Reflections

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) With a short week coming up and a shorter day Monday to prepare for the fourth of July, stocks were quiet with all indexes up just slightly at Monday’s close. Some high techs ‘speared ahead’ as traders and investors were anxious to vacate and ‘head-for-the-hills.’ Bitcoin was stronger after moving nicely to the $31,000.00 level, after months of hovering in the $25,000.00 area, the highest since May of 22. … Read more…

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) Heading into the final week of the first half of 2023, stocks were off in all three indexes, with the Nasdaq Composite leading the downward trend. It was the sixth straight day of the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling, however most negative days were 50 to 100 points, although still negative. Some favorites, and many high-technology leaders of the 1st half of the year, gave back some gains as … Read more…

Ah, July! The month when summer is in full swing and the spirit of adventure fills the air. In the world of investing, this mid-summer period also brings its own unique opportunities. Among these are mid-cap stocks, often considered the perfect mix between the high-growth potential of small caps and the stability of large caps. So, let’s throw on our sunglasses, crank up the beach tunes, and take a detailed look at the top 10 … Read more…

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) Stocks in worldwide exchanges slipped downward as worldwide concerns of China’s economy worried all investors and traders. The yuan followed suit, weakening to the dollar and reversing a weeks-long trend. All U.S. markets were closed Monday in observance of Juneteenth, public holiday, with their reaction due out Tuesday. Worsening concerns over the past several weeks about the ability of China to take action on the rapid slowdown, has deeply … Read more…

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) As the week ended, the S&P 500 was off and running, running ‘like a bull.’ After a record bear market, all signs are looking ‘bull-positive.’ All eyes are on the ‘hallowed’ S&P 500 as the index is at its highest mark since August of 2022, and…now entering into ‘bull’ territory. “I do believe the worst is behind us,” said Brian Belski, chief investment strategist of BMO Capital Markets. (He … Read more…

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) Labor continues to stymie recession fears, as 335,000 new jobs blew away market estimates in May, as announced by the Labor Department Friday. Indexes were all up significantly, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average exploding for 700 points, the largest gain in 2023. Both the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 followed suit, up 1.1% and 1.5% respectively, by Friday’s close. Investors and traders relished in the good news, … Read more…

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) After days of anxiety and frustrations over the debt-ceiling crisis, investors and traders took on a more optimistic outlook as the market closed on Friday. And the indices all were positive. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 300 points while the S&P 500 and the technology minded Nasdaq Composite were up 1.3% and 2.2% respectively. The general consensus on the ‘Street’ was that progress was being made with an … Read more…

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) All indices slid back on Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 100 points, while the tech heavy Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 suffered minor losses of 0.24% and 0.19% respectively. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy chose House Representative Garret Graves to be his ‘point man’ and fresh face, in discussions with President Biden on the debt-ceiling crisis. Investors and traders were disheartened Friday as the Republicans … Read more…

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) With Friday’s release of The University of Michigan Sentiment Survey’s scathing numbers, the outlook paints a bleak spending scenario, short and long term for consumers. The Index dropped to 57.7, down 5.8 points, exceeding economists predictions by 2.1 points. Consumers are ‘battle-weary’ after months of ‘bad news’…and now the debt-ceiling crisis. As Speaker McCarthy and President Biden square off, with little optimism, the U.S. consumer is laden down with … Read more…

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) An uneasy market Monday and Tuesday didn’t get better after the release of the Consumer Price Index numbers on Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average even skidded a bit with the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 edging up 1% and 0.45% respectively. Increases in consumer goods were the weakest in over two years. The CPI was up 0.4% in April, a good sign that the economy is finally … Read more…