Trading Tips Blog

Packaging and container firm WestRock Company (WRK) is up 7 percent over the past year, about half as much as the overall stock market. One trader sees shares trending higher in the coming weeks. That’s based on the December $37.50 calls. With 35 days until expiration, 14,107 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 249, for a 57-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $1.95 to make the bullish bet. WestRock recently traded right ...
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Investors have plenty of ways to play a seasonal rally for stocks. The past few weeks have seen stocks get hit hard to the downside, then surge higher. Highly volatile stocks have led the way in both directions. Going into the end of the year, companies that are disliked tend to perform best. That may be because they’ve gotten more oversold than other stocks, or are more prone to being squeezed higher. Either way, investors can buy disliked stocks for a ...
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David Taylor, a director at Delta Air Lines (DAL), recently bought 20,000 shares in two 10,000 share buys. The first buy cost just under $331,000, and the second buy came to $307,500. The director was previously a buyer back in April, the last time shares also traded in the low $30 range before moving higher over the summer. Over the same time, several company executives were sellers when shares traded in the high-$30 to low-$40 range. Overall, Delta insiders own 0.3 ...
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Hotel chain Marriott International (MAR) is up nearly 30 percent over the past year. One trader is betting that shares will slide in the coming weeks. That’s based on the December 15 $170 puts. With 37 days until expiration, 8,430 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 100, for an 84-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $0.95 to make the bearish bet. Marriott shares recently traded for about $191, so the stock would ...
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The reverberations of the AI trend are still being felt throughout the economy. Investors have clamored into hardware plays, with some interest in software plays. But there are ripple effects that have yet to be felt. As those effects play out, investors may have a chance to profit from a trend that was popular a few years back before fizzling out. That trend? The standby of all of today’s technology, the personal computer. That’s because computers have more processing power than a ...
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Jonathan Locker, a director at Loews Corp (L), recently bought 15,870 shares. This is an initial stake for the director, and the total purchase price came to $1.01 million. This is the first insider buy since May, when the company’s developer of corporate strategy bought 330,000 shares, paying $18.7 million. Otherwise, there have been a few insider sales over the past few months, largely from directors in small amounts. Loews insiders own 18.6 percent of shares. The conglomerate, which operates insurance, hotels, ...
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Ticket seller Live Nation Entertainment (LYV) is up 17 percent over the past year, slightly beating the returns on the S&P 500. One trader sees further gains in the months ahead. That’s based on the January 2024 $92.50 calls. With 72 days until expiration, 3,815 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 105, for a 36-fold increase in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $2.70 to make the bullish bet. Live Nation recently traded for about ...
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Rising interest rates and falling bond prices have hit some stocks particularly hard. That includes utilities and telecoms, as well as consumer goods companies. These firms tend to act as defensive stocks, holding up well in down markets while still moving higher in rallying markets. Some of these stocks may have formed a bottom in recent weeks. But with the potential for an economic slowdown in the next year, these stocks could still be a bargain. Should interest rates move lower, they’ll ...
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