Trading Tips Blog

Tech giant
Microsoft (MSFT) has been a strong performer this year, but shares have been hit in recent weeks. One trader sees shares bouncing higher in the months ahead. That’s based on the November $280 calls. With 87 days until expiration, 22,514 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 391, for a 58-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $45.45 to make the bullish bet. Shares recently traded at $316, so the option is already ...
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The market’s rally higher this year has been driven largely by tech stocks. While the market has pulled back a bit overall, many companies and sectors have been laggards. There’s still some residual concerns that are now creating a value today. One sector is the media space. Fears of a slowing economy and declining ad spending hit the sector hard last year. So far, it’s been slow to recover. But buying a diversified player here can lead to solid returns.
Comcast (CMCSA) ...
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Amy Banse, a director at
Lennar (LEN), recently bought 820 shares. The buy increased her stake by 11 percent, and came to a total cost of $100,909. The director was the last insider buyer, with a 790 share pickup in July and a 165 share buy in June. Overall, that adds another $110,000 in purchases to the recent buy. Insiders have otherwise been slight sellers of shares over the past two years. Overall, insiders own about 2.4 percent of the homebuilder’s shares. Lennar ...
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American Airlines (AAL) is up 6 percent over the past year, about double the return of the S&P 500. One trader sees shares declining in the months ahead. That’s based on the February 2024 $11 puts. With 178 days until expiration, 7,010 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 167, for a 42-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $0.35 to make the bearish bet. American Airlines shares recently went for about $15, ...
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The latest Fed meeting minutes suggest the central bank may continue to raise interest rates. However, the steady increases of the past year are over. With interest rates likely near, if not at, their cycle peak, some investments look better than others. Fixed income could perform well here, as prices on assets like bonds will rise as interest rates move lower. But it’s also likely that we’ve seen the worst of the selloff in defensive parts of the market, such as ...
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John Risher, CEO at
Lyft (LYFT), recently bought 100,000 shares. The buy increased his stake by 1 percent, and came to a total cost of $1.15 million. He was joined by a company director who bought 8,826 shares, increasing his stake by  28 percent, and paying just under $100,000. These are the only insider buys at Lyft over the past two years. There have been nearly two dozen sales from directors and executives over the past two years. Overall, insiders own 9.6 ...
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Oil and gas exploration and production company
Suncor Energy (SU) is slightly down over the past year as energy prices have moderated. One trader sees shares trending higher into the end of the year. That’s based on the December $34 calls. With 119 days until expiration, 45,164 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 317, for a 142-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $1.27 to make the bullish bet. Shares last traded just under ...
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The past few months have seen retail stocks underperform on concern that consumers have been slowing their spending. The latest retail sales data indicates that consumers are fine overall. If anything, they’re just cutting back on spending unless they can get a big bargain. Investors looking at the retail space should focus either on companies that can offer big, regular sales, or on big box stores that cater to consistent demand. Home improvement chain
Home Depot (HD) is in the latter category. Consumers need ...
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