Healthcare stocks are in focus today, after Senators Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray -- a Tennessee Republican and Washington Democrat, respectively -- announced a bill to reinstate federal subsidies to health insurers. Less than one week after issuing an executive order to roll back parts of Obamacare, President Trump called the bipartisan effort a "short-term" deal. Nevertheless, the Health Car...Read More

Online auction site eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) hit an all-time high earlier this month of $39.28, but has since pulled back to a critical technical level that could provide key support. With the company's third-quarter earnings scheduled for release after the market closes tomorrow, Oct. 18, the stock could be set to bounce from this significant chart region -- but options traders appear to be bracin...Read More

Overstock.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:OSTK) is surging today, with some citing continued tailwinds from Marc Cohodes' change of heart last week, with the noted short seller citing the online retailer's exposure to digital currency as one of the reasons he's now long OSTK. Regardless of the reason, Overstock shares were last seen up 13.9% at $34.52 -- earlier hitting a four-year high of $34.60 -- and options...Read More

This Thursday, Oct. 19, will mark the 30th anniversary of Black Monday -- when the stock market notoriously crashed in 1987. This week, we'll be publishing a handful of features in observance of the event, kicking off today with stats on stock market performance before Black Monday, the hypothetical CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) reaction, and how the S&P 500 Index (SPX) has performed after its last...Read More

The Dow is modestly higher today, and just topped the 23,000 level for the first time ever. Among specific stocks on the move are educational product name Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO), solar power firm TerraForm Power Inc (NASDAQ:TERP), and water technology expert Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI). Here's a quick look at what is moving shares of PSO, TERP, and BMI.Pearson Stock Surging After Upbeat Profit F...Read More

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)is trading modestly higher this afternoon, with the index hitting a fresh all-time high during intraday trading. A handful of blue-chip earnings reports lifted the Dow above 23,000 for the first time ever, with UnitedHealth Group (UNH) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) stocks soaring to new highs. At last check, the S&P 500 Index (SPX) and Nasdaq Composite (IXIC)...Read More

It was major headline news in September when JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon described bitcoin (BTC=) as "a fraud," with the cryptocurrency tumbling over 900 points (roughly 22% of its value) over the course of the following two trading days. In scathing commentary delivered at an investing conference, Dimon called bitcoin "stupid," and added, "It's worse than tulip bulbs... Someone is going...Read More

Earnings season is kicking into high gear. In addition to a number of Dow names and tech firms stepping up to the earnings plate, travel company United Continental Holdings Inc (NYSE:UAL) is slated to unveil its quarterly results after tomorrow's close. Here's a closer look at how UAL stock has been performing ahead of earnings, and how options traders are positioning themselves.Since hitting a re...Read More

U.S. stocks are trading mixed this morning, with the Dow elbowing higher after some positive blue-chip earnings reports. Among the stocks making moves this morning are pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), banking concern Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), and GPS navigation company Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ:GRMN). Here's a closer look at what's moving shares of JNJ, MS, and GRMN.Johnson & Johnson...Read More

Analysts are weighing instreaming entertainment service Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX), Dow stock UnitedHealth Group Inc (NYSE:UNH), and biotech Biogen Inc (NASDAQ:BIIB). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on shares of NFLX, UNH, and BIIB.Netflix Earnings Impress AnalystsNetflix stock is down 0.1% to trade at $202.59, reversing pre-market gains, despite the company's better-t...Read More

Shares of retailer Dollar Tree, Inc. (NASDAQ:DLTR) have been on a tear in recent months. Despite a downgrade on Oct. 13, the stock managed to hit a 52-week high, bringing its year-to-date lead to nearly 19%. The shares just broke north of a trendline connecting lower highs since this time last year, and could be headed to higher highs. A round of bullish analyst attention could help DLTR stock ris...Read More

Analysts are weighing in on fast-food chain Sonic Corporation (NASDAQ:SONC), organic foods specialist United Natural Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:UNFI), and mining stock Freeport-McMoRan Inc (NYSE:FCX). Here's a quick roundup of today's bearish brokerage notes on shares of SONC, UNFI, and FCX.Sonic Earnings Draw Mixed Reactions from AnalystsSonic shares are up 0.8% to trade at $25.01, despite the company's...Read More

Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) futures arehigher this morning, as markets digest a busy day of earnings reports. Dow stocks Goldman Sachs (GS), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), and UnitedHealth (UNH) are all headed higher after earnings beats, and should help the Dow extend its quest for record highs.Netflix (NFLX) is also in the earnings spotlight, after reporting higher-than-expected subscriber gr...Read More

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), S&P 500 Index (SPX), and Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) each scored fresh record highs, as traders expressed optimism about third-quarter earnings season. Along with Netflix (NFLX) earnings, which are rolling in right now, a handful of big-cap companies will report this week. At its intraday peak, the Dow was within 40 points of the 23,000 level, lifted by bounc...Read More

Among the companies announcing third-quarter earnings this week is motorcycle giant Harley-Davidson Inc. (NYSE:HOG). Ahead of the Tuesday morning release, speculative players are active, with HOG option volume rising to nine times the norm today.According to Trade-Alert, in fact, today's call volume on HOG of 14,542 contracts is pacing in the 98th percentile of its annual range. The most popular s...Read More

Options trading has been heavy on chip stocks Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) andNvidia Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA), as both companies received bullish analyst attention today. Here's a closer look at how options traders have been placing their bets on MU and NVDA stocks.The 20 stocks listed in the table below have attracted the highest total weekly options volume during the past 10 trading da...Read More

Third-quarter earnings season is ramping up this week, with big banks Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS) and Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) slated to report earnings tomorrow morning. Here's a closer look at how GS and MS have performed ahead of earnings -- and after past earnings reports -- and how options traders have been positioning themselves on the financial shares.Options Players Are Betting On A...Read More

The iShares MSCI Japan ETF (EWJ) is fresh off a 10-year high of $57.69, after Japan's Nikkei touched another 21-year high. The exchange-traded fund (ETF) has added 4.4% just in the past month, shaking off its North Korea jitters from August, and EWJ options traders have been betting bullishly ahead of Japan's snap election this weekend.Today, the fund has seen roughly 34,000 call options change h...Read More

We've been taking a close look at mining stocks lately, and today we're digging into Vale SA (ADR) (NYSE:VALE). The outperforming equity is trading just above a key price point, potentially signaling extended upside. Plus, data suggests it's a good time to target near-term VALE options. Jumping right in, the stock is up over 88% during the past year to trade at $10.45. More recently, it's pulled b...Read More

Options volume has been exploding on utility stock PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG) during the shares' three-day slide. Before last Thursday, PCG had an average daily options volume of just 237 contracts, a number that's jumped to 1,936 over the past three days. Today alone, more than 40,000 PG&E options have already been traded, as speculators react to headlines surrounding the company's involvement i...Read More