Trading Tips Blog

Shares of payment company
Block (SQ) have been in a sharp downtrend with other tech names in the past few months. One trader sees that trend continuing indefinitely. That’s based on the December $90 puts. With 221 days until expiration, 1,329 contracts traded against a prior open interest of 109, for a 12-fold rise in volume. The buyer of the puts paid $18.20 to get into the trade. The stock last went for around $100 per share, so it would need to decline ...
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Commodities have been in a bull market for some time. But with oil prices well off their highs, and with precious metals failing to break higher even with high inflation rates, prices have moderated somewhat. But some commodities have stronger fundamentals, especially in the years ahead. The metals space is one area, as a recovering global economy has greater demand for these commodities than the current supply. One such commodity is lithium. Critical for rechargeable batteries in everything from cell phones to ...
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David Zinsner, CFO at
Intel (INTC), recently picked up 5,550 shares. The buy increased his holdings by 166 percent, and came to a total price of just over $246,000. The buy comes one day after the company CEO, Patrick Gelsinger, also picked up 5,500 shares, a buy that increased his stake by nearly 4 percent. Insiders last bought shares following the company’s earning in February. And late 2021 saw a flurry of insider buys that bucked the usual trend of tech insiders being ...
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Shares of entertainment giant
The Walt Disney Company (DIS) have been sliding in recent months. One trader sees a further decline in the days ahead. That’s based on the May 20th $108 puts. With 14 days until expiration, 5,340 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest 156, for a 34-fold increase in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $1.71 to bet on a further decline in shares. Shares last traded around $116, so they would need to decline ...
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The tech space has been a roller coaster over the past six months, and largely to the downside. Many big names retested their February lows in last week’s selloff. However, as earnings come in, traders can better separate the winners in today’s economy from those not faring as well. That’s especially true in a competitive space like hardware. Hardware is more like a commodity than software, but a company that makes quality hardware can still stand out. In the semiconductor hardware space, ...
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Karole Lloyd, a director at
Aflac (AFL), recently added 1,000 shares. The buy increased her position by just under 3 percent, and came to a total purchase price of just under $60,000. This marks the first insider buy at the company since last July. Since then, company insiders have been sellers. And insider selling has been more prevalent than insider buying over the past three years by a substantial margin, even as shares have soared higher. Company insiders still own about 9.6 ...
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Shares of oil and gas exploration company
Antero Resources Corporation (AR) are up over 240 percent in the past year. One trader sees a further rally in the months ahead. That’s based on the November $45 calls. With 197 days until expiration, 26,695 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 550, for a 49-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $4.80 to make the bet. The stock recently traded for around $37, so shares would ...
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Many companies offer just one product or service. Some of today’s large companies, however, offer many services and products (or even both). That’s especially true in the tech space, where rapid changes result in continued ongoing sales and support. Some of these companies have a number of businesses that could be broken out into separate parts. And right now, this “sum of the parts” analysis is starting to show that it may be time to start dipping a toe into some ...
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