Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) futures arehigher this morning, as markets digest a busy day of earnings reports. Dow stocks Goldman Sachs (GS), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), and UnitedHealth (UNH) are all headed higher after earnings beats, and should help the Dow extend its quest for record highs.Netflix (NFLX) is also in the earnings spotlight, after reporting higher-than-expected subscriber gr...Read More
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), S&P 500 Index (SPX), and Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) each scored fresh record highs, as traders expressed optimism about third-quarter earnings season. Along with Netflix (NFLX) earnings, which are rolling in right now, a handful of big-cap companies will report this week. At its intraday peak, the Dow was within 40 points of the 23,000 level, lifted by bounc...Read More
Among the companies announcing third-quarter earnings this week is motorcycle giant Harley-Davidson Inc. (NYSE:HOG). Ahead of the Tuesday morning release, speculative players are active, with HOG option volume rising to nine times the norm today.According to Trade-Alert, in fact, today's call volume on HOG of 14,542 contracts is pacing in the 98th percentile of its annual range. The most popular s...Read More
Options trading has been heavy on chip stocks Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) andNvidia Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA), as both companies received bullish analyst attention today. Here's a closer look at how options traders have been placing their bets on MU and NVDA stocks.The 20 stocks listed in the table below have attracted the highest total weekly options volume during the past 10 trading da...Read More
Third-quarter earnings season is ramping up this week, with big banks Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS) and Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) slated to report earnings tomorrow morning. Here's a closer look at how GS and MS have performed ahead of earnings -- and after past earnings reports -- and how options traders have been positioning themselves on the financial shares.Options Players Are Betting On A...Read More
The iShares MSCI Japan ETF (EWJ) is fresh off a 10-year high of $57.69, after Japan's Nikkei touched another 21-year high. The exchange-traded fund (ETF) has added 4.4% just in the past month, shaking off its North Korea jitters from August, and EWJ options traders have been betting bullishly ahead of Japan's snap election this weekend.Today, the fund has seen roughly 34,000 call options change h...Read More
We've been taking a close look at mining stocks lately, and today we're digging into Vale SA (ADR) (NYSE:VALE). The outperforming equity is trading just above a key price point, potentially signaling extended upside. Plus, data suggests it's a good time to target near-term VALE options. Jumping right in, the stock is up over 88% during the past year to trade at $10.45. More recently, it's pulled b...Read More
Options volume has been exploding on utility stock PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG) during the shares' three-day slide. Before last Thursday, PCG had an average daily options volume of just 237 contracts, a number that's jumped to 1,936 over the past three days. Today alone, more than 40,000 PG&E options have already been traded, as speculators react to headlines surrounding the company's involvement i...Read More
U.S. stocks are slightly higher today to kick off the week, as the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all touch record highs once again. Among the names in the spotlight this afternoon are biotech stock Cara Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:CARA), insurance provider Health Insurance Innovations Inc (NASDAQ:HIIQ), and retail stock Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE:JWN). Here's a quick look at what is moving shares of CARA, H...Read More
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), S&P 500 Index (SPX), and Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) are trading higher this afternoon, all three fresh off all-time highs. Traders are optimistic ahead of the first full week of earnings season -- kicking off with the Netflix (NFLX) quarterly report tonight -- and a rebound in bank stocks is also driving the major market indexes higher.Continue reading for mo...Read More
Analysts are weighing in on Dow stock Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), online discount provider Groupon Inc (NASDAQ:GRPN), and mining company AngloGold Ashanti Limited (NYSE:AU). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on shares of AAPL, GRPN, and AU.KeyBanc Weighs In On Apple StockApple stock is up 0.8% to trade at $158.23, after KeyBanc upgraded the Dow component to "overweight" fr...Read More
U.S. stocks are trading higher this morning, with major equity indexes setting fresh record highs out of the gate in anticipation of the first full week of corporate third-quarter earnings. Among the stocks making moves this morning are online sales concern JD.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:JD), along with biopharmaceutical names Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXEL) and TG Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:TGTX). Here's a c...Read More
Analysts are weighing in on tech stocks Adobe Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ:ADBE) and IBM Corp. (NYSE:IBM), as well as advertising agency Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC). Here's a quick roundup of today's bearish brokerage notes on shares of ADBE, IBM, and OMC.ADBE Stock Dips After Deutsche DowngradeAdobe Systems stock is down 1.7% at $151.25, after Deutsche Bank downgraded the shares to "hold" from...Read More
U.S. stock futures are trading above fair value this morning, pointing to fresh record highs for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), S&P 500 Index (SPX), and Nasdaq Composite (IXIC). Investors are gearing up for the first full week of corporate earnings -- and while today's earnings slate is rather light, many will be watching a post-close release from red-hot Netflix (NFLX). As for economic...Read More
"...[T]here is a potential call wall at the SPY 255 strike, with roughly 25% of the total call open interest contained in the weekly 10/13 series, and the balance in the standard October expiration series. From what we can tell, the open interest is made up of both buy- and sell-to-open activity."Should the SPY get through the 255 strike, one scenario would be call sellers buying back the calls to...Read More
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) notched another record high, and secured a fifth straight weekly gain, as traders cheered strong retail sales and a rally in tech stocks. The S&P 500 Index (SPX) also wrapped up a five-week winning streak -- its longest since February -- and, along with the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC), scored a fresh all-time high of its own. Stock traders remained optimistic in...Read More
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), S&P 500 (SPX), and Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) all chalked up new record highs this week, even after the latter ended its nine-day winning streak Monday. The Dow and SPX are now set for a fifth straight weekly win, which would mark the S&P's longest since the first quarter.As big banks kicked off quarterly earnings season, the Fed was also in focus. The Sept...Read More
The S&P 500 Index (SPX) touched another record high today, and is within striking distance of its fifth straight weekly win. The last time the stock market index enjoyed a five-week winning streak was in the first quarter, and prior to that you'd have to go back to early 2016. As such, we decided to take a look at how the red-hot S&P tends to perform after five-week winning streaks.The longest eve...Read More
U.S. stocks are slightly higher today, with the Dow and S&P 500 on track for their fifth straight weekly win. Online restaurant delivery service GrubHub Inc (NYSE:GRUB) and food stock Hostess Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:TWNK) are mired in lower sessions, while steel stock Cleveland-Cliffs Inc (NYSE:CLF) is enjoying a breakout performance. Here's a quick look at what is moving shares of GRUB, TWNK, a...Read More
Shares of Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl Inc (NYSE:VRX) are sliding for a second straight day, with traders possibly responding to a phase 3 trial update for Siliq -- a product of subsidiary Ortho Dermotologics. VRX stock was last seen 3.9% lower at $13.29, putting the equity on pace to close below its 200-day moving average for the first time in over a month. However, it bottomed out just above the...Read More