RBC raised its price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan Inc (NYSE:FCX) to $22 from $18 -- representing expected upside of more than 19% to Friday's close at $18.43, and sitting in territory not seen since May 2015. While FCX stock has dropped 0.2% in early trading to hover near $18.39, the brokerage firm's upbeat outlook is likely in response to the equity's longer-term uptrend. Specifically, th...Read More

Toy stocks Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS) and Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT) both gapped lower last week on the liquidation plans ofToys 'R' Us. Over the weekend, Barclays added salt to the stocks' proverbial wounds, cutting its price target on HAS, and downgrading MAT shares.Hasbro Stock Eyes Fifth Straight LossHasbro stock is down 0.8% to trade at $90.75, after Barclays reduced its price target to $100...Read More

Dow stock Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) has fallen under pressure in recent months. MRK shares suffered a huge bear gap back in October after the company pulled its European marketing application for Keytruda, and last month they were hit when rival Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) announced a positive trial update for Opdivo. However, Merck stock is bouncing today following a bullish brokerage note. Spe...Read More

"If the market is destined to chop in the days ahead, the put-heavy [SPY] 270 strike is one to watch as potential overhead resistance. Although this wasn't the case when equities rebounded from their lows early last month, often times put-heavy strikes like 270, after being broken, act as resistance on the rally back."-- Monday Morning Outlook, March 5, 2018$VIX closed below 18.30-18.66 area for s...Read More

Stocks closed last week on a strong note, and they're set to carry that momentum into this week, with Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) futures trading above fair value. The S&P 500 Index (SPX) and Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) are signaling upside, too, with the latter index poised to follow the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) to fresh record highs. The economic calendar is rather bare today, giving investors...Read More

Stocks skyrocketed today, powered by this morning's jobs report and a planned meeting between U.S. and North Korean leaders. The Dow finished over 400 points higher, while the S&P 500 secured a win of its own. It was the Nasdaq that stole the show, however, as the tech-richindex rode a strong day from FAANG stocks to a record high and a sixth straight daily win -- its longest winning streak since...Read More

Subscribers to Schaeffer's Weekly Options Countdown service recently scored a 200% profit with Michael Kors Holdings Ltd (NYSE:KORS) weekly 3/2 66-strike put. We're going to take a look back to see why we were initially bearish on KORS when we recommended the put, and how the options trade unfolded. We entered our bearish KORS position on Monday Feb. 26, meaning options traders tripled their mo...Read More

It was a strong week for U.S. stocks, with the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) rallying to record highs and set to extend its daily win streak to six. These gains weren't missed on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) or S&P 500 Index (SPX), which are both ready to notch solid weekly wins, as well. It wasn't always smooth sailing for stocks, with trade war fears lingering throughout the week as Preside...Read More

Stitch Fix Inc (NASDAQ:SFIX) is expected to report fiscal second-quarter earnings after the market closes on Monday, March 12. This will be just the second time the retailer has reported earnings as a publicly traded company, and ahead of the event, the stock is down 2.7% to trade at $22.40. Nevertheless, SFIX options are pricing in an outsized move for Tuesday's trading. In terms of earnings re...Read More

The U.S. stock market is in rally mode after this mornings jobs report, with the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) barreling back into record-high territory. Among individual names making notable moves are FAANG stock Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX), big bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS), and Fisher-Price parent Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT). Here's a quick look at how shares of NFLX, GS, and MAT are trading t...Read More

Last week we talked about how and when to exercise options, and to explore the category further, this week we are looking at the flip side of the coin -- options assignment. There are two sides to an options trade: the buyer and the seller. It's important to remember that only buyers can exercise an option. When an option is exercised by the buyer, the seller of that option is required to act -- o...Read More

While the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) is higher today, thanks to a strong jobs report and easing geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and North Korea, the blue-chip index has been underperforming its tech-rich counterpart, the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC). What's more, if recent history is any indicator, this could be a bullish signal for U.S. stocks -- and the Nasdaq could extend its quest fo...Read More

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) jumped triple digits out of the gate, and hasn't looked back. Boosting the blue-chip index is this morning's blowout jobs report, while a modest rise in wage growth is helping to temporarily ease inflation fears. Traders are also cheering a planned meeting between U.S. and North Korean leaders. Intel (INTC) is the best Dow stock at midday, and the big surge f...Read More

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) stock is up 0.8% to trade at $1,564.33, and earlier hit a record high of $1,565.25, afterUBS upped its price target on the e-commerce powerhouse to $1,760 from $1,620. This represents a 12.5% premium from the security's current perch.Amazon stock rode its momentum from 2017 into the new year, already tacking on 33%. The shares have been guided higher by their 10-we...Read More

Shares of Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE:BIG) have plunged 11.8% to trade at $47.51, after the Columbus, Ohio-based discount retailer said same-store sales unexpectedly declined in the fourth quarter. And while the company reported better-than-expected adjusted profit of $2.57 per share for the three-month period, its quarterly revenue of $1.64 billion and full-year per-share profit forecast of $4.75 to $4....Read More

Fiber optics stock Finisar Corporation (NASDAQ:FNSR) has slumped 11.2% out of the gate to trade at $17.95, after the company's fiscal third-quarter earnings report failed to meet expectations. Earnings and revenue for the period both missed estimates, and the company's current-quarter forecast was also lower than expected. As a result, a number of analysts are trimming their outlooks on FNSR share...Read More

Shares of department store concern Kohl's Corporation (NYSE:KSS) are moving higher, after Cowen and Company upgraded the stock to "outperform" from "market perform," and raised its price target to $74 from $66 -- territory not seen since May 2015. The brokerage firm waxed optimistic on several "competitive advantages," including Kohl's loyalty program, which it said could be attractive to potent...Read More

Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE:CHK) is up 2.4% to trade at $3.05 this morning, after The Wall Street Journal reported the energy giant has engaged in asset sale talks with Tellurian (TELL).Chesapeake is reportedly seeking to cut $2-3 billion in debt through asset sales, anddiscussions apparently revolved around the company's Louisiana drilling fields. Chesapeake Energy stock has shed 25% ye...Read More

U.S. stock futures are signaling a higher open, as investors react to this morning's staggering jobs data. Specifically, the nonfarm payrolls report for February blew past expectations, with the U.S. economy adding 313,000 jobs during the month. The unemployment rate, meanwhile, remained constant at 4.1%, while a 0.1% monthly rise in wage growth fell short of the forecast.Elsewhere, traders are di...Read More

It was a wishy-washy session for U.S. stocks, as traders awaited and then reacted to President Trump's highly anticipated tariff plan. The Dow was up triple digits in early trading, but spent the afternoon waffling on both sides of breakeven, before Trump signed steel and aluminum tariffs that exclude fellow NAFTA members Canada and Mexico. By the close, however, the blue-chip index landed firmly...Read More