Despite a fresh all-time high for the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) in early trading, it was ultimately a rocky start to the week for U.S. stocks. Traders responded to the latest developments out of Washington, D.C. -- including reports that the House is considering a plan to gradually reduce the corporate tax rate, and federal conspiracy charges forformer Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and his...Read More

Third-quarter pharmaceutical earnings and news -- such as Merck's recent catastrophe -- are continuing to make an impression on the market, and drug company Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) is set to report results ahead of the opening bell tomorrow.Here's a closer look at PFE stock ahead of earnings, and how options traders have been positioning themselves on the Dow component.Pfizer stock has set a serie...Read More

Stocks are lower this afternoon, as political drama weighs down markets. Drugmaker Endo International plc - Ordinary Shares (NASDAQ:ENDP) is enjoying a solid session, while specialty retailer Office Depot Inc (NASDAQ:ODP) and brand management firm Iconix Brand Group Inc (NASDAQ:ICON) are sinking. Here's a quick look at what's moving shares of ENDP, ODP, and ICON.Endo International Stock Soa...Read More

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) has rallied over 48% year-to-date to trade at $116.85, and hit a record high of $122.79 on Aug. 31. The company is scheduled to report fiscal second-quarter earnings after the close on Tuesday, and the stock has been solid after earnings in recent quarters. EA has moved higher in the session after earnings in five of the past six quarters, including a 12.7% surge i...Read More

The following is a reprint of the market commentary from the November 2017 edition of The Option Advisor, published on October 27. For more information, or to subscribe to The Option Advisor -- featuring 10 new option trades each month -- visit our online store.Long-time followers of our options recommendations will likely be familiar with the acronym F.A.R., which describes the ideal trajector...Read More

Reports of solid demand for Apple's iPhone X have a few Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) suppliers soaring today. Of note, Broadcom Ltd (NASDAQ:AVGO) and Qorvo Inc (NASDAQ:QRVO) stocks are moving higher, while shares of Finisar Corporation (NASDAQ:FNSR) are jumping on reports of possible Apple ties. What's more, AVGO, QRVO, and FSNR are all seeing unusual options activity this afternoon.AVGO Stock Secures...Read More

When trading options, there are numerous terms and concepts you must become familiar with in order to succeed. Today we will break down liquidity and slippage. To gain more insight on the subject,I spoke with Schaeffer's Senior Equity Analyst Joe Bell, CMT.What is liquidity and why is it important in options trading?JB: Liquidity refers to how quickly a stock or option can be bought or sold witho...Read More

Steel companies AK Steel Holding Corporation (NYSE:AKS) and United States Steel Corporation (NYSE:X) are slated to release their third-quarter earnings tomorrow. Both stocks have been volatile over the past year, especially around earnings, and options traders are expecting more of the same this time around. Below, we'll take a closer look at AKS and X ahead of the quarterly updates. AKS Stock T...Read More

Third-quarter earnings season continues full speed ahead this week, with stocks like Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc (NYSE:DO) climbing higher on an earnings beat. Tomorrow morning, traders will digest results from sports apparel retailer Under Armour Inc (NYSE:UAA).Here's a closer look at UAA stock ahead of earnings, and how options traders have been positioning themselves on the retailer's shar...Read More

Options trading has been heavy on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), with call volume on Friday reaching its highest point since January 2016. Social media powerhouses Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) andTwitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) are two companies with notable options volume, and both companies' general counsel will testify before Congress on Wednesday regarding Russian interference with the 20...Read More

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and S&P 500 Index (SPX) are trading lower, after former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort was charged with "conspiracy against the United States" and "seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts," among other indictments. Rick Gates, a Manafort business partner, was also indicted by a special counsel investigating Russ...Read More

November has been one of the best months to own stocks, historically, and if past is prologue, two blue chips could be screaming "buy" right now. Specifically, American juggernauts Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE:WMT) and McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD) are typically two of the best stocks to own next month. Below, we'll take a look at WMT and MCD shares, and how they tend to perform in November.Wal-M...Read More

U.S. stocks are trading lower after former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort surrendered to feds in response to being indicted by Robert Mueller. Among the stocks making moves this morning are energy concern Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc (NYSE:DO), healthcare provider Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK), and homebuilder CalAtlantic Group Inc (NYSE:CAA). Here's a closer look at what's moving shares of...Read More

Analysts are weighing in on pharmaceutical stock Adamas Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:ADMS), Chinese e-commerce name Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA), and online retail platform Shopify Inc (US) (NYSE:SHOP). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on shares of ADMS, BABA, and SHOP.Analyst Expects Adamas Pharmaceuticals Stock Surge to Continue Adamas Pharmaceuticals stock is...Read More

Analysts are weighing in on semiconductor stock Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD), retailer Macy's Inc (NYSE:M), and electric car concern Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA). Here's a quick roundup of today's bearish brokerage notes on AMD, M, TSLA.AMD Stock Nears Oversold Territory After MS DowngradeAMD stock is down 4.8% at $11.26 this morning, after Morgan Stanley lowered its rating to "underweigh...Read More

Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) futures are sluggish to start the week, as markets digest reports that former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort surrendered to feds after being indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller. Futures on the S&P 500 Index (SPX) and Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) are also lower, with the indexes set to pull back after Friday's tech-inspired rally to record highs. Traders...Read More

With tax reform among the highest priorities in Washington, D.C. -- which you are sure to read and hear about in coming weeks -- this week brings us a continuation of earnings season and a full economic calendar. We'll get data on inflation, personal income and spending, auto sales, productivity, and the October payrolls report on Friday.But from a macro perspective, the biggest news is likely to...Read More

Canadian oil producer Cenovus Energy (TSX, NYSE:CVE) has named industry veteran Alex Pourbaix chief executive officer, effective Nov. 6.Pourbaix replaces Brian Ferguson, who announced his retirement earlier this year following Cenovus' $17.7 billion acquisition of oil sands and Deep Basin assets from ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP).Pourbaix, who worked at TransCanada Corp for 27 years, most recently hel...Read More

The Herd Buys at LastIn 2009, when I was recommending gold stocks that were trading below the amount of money they had in the bank, no one wanted to buy. These stocks went up more than 3,000%.Here we are eight years later, and finally your neighbors are dumping money into stocks. In the United States, equity funds brought in their largest inflows in six months.Reuters recently said that $7.5 billi...Read More

Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ), the maker of Corona beer and Svedka vodka, has purchased a nearly 10 percent stake in Canopy Growth Corporation (TSX: WEED) for close to $200 million.Although this is the first time we've seen a major beer manufacturer enter the cannabis space, it won't be the last.The truth is, both the alcohol and tobacco industries are slowly entering the cannabis space because...Read More