Trading Tips Blog

There’s always a good profit to be had in the “picks and shovels” of any trend. Companies that provide infrastructure or supplies can profit from a number of ways that other firms may not be able to do. One trend is rising food prices, which you may have noticed at the shelves of your local grocery store. Rising crop prices are pushing up the final cost of food as well. Investing directly in agricultural commodities is a headache for a stock investor, ...
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Copper giant Freeport McMoRan (FCX) has been on a tear, and one trader sees shares continuing to move even higher in the next few months. That’s based on the May $42 calls. Expiring in 88 days, over 3,250 contracts traded recently, a 20-fold rise in volume from the prior open interest of 163. Shares would need to rise another 13.5 percent for the option to move in-the-money before expiration. The trader paid about $2.41 to make the trade. Freeport shares jumped over ...
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Matthew Koeppen, Chief Investment Officer at Two Harbors Investment Corp (TWO), recently added 20,000 shares to his holdings. The buy came to just over $133,000. He was joined a day later by William Greenberg, the company President and CEO, who bought 35,000 more shares, at a total cost of just over $230,000. These mark the first insider buys since 2019. Prior actions over the past year have been sales. Shares of the mortgage real estate investment trust (REIT) are down nearly ...
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Markets continue to see some big moves in individual companies reporting earnings. Or, more accurately, in companies making announcements in conjunction with earnings. For instance, Walmart (WMT) reported solid earnings thanks to rising ecommerce sales, and boosted its share buyback program to $20 billion. Yet shares sold off anyway, as the firm came in light with guidance for the year ahead. It also didn’t help that the company announced a higher wage for 425,000 workers. The wage raise will increase the ...
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Edward Ludwig, a director at CVS Health Corp (CVS) recently picked up 3,000 shares. The buy increased his stake by over 13 percent, and came to a total cost of exactly $216,000. This is the first insider buy at the company since last May, when an EVP bought 5,000 shares. Overall insiders have been sellers of shares, and entirely from the C-suite of executives, rather than from company directors. Insiders own a paltry 0.17 percent of shares. The drugstore chain has ...
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Social media giant Facebook (FB) has been trading in a range between $250 and $300 over the past few months. At least one trader sees a big selloff ahead. That’s based on the September $150 put options. Expiring in 210 days, shares would need to drop 47 percent for the trade to move in-the-money. Over 12,400 contracts traded, a 43-fold rise in volume over the prior open interest of 288. The trader paid about $1.54 for the options. With shares trading in a ...
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Earnings season continues to create new trading opportunities for investors. While the explosion of e-commerce trends over the past year is likely to slow, the gains made are likely to hold. So when a company warns on guidance, any selloff can create a buying opportunity. Case in point? Shopify (SHOP). The company saw stronger-than-expected earnings in the fourth quarter of 2020, yet shares sold off on lower guidance for 2021. That’s the market’s mistake. The selloff in shares creates a buying ...
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Tech giant Apple (AAPL) can’t seem to catch a break. The company hit an all-time high in September, then had a large pullback. It re-tested that high in late January and shares are pulling back yet again. But at least one trader sees shares moving higher in the near future. That’s based on the March 26th $141 calls. Over 4,075 of the contracts traded against a prior open interest of 216, a 19-fold rise in volume. The trade expires in 36 days ...
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