1 2 The S&P 500 continued its uncertain ways last week as technology shares struggled to find any footing. While the bearishness was the story of the week for most of the market, that wasn’t true for all of the market. Thursday and Friday saw buyers in the materials space perk up and was the only S&P 500 sector to finish in the green for the week. By Friday, it was the Construction Materials along with Metals and Mining that shined. For the week, the S&P 500 finished 2.51% lower while the Materials SPDR Select Sector ETF (NYSEARCA: XLB) finished 0.1% higher on the week. It...

As stocks struggled to end the week in the green, it is leading investors to try to figure out where the market will be at the end of the year. As investors are looking around, trades are being made based on these expectations. For the Chinese equity markets some answers are coming in based on Friday’s option activity. The iShares China Large-Cap ETF (NYSEARCA: FXI) saw a surge in put option activity that is anticipating FXI will test its March low by the beginning of 2021. China, the world’s second-largest economy, posted a 3.2% Q2 GDP after experiencing its first negative GDP quarter ...

With the month of September only half-way through, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) is on pace for a big month of insider selling. Looking back over the past three years, Microsoft is pacing to have its biggest month in terms of sale transactions and selling volume by insiders. The selling comes at an interesting time as the tech rally fades and investors are left wondering if there is a bigger pull-back in store. Technology was the second-worst performing S&P 500 sector lest week with a 4.3% weekly decline. It was the biggest pullback since March and the only the second time si...

1 2 The route that Nikola Corporation (NASDAQ: NKLA) took to become a publicly traded company has sparked interest in Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPAC). These companies are considered “blank check companies” who raise capital in the equity markets to pursue potential acquisitions. In 2020, this trend continues to grow and the opportunity to trade these companies are increasing. If you’re not familiar with SPACs, it is a company that has no real operation and is formed for the sole purpose to raise capital through an initial public offering. The funds raised are being design...

Conversion Labs Inc (OTCMKTS: CVLB) is an online direct-to-consumer marketing and telemedicine company. That description should get you a little excited given the trend of companies that can operate in with all the pandemic policies in place. Someone that may be a little excited, based on their recent transactions, is the director that added over 100,000 shares in the past few weeks. As the price is firming up, it may be a good time to revisit the most bought OTC stock by insiders in the past month. The company maintains multiple telehealth brands under the names: Veritas MD, Rex MD, Sh...

If you’ve been following unusual option activity over the past two months, there has been a lot of activity on companies that benefit from reopening. One of the most targeted areas have been casinos like MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) and Caesars Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ: CZR), but it has also extended to other areas of travel and leisure. On Thursday, it was Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd (NASDAQ: MLCO) turn as option traders are looking for its price to move. Melco is a developer, owner and operator of integrated resort facilities in Asia and Europe. One of their proper...

1 2 The S&P 500 recently tested its 50-day moving average, but does that mean valuations for the index have normalized? Unfortunately, it hasn’t even begun to do so. Looking at the Shiller P/E ratio for the S&P 500, the market has only been more overvalued one other time and that was during the 2000 tech bubble. The market may only be in a quiet period before significant volatility returns. In this climate, identifying value companies that pay dividends may be a shelter from the storm that’s still brewing. The Shiller P/E Ratio is a price-to-earnings ration for the S&P 500...

It may be hard to appreciate a rental car company as an investor when travel is so impacted, and Hertz declared bankruptcy. However, not all companies are the same and some are underappreciated and undervalued. Avis Budget Group Inc (NASDAQ: CAR) may be one of those companies as the stock continues to trend higher. One big indication is string of insider buying by 10% owner SRS Investment Management. Avis has been a solid performer since its March lows and is currently testing its June 8 high near $36.50. In a quarterly report provided by Mittleman Global Value Equity Fund, the investme...

It can be startling when the volatility of the market rears its ugly head when it’s been gone for a while. This past week may be a reminder that it’s not always an up day and the down days can see gains diminish quickly. As stocks look to find their footing, it will be interesting to see which companies begin to lead. On Wednesday, the increased bullish option activity in Altria Group Inc (NYSE: MO) may be an indication that traders are to take a break. Altria is a consumer staples stock that manufactures and sells cigarettes, smokeless products and wine. The company currently pays a 7....

For the past three months, the share price of Invesco Ltd (NYSE: IVZ) has been trading in a range between $10 and $11.60. The price just made another run at the resistance last week as volume surged but faded from the high yesterday. As the price was beginning its run, the president and CEO Martin Flanagan and another insider began buying shares. The insider buys may be an indication that they expect the price to move higher. Invesco is a $5.23 billion investment management company. With 459.17 million shares outstanding, institutions own 48.58% of the shares. Insiders own very little o...