Shares of Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ:FITB) have been soaring on the charts, recently ascending with the help of their 40-day moving average. The banking concern has picked up almost 9% year-to-date -- outperforming the broader S&P 500 Index -- and recently touched a 10-year high of $34.09 on Feb. 27. What's more, March and April tend to be the best two months of the year for financial stocks, wi...Read More

Shares of Fate Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:FATE) are down 8.5% out of the gate to trade at $12.64, after the stem cell treatment specialist reported a wider-than-expected fourth-quarter loss. Adding to the bearish buzz are downgrades to the equivalent of a "neutral" rating at both Raymond James and H.C. Wainwright, though the latter joined three other brokerages in raising their FATE price targets. I...Read More

News reports suggesting North Korea is open to discussions about denuclearization are providing a lift to stock futures this morning. South Korea made the surprising announcement following its meeting with the rogue nation, which said it would be willing to give up nuclear weapons if its safety is not in jeopardy. The two nations will hold a summit at the end of April. As such, the Dow Jones Indus...Read More

During calendar year 2017, the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) averaged a daily reading of 11.09 -- considerably lower than its daily average of 14.40 over the period from January 2013 to December 2017. However, through the first two months of 2018, VIX averaged a daily reading of 16.48 -- about 14% above its aforementioned five-year average.The response from options traders to the recent VIX ramp mig...Read More

Stocks finished with a bang today, boosted by upbeat manufacturing data andeasing concerns of a trade war. After being down more than 150 points in early trading, the Dow finished over 330 points higher -- snapping its four-day losing streak -- with help from a strong session for Caterpillar (CAT) stock. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq enjoyed big days as well, as oil's best day in three weeks lifted energ...Read More

The Nasdaq is surging higher today, thanks to another strong showing for healthcare stocks. Three names in particular making notable moves are Atara Biotherapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:ATRA), GTx, Inc. (NASDAQ:GTXI), and Dermira Inc (NASDAQ:DERM) Let's take a closer look at what's moving shares of ATRA, GTXI, and DERM. Jefferies Thinks Atara Can Deliver On MS DrugAtara Biotherapeutics stock is trading 9.3...Read More

German stocks closed higher today following the results of the company's weekend election. On the flip side, shares of the iShares MSCI Italy ETF (EWI) are trading down 0.5% today at $31.36 -- on track to extend their losing streak to a fifth straight session -- after Italy's election resulted in a hung parliament. Put volume has picked up on the exchange-traded fund (ETF) amid this recent retreat...Read More

Per the latest Commitments of Traders (CoT) data, large speculators are now net short silver for the first time in more than three years, according to Schaeffer's Quantitative Analyst Chris Prybal. Perhaps that's because the malleable metal -- as measured by the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) -- just wrapped up its most bullish time of year, historically. Whatever the motive, silver futures tend to u...Read More

Retail earnings are back in full swing, with Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) set to report fourth-quarter earnings tomorrow morning. Overall, Target stock has had a good year, gaining 30% over the past 12 months,touching an annual high on Jan. 23 of $78.70. Shares of TGT were 0.1% lower to trade at $75.09 at last check, but are maintaining their foothold atop the recently supportive 50-day moving av...Read More

Drug stock Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) is trading up 0.6% today at $171.16 thanks to a price-target hike to $200 from $195 at Maxim. This puts the shares on pace for their second ever close atop $170, the first coming on Feb. 1 when VRTX touched an all-time high of $174.96 after the company's promising earnings release. The equity is now up over 14% on a year-to-date basis, a...Read More

QUALCOMM, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM) is in the news today, after a U.S. security panel asked the company to delay tomorrow's annual shareholder meeting in order to review Broadcom's (AVGO) proposed buyout bid. Fellow chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) is also in focus after Northland Capital assumed coverage with an "outperform" rating and $16 price target, and options volume for both chi...Read More

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) was down more than 150 points at its session low, but has since erased these earlier losses at it looks to avoid a fifth straight drop -- which would mark its longest daily losing streak since last March. Traders have been spooked by concerns over a potential trade war, with recent tweets from President Donald Trump only adding to the uncertainty. However, b...Read More

Kroger Co (NYSE:KR) stock isup 1.1% to trade at $27.66, after receiving a price-target hike from Deutsche Bank to $28 from $26. The upbeat analyst attention comes ahead of the company's fourth-quarter earnings report, due before the open on Thursday. After surging from an Oct. 2 three-year low of $19.70 to a Jan. 30 annual high of $31.45, Kroger stock pulled back along with the broader stock mar...Read More

Shares of Clearside Biomedical Inc (NASDAQ:CLSD) are trading up 64.3% at $12.85 -- fresh off a 15-month high of $13.25, and on track for their biggest one-day gain ever. The drugmaker released positive topline data for its treatment on patients with macular edema associated with non-infectious uveitis, which is a build-up of fluid in the eye that negatively impacts vision.Heading into today's trad...Read More

Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ:MNST) stock suffered a major pullback last week due to the company's poorly received fourth-quarter earnings results. The shares fell from $63.37 at the close on Wednesday to $54.16 by week's end, breaching the 200-day moving average for the first time in almost a year in the process. Deutsche Bank sees the weakness in MNST stock as a buying opportunity, howeve...Read More

Technology giant Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is making headlines amid reports it's working on a high-end version of noise-canceling, over-the-ear headphones, which could be launched as early as the end of this year. However, shares of the FAANG stock are trading 0.8% lower at $174.80 out of the gate today, as some speculators worry the headphones will cannibalize Apple's Beats by Dre line. Looking br...Read More

U.S. stocks could remain under pressure today, with futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) trading below fair value. Investors are again monitoring threats of a trade war, amid conflicting tweets from President Donald Trump. While Trump tweeted over the weekend about a "Big trade imbalance!" with the European Union, this morning he said the import tariffs announced last week won't affec...Read More

"The books for 2017 are closed, but as we move into 2018, loyal readers of Monday Morning Outlook are fully aware that the year-end closing levels on major equity, volatility, commodity, and currency benchmarks -- along with their related exchange-traded funds (ETFs) -- could serve as key potential support and resistance levels. This could be the case at least early in 2018, and maybe throughout t...Read More

MoneyWire's Matt McCall just uncovered a secret stock play that will let traders profit from Bitcoin's dramatic rise for just under $45 a share.With one Bitcoin selling for over $8,500, this is an opportunity that must be jumped on NOW.This pick profits directly from Bitcoin's underlying blockchain technology that's driving the boom in digital currencies.And its stock price is set to rise 1,000%...Read More

It was hectic on Wall Street today, as President Donald Trump stoked fears of a trade war a day after announcing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. However, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq reversed early losses thanks to a rally in healthcare stocks. Meanwhile, the Dow managed to pare its losses after being down more than 390 points at its session low, but still extended its losing streak, due to a s...Read More