U.S. stocks are trading higher after yesterday's holiday break, with retail stocks being the main focus of the market. Three stocks making moves today are drug concern Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (NYSE:TEVA), "Russian Google" Yandex N.V. (NASDAQ:YNDX), and biopharmaceutical concern Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR). Here's a closer look at what's moving shares of TEVA, YNDX, and NKTR.TEVA...Read More

Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) futures are pointed higher this morning, after settling modestly lowerin a low-volume session on Wednesday. S&P 500 Index (SPX) and Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) futures are also trading above fair value, with all three benchmarks on track to post weekly wins. Retail stocks are in focus on this shortened trading day, as the holiday shopping frenzy engulfs investors. R...Read More

Analysts are weighing in on farming machinery concern Deere & Company (NYSE:DE), healthcare stock Quest Diagnostics Inc (NYSE:DGX), and oil shipping expert Frontline Ltd. (NYSE:FRO). Here's what's moving shares of DE, DGX, and FRO. Deere Stock Gets Post-Earnings UpgradeDeutsche Bank this morning upgraded Deere stock to "buy" from "hold," and raised its price target to $167 from $149. The move com...Read More

The following is a reprint of the market commentary from the December 2017 edition of The Option Advisor, published on November 17. For more information, or to subscribe to The Option Advisor -- featuring 10 new option trades each month -- visit our online store.By now, just about every major financial media outlet has published an article questioning how much longer General Electric (GE) can c...Read More

The Federal Reserve has become an increasingly powerful force in the stock market, as our Senior V.P. of Research Todd Salamone has documented in his weekly Monday Morning Outlook column. With another Fed policy decision approaching in December, along with a changing of the guard at the central bank, now is a good time to review some Fed basics.What is the Fed?The Federal Reserve is the U.S. centr...Read More

There's a trendline battle shaping up on a daily chart of the Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bear 3X Shares (DUST) -- an exchange-traded fund (ETF) meant to deliver a triple-leveraged inverse return of a basket of gold mining stocks. While the descending 160-day moving average has kept a tight lid on all rally attempts since early May, DUST has recently established a credible foothold above its rising...Read More

The Federal Reserve will be in focus next week, with an onslaught of central bank officials slated to speak in the lead-up to the mid-December Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting. With expectations running high that the Fed will pull the trigger on a December rate hike, the preliminary reading on third-quarter gross domestic product (GPD) should draw its fair share of Wall Street's attent...Read More

It was a choppy, low-volume session on Wall Street, with traders carefully eyeing the November Fed minutes. While the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) was upbeat on employment and the economy, some members are concerned that "elevated asset valuations" could lead to a sharp reversal in asset prices -- with potentially "damaging effects" on the economy. Against this backdrop, the...Read More

U.S. stocks are mixed ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, though the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) carved out a new high earlier. Among those making the biggest moves are online vehicle auction services provider Copart, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPRT), bitcoin biochain expert Riot Blockchain Inc (NASDAQ:RIOT), and Roomba maker iRobot Corporation (NASDAQ:IRBT). Here's a quick look at what's moving shares of CPRT, RI...Read More

Earlier today, Square Inc (NYSE:SQ) stock hit a new record of $49.55 -- marking its 10th consecutive session of all-time highs, fueled in large part by optimism over the mobile payment company's recent move to allow its customers to buy and sell bitcoin. However, SQ has since reversed course to trade down 1.7% at $47.24, on pace for its first daily loss in over a week.Meanwhile, the recent crop of...Read More

Oil prices have been climbing amid increased expectations members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-cartel members will extend their production cut agreement at next week's meeting. This positive price action is continuing today, with January-dated crude futures up 1.9% at $57.88 per barrel, after data showed a surprise decline in domestic crude supplies. As such,...Read More

Stocks are bouncing around breakeven today, as trading volumes remain muted before the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow. However, the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) managed to touch a fresh record high in early action. And while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and S&P 500 Index (SPX) trade in a tight range, many investors will likely stay glued to the market to see this afternoon's release of the Fe...Read More

The Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) -- whose top holdings include FAANG stocks Amazon (AMZN) and Netflix (NFLX) -- has been roaring higher, as solid earnings and an ongoing tech rally help boost the sector. Earlier today, XLY shares hit a record high of $94.55, but options traders think there's even more upside on the horizon.At last check, roughly 3,600 calls had traded on XL...Read More

It's been a rocky year for most telecom stocks, as evidenced by the price action of the iShares U.S. Telecommunications ETF (IYZ). The exchange-traded fund (ETF) has been exploring a channel of lower highs and lows since its early 2017 peak, and plummeted to a new annual low in early November, after Sprint (S) and T-Mobile (TMUS) called off their merger. Against this backdrop -- and with AT&T (T)...Read More

Amazon (AMZN) may be the ever-growing monolith of the online retail space, but it's hardly the only stock in the sector that's worth your attention. With the busy holiday shopping season kicking off this week, the shares of online retail hub Etsy Inc (NASDAQ:ETSY) just sent up a reliably bullish signal on the charts.Specifically, ETSY has had a lengthy stay above its 80-day moving average, and rec...Read More

Analysts are weighing in on cloud name salesforce.com, inc. (NYSE:CRM), Outback Steakhouse parent Bloomin' Brands Inc (NASDAQ:BLMN), and retail stock GameStop Corp. (NYSE:GME). Here's a quick roundup of today's bearish brokerage notes on shares of CRM, BLMN, and GME.Salesforce Stock Downgraded After Dismal Profit ForecastAnalysts were quick to weigh in on Salesforce.com, after the cloud concern u...Read More

U.S. stocks are trading close to breakeven in low-volume, pre-holiday action. Three stocks making moves today are e-commerce solutions company Baozun Inc (NASDAQ:BZUN), farming machinery concern Deere & Company (NYSE:DE), and Chinese machinery company Cleantech Solutions International Inc (NASDAQ:CLNT). Here's a closer look at what's moving shares of BZUN, DE, and CLNT.BZUN Falls After Third-Q...Read More

Analysts are weighing in on semiconductor specialist Marvell Technology Group Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRVL), cybersecurity expert Palo Alto Networks Inc (NYSE:PANW), and biotech stock Sangamo Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:SGMO). Here's what's moving shares of MRVL, PANW, and SGMO. Barlcays Upgrades Marvell StockBarclays is weighing in on Marvell Technology stock after the company's big M&A announcement earlier t...Read More

Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) futures are trading above fair value ahead of what's expected to be a low-volume session. Nevertheless, a jam-packed economic calendar leaves plenty to digest for those lingering on Wall Street ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. While early data showed durable goods unexpectedly fell 1.2% in October, the day's marquee event will be the 2 p.m. ET release of the...Read More

With retail stores opening on Thanksgiving, Cyber Monday becoming a thing, and websites running deals all weekend, Black Friday doesn't seem as momentous as it once was. In any case, it's a telling time for retail stores -- and retail stocks. News reports of lines and fist fights will emerge later this week, and they will be used to gauge consumer strength and the economy, in general. This made me...Read More