Ahead of the long Christmas weekend, U.S. stock futures are searching for direction this morning. Just a day after Congress passed the GOP's tax bill, the House voted to approve a spending bill to avoid a government shutdown this weekend. Traders will also digest the latest economic data. Namely, personal income and durable goods orders both fell short of estimates for November, while the Universi...Read More

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) finished higher today, but ended well off its intraday peak -- and fell short of a record-setting 71st all-time closing high for 2017. Both the S&P 500 Index (SPX) and Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) also finished in the black, led by energy and bank stocks. Traders cheered pledges by big-cap companies to boost wages after the Republican tax plan, and the focus...Read More

Subscribers to Schaeffer's Leverage service nearly tripled their money on our Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) December 52.50 call recommendation. Here's a closer look at what initially drew us to NKE stock, and how the successful options trade unfolded.When we recommended the call option on Monday, Nov. 6, Nike stock was trading near $56. The shares had recently broken out above the $55 level -- home to NKE'...Read More

With tax reform all but guaranteed, not to mention bitcoin attracting a fresh set of investors, optimism on Wall Street has hit fever pitch. In fact, the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII) poll recorded its fifth straight increase in bullish respondents -- sending up a sentiment signal not seen in five years, according to Schaeffer's Quantitative Analyst Chris Prybal. Below, we ex...Read More

Financial stock Voya Financial Inc (NYSE:VOYA) is rallying to record highs today, and options volume is surging as a result. Call volume has hit the highest point in at least a year, with roughly 11,500 contracts traded -- blowing past the former 52-week high of 4,248 from April. In fact, call open interest on VOYA stood at just 8,994 before today. The most popular option by far is the May 55 call...Read More

Stocks are pushing higher today after a number of companies promised to use tax savings to increase worker wages. Among the names making the biggest moves are retailer Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ:BBBY), utility stock PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), and drink producer Long Island Iced Tea Corp (NASDAQ:LTEA). Here's a quick look at what's moving shares of BBBY, PCG, and LTEA. BBBY Stock Short Sal...Read More

While stocks could keep rising, investors are in store for what could be one of the slowest weeks of the year. Case in point: our earnings calendar features zero companies worth monitoring. And while there are a few economic reports to digest in the middle of the week, trading volumes could be muted for the holiday-shortened week -- especially with markets closed on New Year's Day the following Mo...Read More

U.S. stocks are trading higher this afternoon, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) picking up more than 100 points -- and the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) and S&P 500 Index (SPX) trailing closely behind. The Dow is now on track for its 71st all-time closing high this year, which would put 2017 in the record books. Today's gains can be attributed to the passage of the Republican tax bill, wh...Read More

Markets will be closed next Monday, Dec. 25, for the Christmas holiday. While the S&P 500 Index (SPX) has historically outperformed during Christmas week -- in what is typically known as a "Santa Claus rally" -- we had Schaeffer's Senior Quantitative Analyst Rocky White run the numbers to see which SPX stocks do well in the holiday-shortened week. Here's a closer look at real estate names Welltowe...Read More

Shares of Finish Line Inc (NASDAQ:FINL) are up 8.6% to trade at $12.70, after the athletic apparel retailer reported a slimmer-than-expected adjusted third-quarter loss of 26 cents per share on $378.50 million in revenue -- also a beat. FINL also said same-store sales for the three-month period unexpectedly rose 0.8%.Today's pop has FINL shares positioned above their 180-day moving average. This t...Read More

The shares of Altaba Inc (NASDAQ:AABA) -- formerly Yahoo -- touched a record peak of $73.25 about a month ago. Since then, the tech concern has pulled back to its 40-day moving average -- a technical signal that's preceded gains for AABA stock in the past. Below, we take a closer look at Altaba shares to see if they could be flashing "buy," and examine how options traders are speculating on the eq...Read More

Shares of video game maker Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) have struggled following last month's controversial release of "Star Wars: Battlefront II". Today, analysts are chiming in, with Cowen and Company issuing a price-target cut to $104 from $106. The brokerage firm also lowered its profit forecast for the 2018 fiscal year, citing enough negative impact "to more than offset any strength elsew...Read More

Tech stock BlackBerry Ltd (NYSE:BB) is in focus this morning, as analysts respond bullishly to Wednesday morning's third-quarter earnings beat. Since last night's close, BB has racked up five price-target hikes from brokerage firms. The most notable price-target raise came from TD Securities, which gave the onetime handheld-device giant a lift to $14 from $12. However, after yesterday's rally up...Read More

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) shares sank yesterday amid news one of its restaurants in Los Angeles is being investigated by public health officials following customer complaints of illness. Despite this, RBC this morning weighed in by raising its price target on CMG stock to $330 from $320 -- calling for a 10.5% increase from last night's close of $298.67, and a move back up to familiar...Read More

Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) futures are trading above fair value this morning, as stocks try to again build momentum following yesterday's tax bill passage. The attention could stay on Capitol Hill, however, as lawmakers are reportedly struggling to approve a spending bill to avert a government shutdown this weekend. Investors are also digesting economic data. Specifically, weekly jobless...Read More

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) finished lower for the second straight session -- erasing a nearly triple-digit lead in early action. Both the S&P 500 Index (SPX) and Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) joined the Dow in the red, as tech stocks such as Facebook (FB) extended their retreat from yesterday. While anticipation surrounding the Republican tax plan helped drive markets higher, the actu...Read More

Call volume hit a 52-week high yesterday on fast food issue Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN), due to heavy buying at the January 2018 17-strike call. Looking back over the past 10 days, this option is home to the largest increase in open interest, with more than 12,000 contracts added. The next closest strike, the January 16 call, saw only 578 options added to open interest. Those buying the WEN Janua...Read More

Steel stocks have been rallying, boosted earlier this month after the U.S. announced plans to begin imposing tariffs on Chinese steel being exported out of Vietnam. While the VanEck Vectors Steel ETF (SLX) is up 14% from its Nov. 17 bottom, all nine names we track under our "steel iron" umbrella are trading north of their 80-day moving average -- the only other sector besides "gaming" to sport thi...Read More

There's been speculation that the recent bitcoin craze has dulled traders' appetite for commodities. After all, some people are taking out mortgages to buy the volatile cryptocurrency -- which began trading futures last week, and has generated some huge gains in a short time, especially compared to the typically safe, slow crawl of gold and silver. Whatever the motive, the recent cost of "crash pr...Read More

Stocks are searching for direction as traders await the latest on the tax bill, which appears to be headed to President Donald Trump's desk for a signature. Among the names making the biggest moves are mobile payments stock Net Element International Inc (NASDAQ:NETE), China-based financial services provider China Internet Nationwide Financial Services Inc (NASDAQ:CIFS), and tobacco giant Philip M...Read More