Trading Tips Blog

The energy space continues to remain out of favor as demand remains low. Traders remain bearish, as indicated by the surge in buying in the January 2021 $17.50 puts on Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A). Over 1,780 contracts traded on Friday, a 15-fold rise in volume. The oil giant’s shares are near $24, so the put buyer needs shares to drop over 25 percent in the next 102 days before the option expires for the trade to move in-the-money. The Anglo-Dutch oil giant ...
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Brett Icahn, a director at Icahn Enterprises (IEP) recently added 202,758 shares to his holdings. The buy increased his holdings by nearly 85 percent and came at a total price tag of $10 million. The buy matches a sale made at the same time by company Chairman Carl Icahn. However, insider trends for the past few years show that insider buys far outnumber sales over the past five years. Icahn Enterprises is the investment vehicle for Carl Icahn, and often invests ...
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Traders are betting on a rally in tech giant Microsoft (MSFT). The November 6th $230 calls, expiring in just over a month, saw a huge uptick in volume. Over 7,000 contracts traded, a 30-fold rise in volume from the prior open interest. With shares around $212, the $230 calls represent just under a 10 percent rally in shares from here in the next month, at least if the option trade is to move in-the-money. The buyer paid $3.33 per contract. With Read More About This

Phillip Barrington, a director at Phillips 66 Partners (PSXP), recently added 15,000 shares to his stake. The buy increased his holdings by a significant 55 percent to over 42,250 shares. The buy cost just over $325,000. Barrington was also the last insider to buy back in March of this year, also picking up 15,000 shares then. Insiders at the company have only been buyers for the past four years, at price as much as 65 percent higher from current prices. The ...
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Retailers with an online presence have held up well amidst the shift to online buying in 2020. Those without such a plan have had to scramble for one, but those who were already an online-only presence have done even better. That’s partially because online-only retailers don’t have to have a network of physical stores to sell their products. It can concentrate workers into warehouses rather than have to deal with both warehouses and stores. So it’s no surprise that some analysts see ...
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It’s been a tough year for retailers, as pandemic shutdowns have kept down physical, in-store traffic. While many have shifted online, a few retailers have struggled. However, with a growing overseas presence, a strong e-commerce platform, and an increasing range of products, one company already looks like a standout. That’s why shares just got an upgrade from Bank of America even after the stock has had a great run this year. The company? Lululemon Athletica (LULU). Shares are up a staggering 71 ...
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Traders are betting on shares of Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) to move higher into the holiday season. The December 18th, 2020 $15 calls saw over 3,100 contracts trade, about a 27-fold rise in trading compared to the prior open volume. With 78 days to go, and with shares currently just over $15, this option is at-the-money, and should move penny-for-penny higher with shares. The option trader paid about $2.50 per contract, so in order for the buyer to profit at expiration, ...
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Glenn Rufrano, CEO at VEREIT (VER), recently picked up 40,000 shares, shelling out just over $253,000 to do so. The buy increased his total holding to over 3,279,250 shares. Insider data shows that this is the first buy from company insiders in 2020. In 2019, insiders were sellers of shares at prices anywhere from 15 to 30 percent higher than the current price. A triple-net REIT with a focus on commercial properties such as restaurant parcels and drug stores, shares of ...
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