Trading Tips Blog

With the overall stock market slowing, investors should look to take profits in areas that have had large moves higher. And the proceeds should move to stocks still trending higher today. Typically, food and beverage companies are recession-resistant. But changing consumer tastes and higher food costs have largely weighed on this sector. One niche of this space, however, looks unaffected, and could continue to keep moving higher. The space is the spirits industry. Alcohol sales have remained robust, and beer sales are ...
Read More

Gary Martz, General Council at Greif (GEF), recently bought 15,000 shares across two transactions. The buy increased his holdings by about 17%, and came to a total cost of just over $1,000,000. The buy comes a month after the company CFO bought 24,725 shares, paying just over $1.64 million to do so. The company CEO was also a buyer in early March, picking up about $329,200 in shares. There have been some smaller insider sales so far this year. Overall, Greif ...
Read More

Wall Street megabank Citigroup (C) is up 27% over the past year, just slightly ahead of the overall stock market. One trader sees a potential pullback in shares in the coming weeks. That’s based on the May 10 $60 puts. With 24 days until expiration, 4,480 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 107, for a 42-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $1.70 to make the bearish bet. Citigroup shares recently traded for ...
Read More

Companies exist in a competitive landscape. An idea that’s highly profitable tends to attract competition. But there’s also so much that the market can bear. That’s why new technologies tend to attract a number of startups that consolidate over time. The end result can be a few industries where just one company has a strong niche over that of competitors. That company tends to make good returns, but also has the market dominance to ward off new competitors. One such company is ...
Read More

Lawrence Cheng, a director at GameStop (GME), recently added 10,000 shares to his holdings. The buy increased his stake by 16%, and came to a total cost of $112,238. Cheng was the last insider buyer with a 6,000 share pickup back in September. Another company director was also a buyer of 15,000 shares on the same day. There have been some sales by the company’s general counsel and another executive in the intervening months. In total, GameStop insiders own 12.8% of ...
Read More

Drug manufacturer Pfizer (PFE) has shed 35% over the past year amid a poorly-performing market for the pharmaceutical sector. One trader sees a rally in the coming weeks. That’s based on the May 10 $28 calls. With 28 days until expiration, 39,706 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 411, for a 97-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $0.57 to make the bullish bet. Pfizer shares recently traded just over $26, so they ...
Read More

Interest rates are likely to stay at their current level through the summer. That’s based on the latest economic data, showing inflation remains stubbornly high. That means investors looking for the best returns may not find it in growth stocks in the next few months. Until interest rates start to move lower, investors will likely see relatively better returns in more defensive stocks. These stocks tend to offer lower volatility, and tend to pay above-average levels of income. Amid defensive stocks, utility ...
Read More

Alvin Libin, a major holder of Riley Exploration Permian (REPX), recently added 75,000 shares. The buy increased his holdings by 4%, and came to a total cost of $2,025,000. Libin was the last buyer with a 100,000 share buy back in September. Otherwise, company insiders have been sellers of shares. The largest sales have some from another major holder, although Riley’s President and CEO has also been a seller since the start of the year. Overall, Riley insiders own 20.0% of ...
Read More