Market Turbulence Eases – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) Coming up this week, a host of 1st quarter earnings reports continue, with 80% so far released beating previous year’s 1st quarter earnings. The Bureau of Labor Statistics will announce the CPI (Consumer Price Index report) with the Census Bureau releasing retail sales data for April, and the University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Survey, conducted by Janet Hsu, will come Friday. Last week was docile, a welcome week for … Read more…

The Fed Stands Pat – Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) Hope Springs Eternal… A solid Jobs report, with steady unemployment, the President’s softening attitude with the Chinese on tariffs and traders and investors reallocating serious funds back in the market have fueled the the upward trending of the averages the last days of April and into May. As many investors pivoted investments reacting to President Trump’s institution of sweeping tariffs, much shifting of capital to safer havens of bonds … Read more…

Tariff’s Cloud Worldwide Economy – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) After a turbulent month where peaks and valleys ruled stocks, sending the confused market in, up and down, it somewhat ‘righted itself, recovering much of its losses at the end. Eventful news that the economy compressed in the first three months and constant tariff implications, drove indexes downward. Fears of an upcoming recession are also blurring the market. As investors digested the negative news along with many positive earnings … Read more…

Trump Backtracks – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) The shortened week finished in disarray…as the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 527 points or 1.3% at Thursday’s close. The Nasdaq Composite was off 0.1% while the S&P 500 eked out a small gain of 0.1%. It was a turbulent 4 day week as investors continued to parse President Trump’s tariff policies, specifically his ‘90 day assessment period and the institution of ‘new restrictions’ on China. The Trump-Powell debacle … Read more…

Markets Cow-Tow to Trump – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) All three exchanges stayed ‘alive and active’ Friday after pondering President Trump’s easing back on the initiation of his tariffs. After a roller coaster week of market swings up and down, all three indexes finished positive. The Dow Jones Industrial Average on Friday added over 600 points, 1.5%, while the heavy-tech Nasdaq Composite bounced 2.1% and the S&P 500 advanced 1.8%, with all three indexes finishing positive, giving investors … Read more…

Reserging Markets…?? – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) Friday continued the carnage, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down a staggering 2,200 points. Hopefully this was Chin’s “final punch,” as the exchange entered intoBear Domain. The S&P 500 fell 6%, the worst week since 2020. The Nasdaq Composite Index hit bear market territory also, falling 5.8%. Financial losses for the S&P 500 were breathtaking, losing 6.6 trillion dollars in just two days. Every trading partner in the … Read more…

Tariff Trouble & the Consumer – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) Last week finished on a ‘down note’, led by the Dow Jones Industrial Average, falling near 700 points. The tech heavy Nasdaq lost 2.7%, with favorite high techs and chips, including the Magnificent 7, leading the way. Negative news pushed all stocks lower, especially the latest reading of the core PCE, detailing that prices rose 0.4% month over month and 2.8% year over year, fighting the Fed’s magic mark … Read more…

Consumer Confidence Shrinks – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) The week ending March 15 was yet another roller-coaster ride of peaks and valleys. After a week of drifting, sliding backwards, and then gaining, the indexes eked out small gains. Investors and traders, beleaguered by the imposing of more tariffs and retaliatory tariffs, are reacting less severely, more rationally. The week was “tariff-calm,” with the administration seemingly on ‘tariff-hold,’ with the market in quiet mode. After the Reserver held … Read more…

Tariffs, Inflation….Turmoil by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) Consumers Sentiment Sinks… The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Survey, conducted by Janet Hsu, revealed many concerns. Government job eliminations, lingering wars, and immigration back-lashes, and ..tariffs have saddled the U.S. Consumer. The latest University of Michigan survey released mid-March was drastically lower, dropping 11% to 57.9% [last month was 64.7%] falling steadily since President Trump was elected. Recession concerns are on the rise as “soft-landing talk” has pretty … Read more…

Economic Chaos – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) A Roller-Coaster ride last week… Unpredictability, Precariousness, and Changeability roiled the market all week. Finishing Friday, the indexes were static, ending the week just below flatline. A ‘valiant’ burst of buying late Friday couldn’t save a lost week. The S&P 500 fell 3.1% for the week ended March 7. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 3.4% and the ‘bread and butter’ Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 2,4%. The smaller value stock … Read more…