Trading Tips Blog

Digital payment system operator
Block (SQ) is up 14% over the past year, far lagging the overall market, and now in a downtrend. One trader sees shares continuing lower in the months ahead. That’s based on the August $62.50 puts. With 80 days until expiration, 7,482 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 119, for a 63-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $3.85 to make the bearish bet. Block shares recently traded for about ...
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Defensive stocks tend to hold up well in just about any market. This recent market rally has been an exception. Tech stocks have handily beaten other sectors. And high interest rates have made dividend-paying defensive stocks look less attractive. But the businesses behind those stocks aren’t playing defense. By creating new products and expanding operations, they can continue to grow, and provide investors with great long-term returns. Buying these companies today could fare well when the tech trade slows down. One such ...
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Gerald Johnson, a director at
Caterpillar (CAT), recently bought 100 shares. The buy increased his position by 5%, and came to a total cost of $35,640. Johnson is the second director to buy this month, following a 500 share pickup from another director. There has been a large sale from a company Group President in the past month, amounting to a $7.8 million sale. Other executives have also been sizeable sellers in the past year, largely following the exercise of stock options. Overall, ...
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Shares of pizza chain
Papa John’s International (PZZA) are down 33% over the past year. One trader is betting on a further decline into the autumn. That’s based on the October $57.50 puts. With 144 days until expiration, 21,310 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 111, for a 192-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $11.12 to make the bearish bet. Papa John’s shares recently traded for about $47.50, meaning the puts are about ...
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Consumer spending has been declining. That bodes poorly for most retail stocks from here. However, not all retail stocks are created equal. Some retailers can thrive in a challenging environment. Specifically, companies that cater to cost-conscious consumers. Even with tight budgets, those looking for a deal and seeing price tags with steep discounts on them will likely continue to flock to companies that continue to have massive deals. One company that could hold up well amid slowing consumer spending is
TJX (TJX). The ...
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Marvin Boakye, Chief HR Officer at
Cummins (CMI), recently bought 1,745 shares. The buy is a new position for the director, who paid $499,133 for the stake. This is the second insider buy of the year, following a director’s purchase of 562 shares for just under $150,000 back in February. Since then, one director has sold part of their position, and the company’s Chief Administrative Office has made three separate sales. Overall, Cummins insiders own 0.4% of shares. The industrial machinery manufacturer ...
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Fuel cell system producer
Bloom Energy (BE) is up 10% over the past year, far lagging the overall stock market. One trader is betting that shares will trend higher in the coming weeks. That’s based on the July $18 calls. With 56 days until expiration, 3,976 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 127, for a 31-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $1.47 to make the bullish bet. Shares recently traded for about $16, ...
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In any industry, market share is a key metric. How much of the total market one company gets can result in bigger profits, and also open up opportunities to take advantage of a larger size. Investors remain wary about inflation and rising costs. Those costs are usually seen when making a purchase, even if inflation has worked its way through the entire system. Retail companies are working on ways to lower prices and knock down inflation. One way is by finding products ...
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