Trading Tips Blog

Shares of consumer goods giant Unilever (UL) are down just 6 percent in the past year, outperforming the S&P 500 by nearly 10 percent. One trader sees shares moving higher to close out the year. That’s based on the December $50 calls. With 20 days until expiration, 8,516 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 388, for a 22-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $0.60 to make the bet. Shares recently traded just ...
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Whether stocks move up or down, a company’s earnings remain fundamental to its long-term share price. A growing company will reflect that in growing earnings, whereas a struggling company may find all sorts of “one time” reasons why they didn’t hit their estimates. For companies that can fare well during a high-inflation, slow-growth economic environment, proving themselves now is a sign of success in any market condition. Investing in growing companies in a soft economy can lead to great results. One surprising ...
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James Abbott, a Senior Vice President at Zions Bancorp (ZION), recently added 2,500 shares. The buy increased his stake by 3 percent, and came to a total cost of just over $126,000. Abbott was the last company insider to make a buy, with a 10,000 share pickup back in May, at a price about 10 percent higher than where shares now trade. Overall, insiders at the bank have been sellers over the past three years. Insiders at the bank own 1.6 ...
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Shares of electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors (TSLA) hit a 52-week low earlier this week. The automaker has been caught up in CEO Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter. One trader is betting on a rebound ahead. That’s based on the December $173.33 calls. With 22 days until expiration, 15,158 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 511, for a 30-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $9.60 to make the bullish bet. Shares Read More

The tenure of a company CEO can be judged in part by the stock price performance. Those who do a great job will see their shares rise well above that of other players in the industry. And when a great CEO announces their retirement, it’s likely that shares will drop on the concern that the replacement won’t be as good. Likewise, the announcement of a new CEO after a lackluster one can often give a company’s stock an immediate boost. That’s especially ...
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Paula Santilli, a director at The Home Depot (HD), recently bought 1,583 shares. The purchase is an initial stake by the director, and came to a total cost of just over $499,900. This is the first buy at the company since May, when another company director bought 1,500 shares, paying just over $400,000 to do so. Over the past three years, insiders have largely been sellers of shares, particularly those at the Executive Vice President level. Overall, insiders own about 0.1 ...
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Shares of chipmaker Intel Corporation (INTC) have slid 40 percent in the past year. One trader sees a potential rebound in the next 10 months. That’s based on the September 2023 $40 calls. With 295 days until expiration, 5,076 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 204, for a 25-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $0.88 to make the bet. Intel shares recently traded for just under $29, so they’d need to rise ...
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Consumer spending makes up about 70 percent of the US economy. Currently, sales remain strong, but there are some signs that consumers may be increasing their credit card usage to do so. If that continues, it’s likely that spending will start to come down in some parts of the economy. However, some retailers could benefit from that trend. Discount stores tend to hold up well no matter what the economy is doing for groceries or other basic supplies. In the clothing space, ...
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