Friday, April 4, 2025
As the reality of COVID-19 sets in, many nations around the globe are digging in for a prolonged battle against the virus. Of course, this isn’t a traditional fight: it involves quarantines, social distancing, and significant disruptions to our usual way of life. Even as many companies and schools temporarily close, it’s been business as […]
One of the secondary reasons for the market crash (after COVID-19) has been the extreme selloff in the price of oil. Crude oil has dropped to around $20 a barrel for the first time since 2002 due to a price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia. One popular method for trading crude oil is United […]
Investors are on the hunt for bargain stocks with Congress reaching a deal on a $2 trillion stimulus package to fight the economic damage done by COVID-19. For instance, on the day the stimulus package seemed likely to pass, the S&P 500 index shot up over 9%. That same day, gold futures soared, up nearly […]
With most asset classes getting pummeled this past week, investors are seeking the relative safety of the US dollar. One method to get bullish exposure to the dollar is through Invesco DB US Dollar Index Bullish ETF (UUP). UUP is a fund that is long the dollar versus a basket of other major currencies. Typically, […]
It’s not hyperbole to say that this is as crazy as the financial markets ever get. There may have been more shocking news items in 2008 (Lehman going bankrupt), but the huge daily swings we have seen in stocks and other asset classes are unprecedented. A market that has frequent, huge swings in prices is […]
With stocks in a bear market and potentially more selling ahead, the Fed has cut interest rates to 0% and started a new $700 billion quantitative easing program. This could cause a substantial amount of volatility in the market, but especially in rate sensitive sectors like financials. In fact, a trader just bought a large […]
The market continues to be ultra-volatile due to serious concerns over the global economy in the wake of the coronavirus. High yield bonds (aka junk bonds) tend to sell off during times of high stress as investors move to the safety of government bonds instead. This past week, someone bought a one-week put spread in […]
The financial markets are in high volatility mode as the fears of the coronavirus and the ensuing actions by the government are driving huge price swings. We’ve gone from some of our biggest down days in history (in terms of points, not percentages) to one our biggest up days ever, to back down again. To […]
The market sold off sharply this week into correction territory on fears of the global impact of COVID-19. Options volumes were through the roof as expected as traders and investors rushed to get in and out of positions, including hedges. Volatility soared, with the VIX (S&P 500 volatility index) trading at 2-year highs. A popular […]
