in Apple on Friday

Here’s How Much Money Someone Made in Apple on Friday

There's a reason why people trade options in Apple (AAPL). Check out this massive call spread that took shape in the tech giant during Friday's session. Roughly 81,400 August 215 calls were purchased in thousands of small blocks. Buyers paid $1.03 on average. A...

Not All Tech is Rolling Over

Not All Tech is Rolling Over

Earlier today, Market Insights highlighted the general weakness in technology. But there's one huge exception to that statement: Apple (AAPL). Tim Cook's smart-phone behemoth made a new high this morning, and has set new records in nine of the 13 trading sessions this...

Tech and FANG Languish as Sentiment Shifts

Tech and FANG Languish as Sentiment Shifts

FANG seems to be losing its mojo along with the rest of tech as sentiment shifts in the market. FANG, if you don't know, stands for Facebook (FB), Amazon.com (AMZN), Netflix (NFLX) and Alphabet (GOOGL). This grouping accounted for a big chunk of the market's gains...