Trading Tips Blog

Ruth Porat, a director at Blackstone (BX), recently bought 269 shares. The buy increased her stake by 1%, and came to a total cost of $34,868. Porat was the last buyer, with a 277 share pickup for just over $33,000 back in May. She and a second director also bought in February. Otherwise, two insiders, a director and the company’s Chief Accounting Officer, sold shares in the past few months. Over the past two years, sellers outnumber buyers. In total, Blackstone ...
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Mortgage REIT AGNC Investment Corp (AGNC) has traded flat over the past year, as interest rates have held steady. One trader sees the potential for shares to rally over the next few weeks. That’s based on the September 13 $10.00 calls. With 31 days until expiration, 10,421 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 244, for a 43-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $0.26 to make the bullish bet. AGNC shares trade right ...
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With markets undergoing high volatility, it will likely take a few weeks for the market to get back to a calmer daily trading range. Investors unused to volatility may want to look for ways to avoid watching big daily swings. One such way is to look for stocks with a low beta. Beta is a measure of how a single stock trades relative to the market. A stock that trades exactly with the market has a beta of 1.0. Companies with a ...
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Amy Chronis, a director at Kinder Morgan (KMI), recently bought 9,732 shares. The buy increased her stake by 81%, and came to a total cost of $200,986. This marks the first insider buy at the company over the past two years. Company insiders have been regular sellers of shares, including a few company executives who have been consistent sellers of small amounts of their holdings on a regular basis. Overall, Kinder Morgan insiders own 12.8% of shares. The oil and gas pipeline ...
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Pizza chain Papa John’s International (PZZA) has lost nearly half its value over the past year amid a slowdown in consumer spending on dining. One trader sees further weakness in the months ahead. That’s based on the October $40 puts. With 67 days until expiration, 7,988 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 338, for a 24-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $2.15 to make the bearish bet. Papa John’s recently traded for ...
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With the S&P 500 swinging by 100 points or more in daily trading, or the Dow making 1,000 point moves it’s easy to get caught up in the fear. To get past the fear, investors should focus on the facts. One fact of the past few weeks is that the economic data is okay. We’re not plunging into a recession right now, although growth is slowing. The Fed is on track to lower interest rates next month. All to plan. However, the ...
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William Hornbuckle, President and CEO of MGM Resorts International (MGM), recently bought 58,900 shares. The buy increased his position by 12%, and came to a total cost of $1.99 million. A company director bought 147,500 shares on the same day, shelling out $4,986,090 to increase his stake by 9%. And the company CFO bought $340,000 in shares, also on the same day. These mark the first insider buys at MGM in the past two years, reversing a trend of sales. Overall, Read More

Rideshare company Lyft (LYFT) sank over 17% earlier this week when it reported earnings. Shares are now slightly down for the year, and one trader sees further downside through the end of next year. That’s based on the December 2025 $8 puts. With 497 days until expiration, 45,577 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 613, for a 74-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $1.70 to make the bearish bet. Lyft shares recently ...
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