Trading Tips Blog

Shares of Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) have been cut nearly in half over the past year. One trader sees a decline in shares continuing in the coming months. That’s based on the September $12 puts. With 205 days until expiration, 5,672 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 181, for a 31-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $2.14 to make the bearish bet. Shares recently traded for about $11.30, so the option is ...
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Utility companies tend to offer steady returns, but at a cost. Growth is limited, thanks to regulatory concerns. However, some utilities can fare better than others, either because they’re in growing markets, or because they face less regulatory scrutiny. One such area is in waste management, aka, garbage hauling. This service is often provided to municipalities by an oligopoly of companies. These companies are able to earn reasonable returns, particularly for patient investors. The biggest player in the space is Waste Management ...
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Denise Morrison, a director at Visa (V), recently added 455 shares. The buy increased her holdings by 8 percent, and came to a total cost of $84,096. This marks the first insider buy at the company in the past three years. Generally, company executives have been regular sellers of Visa shares as their stock options have vested. A few directors have been modest sellers of shares at times as well. Overall, insiders own about 0.2 percent of shares. The credit card provider ...
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Shares of railroad Union Pacific Corporation (UNP) are down about 20 percent over the past year. One trader sees a rebound, although it may take two years to play out. That’s based on the January 2025 $220 calls. With 696 days until expiration, 4,100 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 192, for a 21-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $22.80 to make the bullish bet. Shares recently traded for just over ...
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Stocks and sectors tend to ebb and flow. The unusual economy of the past few years has caused some sectors to get overly bullish, and now with the market pullback over the past year, overly pessimistic. That’s creating some reasonable values for long-term investors, particularly those who are patient waiting for growth trends to play out. That’s especially true with many tech stocks, which got hit hard in last year’s market selloff. In the tech space, chip manufacturers have a bright few  ...
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Ruth Porat, a director at Blackstone (BX), recently bought 336 shares. The buy increased her stake by 1 percent, and came to a total cost just over $32,300. The director was also the most recent buyer of shares with a 20,000 share buy in December, shelling out just over $1.67 million. One company director exercised options since, and one company insider sold some shares earlier this month, but generally insiders haven’t been too active at the company. Overall, company insiders own ...
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Shares of biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences (GILD) have rallied about 37 percent in the past year. One trader sees a pullback for shares in the weeks ahead. That’s based on the March $86.50 puts. With 25 days until expiration, 6,508 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 236, for a 27-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid about $5.00 to make the bearish bet. Shares recently traded close to $83.50, making the options ...
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Investors have plenty of trends that they can follow to profits. One of the easiest – or at least biggest source—of profits to follow is the massive amount of government spending. That’s led to some people investing in highly regulated utilities, or even in aerospace and defense contractors for steady profits. However, times are changing. And the battlefields of the 21st century may not even have a physical location. There’s a tech-themed way to invest in this growing area of government ...
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