As the Dow trades near record highs, the Nasdaq is trading lower amid pressure from biotechs. One drug stock in the red is cystic fibrosis specialist Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX). This retreat could create a compelling opportunity for options traders, though, as VRTX tests a key trendline with historically bullish implications.Volatility Expectations Are Low on VRTX StockVRT...Read More

Economic data continues to dominate the news, with the September Fed meeting kicking off on Tuesday. Policymakers are expected to leave the benchmark interest rate untouched, but market participants will be awaiting details on the Fed's plans to unwind its $4.5 trillion balance sheet. Earnings are relatively light, but traders should watch out for reports from some big names like Adobe Systems (AD...Read More

Biotech stock bluebird bio Inc (NASDAQ:BLUE) continues to be a major winner for shareholders and options traders alike. The equity just hit a two-year high of $136.85, and was last seen 5.3% higher at $133, bringing its one-year gain to more than 111%. Not surprisingly, bullish options traders continue to target BLUE, betting the shares will rise even further in the weeks ahead. Starting with da...Read More

Options activity on GrubHub Inc (NYSE:GRUB) has been on the upswing over the past year. Currently, there are 126,283 options open on GRUB stock -- 100,436 calls and 25,847 puts -- in the 93rd annual percentile, and fewer than 22,100 contracts shy of the 12-month peak of 148,356 contracts hit on Aug. 4. As a point of comparison, total open interest fell to a 52-week low of 19,448 contracts on Sept....Read More

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is slightly higher at midday, bouncing back from early losses -- and even managing to notch a fresh intraday record of 22,189.97 earlier. The market is digesting the latest employment and inflation data, the latter of which has raised expectations for a December rate hike. In that same vein, oil prices continue to climb, with October crude futures up 1.8% at...Read More

Oil prices have been rising this week -- with October-dated futures trading above the $50-per-barrel mark today, after getting a boost yesterday on the International Energy Agency's (IEA) upwardly revised 2017 global oil demand forecast. While oil refiner Marathon Petroleum Corp (NYSE:MPC) is trading down 0.6% at $52.90 this morning, the energy stock recently pulled back to a historically bullish...Read More

Analysts are weighing in on information technology (IT) concern VMware, Inc. (NYSE:VMW), computer graphics company NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA), and online retailer eBay Inc (NASDAQ:EBAY). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on shares of VMW, NVDA, and EBAY. VMW Hits New High After Barclays UpgradeVMW received an upgrade to "overweight" from "equal weight" at Barclays, a...Read More

Analysts are weighing in on car rental specialist Hertz Global Holdings, Inc (NYSE:HTZ), credit bureau Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX), and healthcare stock Opko Health Inc. (NASDAQ:OPK). Here's a quick roundup of today's bearish brokerage notes on shares of HTZ, EFX, and OPK.Hertz Stock Pulls Back After Morgan Stanley NoteHertz Global Holdings is reeling, down 9.5% to trade at $21.66, after Morgan Stanl...Read More

It could be another ho-hum day on Wall Street, with stock futures pointing to a slightly lower open. Among specific stocks in focus are hospital operator Tenet Healthcare Corp (NYSE:THC), semiconductor concern Lattice Semiconductor Corp (NASDAQ:LSCC), and cancer treatment specialist Array Biopharma Inc (NASDAQ:ARRY). Here's a quick look at what's boosting shares of THC, LSCC, and ARRY. Sale Re...Read More

Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) futures are pointed slightly lower this morning, after notching a record-high close and fourth straight win yesterday. Futures on the S&P 500 Index (SPX) and Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) are also signaling a lower start, despite pumping out record-high closes of their own. Traders are digesting today's inflation data, with the latest consumer price index (CPI) toppin...Read More

In this interview with SmallCapPower at the MoneyShow Toronto 2017, Jefferson Financial President and CEO Brien Lundin outlines why he thinks we're in a renewed gold bull market, and provides a case for buying the junior exploration stocks. He also reveals his top junior gold stock picks and believes cobalt is "the next big play."Read More

Episode 17 - Porter's Top Two Ways to Build Wealth...and the Fed Has No MoralsBuck informs Porter that the US national debt just passed $20 Trillion. Should you care? Porter reveals the kinds of companies you want to own during the next debt crisis, shares his top two ways to build wealth over the long term, and gives you his #1 rule for building savings. Danielle DiMartino Booth, author of Fed Up...Read More

Tommy Tiernan best stand up from Just for Laughs, The Apollo, the Comedy Roadshow and more.Read More

Four times a year The Investment Reporter reviews its outlook for the economy's five main sectors-financial, utilities, manufacturing, consumer and resources. Its guiding rule is that investors keep at least 10 per cent-but no more than 30 per cent-of their portfolio in each of those five sectors.It's best to diversify your stock portfolio across the five main sectors of the economy: finance, util...Read More

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) spent most of the session flirting with breakeven, with upside momentum capped by Apple shares. However, the Dow broke out in late-day trading, notching another record-high close and a fourth straight win. Likewise, the Nasdaq Composite (COMP) eked out a win for a second consecutive record close, while the S&P 500 Index (SPX) managed another all-time h...Read More

It's been a rough 2017 for many retail stocks, with several notable names turning into earnings casualties. However,the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) has been on a tear since touching a four-year low in August, and today is notably higher, with help from Nordstrom's big day. Against this backdrop -- and ahead of Friday's retail sales data -- we decided to take a look at thesector, as well as one r...Read More

The stock chart for JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) is looking quite bullish at the moment. Shares of the banking giant just bounced from the 100-day moving average, and also experienced a series of closes below their lower Bollinger Band. A similar setup occurred back in mid-May and early June, and resulted in a massive upside rally for JPM. Add to this the fact that bank stocks in general have...Read More

U.S. stocks are trading mixed this afternoon, with the Dow struggling to build on solid gains from the last two sessions. Among the names in the spotlight today are tech stock Western Digital Corp (NASDAQ:WDC), retail giant Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT), and biopharmaceutical company Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:LXRX). Here's a quick look at what is moving shares of WDC, TGT, and LXR...Read More

Unless you live under a rock, you're probably aware that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) debuted its highly anticipated line of new products yesterday. Along with the $999 iPhone X -- which won't be available until November, much to many analysts' dismay -- the company also unveiled another pair of iPhones, a new Apple Watch, a wireless charging pad, and Apple TV 4K. The shares of AAPL hit an intraday hi...Read More

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is slightly lower at midday,unable to build on the solid gains from the last two sessions. Apple's big iPhone reveal yesterday has done little for the stock, which at last check was trading in the red to lead the Dow laggards. Both the S&P 500 Index (SPX) and Nasdaq Composite (COMP) are also lower, though the former eked out another all-time high earlie...Read More