Friday, November 15, 2024
Soaring fuel prices have boosted inflation to a year-over-year increase of 8.6%, the highest level since 1981! And there is more to come: the lack of refining capacity is expected to drive up U.S. gasoline prices by more than a dollar, to $6 a gallon by August as oil and oil related products continue to […]
The hot consumer price index (CPI) number last Friday has caused major damage to the equity markets. Volatility has remained elevated. There seems to be no relief in sight regarding the inflation numbers that we are seeing across industries—and, most importantly, in our daily expenses. The Federal Reserve will do what it can to increase […]
When searching for and analyzing unusual options activity, it’s important to understand all the data being presented. Key variables include volume, relative volume, bearish versus bullish activity, and upcoming earnings/event dates. Having a grasp of these data points will help traders better grasp why unusual activity may be occurring.
There is an asset class that’s worth around $3 trillion in the United States. Yet, it is completely ignored by Wall Street and is rarely on investors’ radar screens. The asset class I’m talking about is farmland. No matter the current economic There are already a lot of people to feed—about 7.9 billion—and that number […]
I expect more downside in stocks in the coming weeks. One stock, in particular, is a popular choice for many… not only for the drinks they serve… but also for being a stable dividend growth stock. Well, right now, I can see it dropping another 17%. You may have it in your portfolio right now. […]
The markets are ugly. This market crash is ugly. Volatility, as measured by the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) just spiked to 32.76. Traders are running scared. Stocks are plunging. Inflation is out of control. Central banks are racing to cool inflation. The Dow fell from its April 2022 high of about 35,500 to 30,663. There […]
The combination of rising living costs due to inflation and crappy stock market results have many people rethinking their retirement plans. Here are a couple of recent excerpts from the financial press. This headline comes from CNBC: 25% of Americans are delaying retirement due to inflation, survey finds Then there’s this excerpt from a Wall […]
Inflation is hitting all of us pretty hard. The cost of living is rapidly increasing—most notably, we have seen gas prices increase substantially over the last year. While gas prices are the headline, consumers are being hit with rising costs everywhere. Food, rents, housing prices, gas prices, heating oil. It’s everywhere. That list doesn’t even […]
An intriguing way to hedge your portfolio’s downside risk for essentially no cost is by using a put spread collar. A large zero-cost put spread collar was placed last week on the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) The trader sold calls and used the proceeds to purchase a put spread. The position will give a […]
Chinese stocks saw a significant amount of options activity last week when Chinese regulators appeared to ease up on some restrictive practices. Chinese internet giant Alibaba (BABA) was up 15% in a day, while trading over 1 million options. It looks like some of the biggest block trades were bullish call purchases in September and […]
