Trading Tips Blog

Tech conglomerate Microsoft (MSFT) has been trending higher in recent sessions, and just broke through to a new 52-week high. One trader is betting that the uptrend will continue in the short term. That’s based on the June 30 $330 calls. With 38 days until expiration, 7,806 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 175, for a 45-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $4.10 to make the bullish bet. Microsoft recently traded ...
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Most investors didn’t expect the banking sector to get into trouble this year. Generally, rising interest rates are good for banks. They make fewer loans, albeit at higher rates. However, many banks used the low-rate era to invest in Treasury bonds at lower yields. That’s led to the second, third, and fourth-largest bank failures in U.S. history this year. It’s possible that they won’t be the last. But while the banking sector is down, it’s not quite out. Several regional banks are ...
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Steven Webster, a director at Callon Petroleum Company (CPE), recently picked up 10,000 shares. The buy increased his holdings by 1 percent, and came to a total cost just over $302,000. This follows up on a 50,000 share buy made by the director the week before, which increased his holdings by 7 percent, and which came to a total cost of $1.55 million. Another director made a buy for 250 shares in February, at a cost just under $9,800. Overall, company Read More About This

Pharmaceutical company Bausch Health Companies (BHC) has dropped nearly 40 percent over the past year. One trader sees a further decline in the coming months. That’s based on the July $8 puts. With 63 days until expiration, 10,001 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 121, for an 83-fold jump in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $1.08 to make the bearish bet. Shares recently went for about $7.50, so the options are already about ...
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While stocks have trended higher overall in the past few months, one part of the market has seen major interest from hedge funds and retail investors alike. That area? Artificial intelligence (AI). Companies that have been developing AI programs or otherwise moved towards servicing the growing tech niche have seen their share price rise. That’s a trend likely to continue. And it may give conservative investors some big-cap names to target. One of the biggest players is Nvidia (NVDA). The manufacturer of ...
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Sara Lewis, a director at Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) recently added 4,000 shares. The buy increased her holdings by 29 percent, and came to a total cost just under $139,600. That’s the first insider buy at the copper producer since last August, when she and another director were buyers of shares in the high-$20 to low $30 range.  Two company insiders sold shares when they popped over $40 in the intervening months. Overall, company insiders own 0.6 percent of shares. The copper producers is ...
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Automaker Ford Motor Company (F) has seen shares decline about 15 percent over the past year. One trader sees a further decline ahead. That’s based on the June 9 $11 puts. With 21 days until expiration, 14,140 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 495, for a 29-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $0.28 to make the bearish bet. Shares recently went for just over $11, making this an at-the-money trade. Shares are ...
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Most industries tend to consolidate over time. That’s because they start out with a large number of players. As those who are overleveraged or poorly managed go bust, the better-run companies start to buy up worthy competitors to build their market share. This trend is currently underway in the gold sector. A number of deals have occurred in the past few years that have set records. And this week saw yet another merger announcement that will further keep competition down. The latest ...
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