Trading Tips Blog

The commodity market moves to the beat of its own drum, usually reflecting specific supply and demand dynamics. A number of commodities have seen either a supply shock or rising demand in recent years. Those tend to be good for prices. Sometimes, however, commodities fall out of favor. For instance, declining demand for EVs has led to a big drop in lithium prices. Lithium is a key component for rechargeable battery technologies, and EVs are a big chunk of that demand. However, ...
Read More About This

Coliseum Capital Management LLC, a major holder of Mastercraft Boat Holdings (MCFT), recently bought over 200,000 shares in two transactions. The buy came to over $4.2 million. The fund was an active buyer of shares in March, buying $3.25 million. And last September, the fund bought nearly 280,000 shares for just over $6 million. Over that time, there has been only one insider sale, with a director selling less than $140,000 of shares. In total, Mastercraft insiders own 3.6% of ...
Read More About This

Big data analytics company Palantir Technologies (PLTR) has had a strong year, with shares up 180%. One trader sees shares trending higher in the coming weeks. That’s based on the May 17 $26.50 calls. The trade has 21 days until expiration, and 7,619 contracts just traded compared to a prior open interest of 147, for a 52-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $0.40 to make the bullish bet. Palantir shares just traded for about $21.00, ...
Read More About This

With rising geopolitical tensions, investors have been pushing defensive names higher. That includes gold, which has hit new all-time highs. Oil has had some small spikes higher, but nothing major yet. One big winner from this rising trend is defense contractors. Military spending is likely to increase, both domestically and abroad, and major U.S. contractors will likely reap the largest benefits, especially those companies that also help supply American allies. In the defense space, aerospace contractor Lockheed Martin (LMT) could see further ...
Read More About This

William Campbell, a director at FNB Corp (FNB), recently bought 2,500 shares. The buy increased his position by 2%, and came to a total cost of $33,713. Campbell was the last insider buyer, with three buys in February, totaling 4,350 shares at the cost of over $125,000. Going further back, insider activity has been more mixed, although buyers have continued to outnumber sellers. The last insider sale occurred in February 2023. Overall, FNB insiders own 1.2% of shares. The Pittsburgh-based regional ...
Read More About This

Candy and confection producer The Hershey Company (HSY) is down 30% over the past year. One trader sees the potential for further downside in the weeks ahead. That’s based on the June $195 puts. With 57 days until expiration, 6,675 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 166, for a 40-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $12.25 to make the bearish bet. Hershey shares recently traded for about $187, meaning the options are ...
Read More About This

Some companies make their profits because they benefit from a network effect. Simply put, the more users there are on a network, the more valuable that network is. Companies that advertise to that network or support that network benefit from large or growing networks. Investors who buy companies that can benefit from the network effect when they’re trading lower can earn above-average returns over time thanks to this powerful effect. One example of a network is the network of smartphones. Companies that ...
Read More About This

David Skidmore, a director at Sunoco LP (SUN), recently bought 1,500 shares. The buy increased his stake by 11%, and came to a total cost of $78,144. This is the first insider buy since mid-2022, when the company’s President and CEO bought 5,000 shares, paying $177,475 to do so. Insiders are generally not active in trading shares, as there has been one insider sale last December, from the company’s General Council. Overall, Sunoco insiders own 34.4% of shares. The oil and gas ...
Read More About This