Now that we are in the middle of August, the media keeps talking about how it’s a “seasonally weak” period. And they’re right. The August stock market is historically weak, but it’s also one of my favorite months for reasons I’ll share below. First, let’s talk about why the month gets such a bad rap.…
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Stock Market Trend: Follow It – or Be a Contrarian? – Webinar Recap Stocks exhibit momentum in both directions – up and down. Though we do like to follow the stock market trend (whether that trend is up or down), sometimes it pays to be a contrarian. During this options trading webinar, we discussed: How…
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With the incredible surge higher in the Dow Industrials, some consumer product companies like Procter & Gamble have enjoyed incredible gains. The company is up a solid 10% for 2017, and while impressive, it actually lags some of its peers in the index (Boeing, Apple and McDonalds). However, the chart is telling us that the…
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by Elizabeth Gurdus Jim Cramer loves when strong, secular themes drive stocks. One of his favorites has been the shift from paper to plastic as credit cards increasingly dominate payments worldwide. “As we move closer to a cashless society, I want to go off the charts with the help of Bob Lang. He’s the founder…
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There is a lot of buzz around the markets these days. Many investors are in complete disbelief (or even denial!) that the bull market continues to rage on. Nine years into it, and we have barely had a correction. That’s not to say a correction isn’t coming. With a bias toward short volatility (skew, tail…
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Position Sizing: This Is How You Don’t Get Wiped Out – Webinar Recap Though market activity is completely out of your control, position sizing is not – and it’s one of the best risk management tools at your disposal. By sizing your trades properly, you can avoid major disasters, sleepless nights, or even being wiped…
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Scientific Games put together such an amazing performance on Monday, the company deserves a round of applause. After gapping higher, the stock steadily moved higher as turnover started to swell. The stock was trading at a clip of about 8x its average volume. Clearly, institutions were coming on board. Then Scientific Games flew above resistance…
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When quantitative easing (also referred to as QE) was put into place by The Fed following the global financial crisis in 2009, critics could not wait to pounce on the unusual monetary policy. The Fed was ridiculed for shoring up the banks (and thus the stock market). They were criticized for bringing interest rates down…
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Options Trading Webinar: Dramatic Changes in the Retail Sector This options trading webinar focused on an area that has been going through major upheaval: the retail sector. Leading the discussion was Stacey Widlitz, President of SW Retail Advisors Inc., a consulting firm that advises financial institutions and corporations on global retail market intelligence. You may…
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I am asked quite often how I have managed to stick around as an options trader for as long as I have – more than fifteen years and counting. The long answer is that I’ve studied my successes and failures along the way and learned how I behave under certain conditions and deal with adversity.…
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