U.S. stocks are lower this afternoon, after North Korea says the U.S. declared war. Among the names in the spotlight today are sports apparel retailer Under Armour Inc (NYSE:UAA), car parts distributor Genuine Parts Company (NYSE:GPC), and social media giant Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR). Here's a quick look at what is moving shares of UAA, GPC, and TWTR.Under Armour Stock Scores Rare Upgrade Under...Read More

Delivery expert United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) has been grinding higher since the financial crisis, touching a record high in late 2016. And while UPS stock experienced a significant bear gap in early 2017, the shares have been rising fast in recent months, as rival FedEx trades near all-time highs. Options traders appear extremely hopeful of the security's continued ascent, too. Starti...Read More

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is lower at midday,as markets eye another threat from North Korea. The country's foreign minister said President Trump's recent comments that Kim Jong Un's regime "won't be around much longer" were a declaration of war. As such, the isolated nation said it has "every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bom...Read More

It's the tail end of earnings season, but there are still a handful of high-profile names left to report. Athletic apparel retailer Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE), for instance, is scheduled to release its quarterly results after tomorrow's close. Today, NKE call options are trading at an accelerated clip, and it looks like one trader may be hoping to capitalize on inflated implied volatility levels ahead of...Read More

Analysts are weighing in on automaker General Motors Company (NYSE:GM), offshore driller Transocean Ltd (NYSE:RIG), and Amazon meal-delivery rival Blue Apron Holdings Inc (NYSE:APRN). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on shares of GM, RIG, and APRN. GM Revs Higher on Upgrade to "Buy"Deutsche Bank upgraded GM to "buy" from "hold" and hiked its price target to $51 from $36,...Read More

The following is a reprint of the market commentary from the October 2017 edition of The Option Advisor, published on September 22. For more information, or to subscribe to The Option Advisor -- featuring 10 new option trades each month -- visit our online store.It was just a couple of months ago in this space that we touched on the predictive powers of the group of investors known in the weekl...Read More

Analysts are weighing in on healthcare stocks Quest Diagnostics Inc (NYSE:DGX) and Tenet Healthcare Corp (NYSE:THC), as well as clothing designer VF Corp (NYSE:VFC). Here's a quick roundup of today's bearish brokerage notes on shares of DGX, THC, and VFC.Raymond James Downgrades Quest Diagnostics StockQuest Diagnostics shares are down 7.1% out of the gate at $94.89, after Raymond James downgraded...Read More

U.S. stocks are pulling back this morning as the dollar weakens. Among specific stocks in focus today are social media site Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), as well as biotech stocks Intercept Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:ICPT) and NewLink Genetics Corp (NASDAQ:NLNK). Here's a closer look at what's moving shares of FB, ICPT, and NLNK. FB Shares Dip on Stock Plan UpdateFacebook stock is down 0.6% at...Read More

Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) futures are pointed lower this morning, as traders await the onslaught of Fed speeches scheduled for this week. Just today, New York Fed President William Dudley, Chicago Fed President Charles Evans, and Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari are slated to deliver speeches. Investors will likely be looking for fresh insight into the Fed's much-anticipated u...Read More

If you're a long-time reader of Monday Morning Outlook, I apologize for what I'm about to say, as it is a refrain that you have heard before: We enter this week's trading with multiple benchmarks trading at psychological round-number levels that have historically marked hesitation points or profit-taking levels. Specifically, perhaps the benchmark on most radars is the S&P 500 Index (SPX - 2,502.2...Read More

Put options are usually thought of as bearish trading vehicles. However, puts can be utilized forbearish, bullish, and directionally neutral trading strategies. To gain more insight on the subject of put selling and all it has to offer, I spoke with Schaeffer's Senior V.P. of Research Todd Salamone.We issue at least two put-sell recommendations in our monthly Option Advisor newsletter. What indi...Read More

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) struggled today, pulling back from record highs, as investors considered escalating tensions with North Korea and Apple's worst week since April 2016. However, the S&P 500 Index (SPX) and Nasdaq Composite (COMP) eked out gains in the final minutes of trading, as healthcare stocks came off their session lows after Senator John McCain said he couldn't...Read More

It's been a busy week for Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA). After the stock got hit with a lackluster rating from Jefferies, reports of a potential union with Advanced Micro Devices swirled around the electric car company -- though the story was later refuted by GlobalFoundries. Additionally, the automaker announced it would be discontinuing the cheapest version of its Model S, while SolarCity, which...Read More

U.S. stocks are lower this afternoon, with the Dow down as Apple paces for its worst week in more than a year. Among the names in the spotlight today are e-commerce car platform Carvana Co (NYSE:CVNA), technology solutions provider Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co (NYSE:HPE), and credit agency Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX). Here's a quick look at what is moving shares of CVNA, HPE, and EFX.Analyst: 'S...Read More

The week started off strong for the major stock indexes, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and S&P 500 Index (SPX) climbing to record highs leading up to and just after the Fed's highly anticipated September meeting. However, the Dow's win streak was snapped at nine sessions, and its string of record closes ended at seven, as expectations for a December rate hike grew. In addition, an u...Read More

Solar stocks are getting a lift today thanks to news the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) found cheap imports were harming domestic solar panel producers. One of the biggest beneficiaries so far is First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR), which is trading 5.2% higher at $51.28, earlier hitting an annual high of $53. This move is coming at the expense of options traders, who had been betting bear...Read More

Solar stocks are flying high today, after the U.S. International Trade Commission found that solar panel imports were negatively impacting domestic manufacturers. The agency will now pass along it recommendations to the Trump administration, which will decide whether to impose tariffs on the solar imports -- with China one of the main manufacturers. One alternative energy name getting a big boost...Read More

It's been a rough week for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). With today's 1.6% drop to trade at $150.94, the shares are pacing for a nearly 6% weekly decline -- their worst weekly loss since April 2016 -- amid pressure from negative Apple Watch reviews. And while iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus go on sale today -- an event that could spark a "rocky day" for Apple due to lackluster sales, according to Loup Vent...Read More

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is slightly lower at midday,as markets digest another nuclear bomb threat from North Korea, and reports that the country's next nuclear test could include a hydrogen bomb into the Pacific Ocean. Meanwhile, healthcare stocks are in the red, and Apple stock continues to sink, even with today's iPhone 8 launch, on track for its worst weekly loss since April 201...Read More

Bank stocks have been outperforming in recent weeks, as the September Fed meeting has increased interest in the group, especially after signaling plans for a December rate hike. As such, we've been watching the SPDR S&P Bank ETF (KBE), which is on a four-day win streak -- though the regional bank exchange-traded fund (ETF) is 0.2% lower today at $43.34. And while its chart still looks promising -...Read More