Trading Tips Blog

Wall Street megabank Citigroup (C) is up 27% over the past year, just slightly ahead of the overall stock market. One trader sees a potential pullback in shares in the coming weeks. That’s based on the May 10 $60 puts. With 24 days until expiration, 4,480 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 107, for a 42-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $1.70 to make the bearish bet. Citigroup shares recently traded for ...
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Companies exist in a competitive landscape. An idea that’s highly profitable tends to attract competition. But there’s also so much that the market can bear. That’s why new technologies tend to attract a number of startups that consolidate over time. The end result can be a few industries where just one company has a strong niche over that of competitors. That company tends to make good returns, but also has the market dominance to ward off new competitors. One such company is ...
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Lawrence Cheng, a director at GameStop (GME), recently added 10,000 shares to his holdings. The buy increased his stake by 16%, and came to a total cost of $112,238. Cheng was the last insider buyer with a 6,000 share pickup back in September. Another company director was also a buyer of 15,000 shares on the same day. There have been some sales by the company’s general counsel and another executive in the intervening months. In total, GameStop insiders own 12.8% of ...
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Drug manufacturer Pfizer (PFE) has shed 35% over the past year amid a poorly-performing market for the pharmaceutical sector. One trader sees a rally in the coming weeks. That’s based on the May 10 $28 calls. With 28 days until expiration, 39,706 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 411, for a 97-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $0.57 to make the bullish bet. Pfizer shares recently traded just over $26, so they ...
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Interest rates are likely to stay at their current level through the summer. That’s based on the latest economic data, showing inflation remains stubbornly high. That means investors looking for the best returns may not find it in growth stocks in the next few months. Until interest rates start to move lower, investors will likely see relatively better returns in more defensive stocks. These stocks tend to offer lower volatility, and tend to pay above-average levels of income. Amid defensive stocks, utility ...
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Alvin Libin, a major holder of Riley Exploration Permian (REPX), recently added 75,000 shares. The buy increased his holdings by 4%, and came to a total cost of $2,025,000. Libin was the last buyer with a 100,000 share buy back in September. Otherwise, company insiders have been sellers of shares. The largest sales have some from another major holder, although Riley’s President and CEO has also been a seller since the start of the year. Overall, Riley insiders own 20.0% of ...
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Copper producer Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) just hit a new 52-week high and is up nearly 22% over the past year. One trader sees further upside ahead for shares in the coming weeks. That’s based on the April 26 $57 calls. With 15 days until expiration, 10,570 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 112, for a 94-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $0.28 to make the bullish bet. Freeport-McMoRan shares recently traded for ...
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The past few weeks have seen a market slowdown. Investors aren’t ready to throw in the towel on stocks right now, especially if interest rates may be on track to trend lower later in the year. That suggests that markets may be correcting from overbought levels by simply heading sideways over the next few weeks rather than crashing. And buying the top stocks during this period could position investors for the market’s next leg higher. That’s particularly true with semiconductor stocks. They’ve ...
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