Unusual Options Activity: Microsoft (MSFT)

Shares of tech giant Microsoft (MSFT) have rebounded nicely with the overall stock market in recent weeks. One trader sees the stock trending down next. That’s based on the December $300 put. With 122 days until expiration, 4,011 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 116, for a 35-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $21.28 to bet on a drop in shares. Microsoft recently traded for about $292, so shares are already ...
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Buy Industry Leaders in a Bear Market, Unless the Second-Best Company Is Cheaper

A bear market is a great time to build a position in industry-leading companies. A market selloff that sends great companies down can lead to improved returns in the future. Those returns could be even better buying companies that aren’t the top name in the industry. The second-best company in the space will likely get hit a little bit harder in a market downtrend. But it may see higher returns when the market turns around. Right now, that’s playing out with home ...
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Insider Trading Report: Harley-Davidson (HOG)

Rafeh Masood, a director at Harley-Davidson (HOG), recently added 1,335 shares. The buy represented an initial stake for the director, and came to a total purchase price of just over $50,000. This is the first insider activity at the company in over a year. Insiders were last buyers in early 2021. Over the past three years, insider buying has exceeded a modest amount of selling at the company. Overall, company insiders own 0.6 percent of shares. The motorcycle manufacturing company is down ...
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Unusual Options Activity: Apple (AAPL)

Shares of consumer tech giant Apple (AAPL) have rebounded strongly in the past few weeks along with the overall market. One trader is betting on a move lower in the coming months. That’s based on the December $170 put. With 123 days until expiration, 35,402 contracts traded compared to a prior open position of 890, for a 40-fold surge in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $11.33 to make the trade. Shares recently traded around $168, making the ...
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Continue to Stick with Safe Stocks as Inflation Remains High

While investors were happy to see the rate of annual inflation start to slow, inflation is still unacceptably high. That will continue to keep consumers on the defensive. They may cut their spending in some areas to afford the higher prices elsewhere. That could bode well for low-cost producers for some time. Most companies offering inexpensive products can usually raise prices to counter inflation, even if it may also result in some lower sales. One company that missed on sales but is ...
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Insider Trading Report: Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM)

Jeffrey Ubben, a director at Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM), recently picked up 1,000,000 shares. The buy increased his stake by nearly 565 percent, and came to a total purchase price of $88.45 million. This is the first buy at the company since last November. So far this year, a few company insiders have been sellers of shares. Over the past three years, there’s been a mix of insider buys and sells, but overall sellers have been slightly greater than buyers. Overall, ...
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Unusual Options Activity: Coinbase (COIN)

Shares of cryptocurrency brokerage firm Coinbase (COIN) rallied after reporting dismal earnings, as the overall market surged higher on a lower-than-expected CPI report. One trader is betting the shares will decline from here. That’s based on the November $90 put options. With 98 days until expiration, 2,817 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 134, for a 21-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $18.48 to make the trade. Shares recently traded for about ...
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Stack Shares of Companies that Build During Bear Markets

During bear markets, retail investors get fearful. But the wealthy and institutional investors know it’s time to buy – even if it may be months or years for a buy to pay off. With the market down and the economy moving into reverse as inflation takes a bite, valuations in many sectors are compelling enough to entice new investments and merger activities now. Those who follow those trends could fare well in the future. While there are plenty of examples in the ...
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