Trading Tips Blog

The job market held up well last year, with unemployment near historic lows. That’s even after rising interest rates weighed on potential economic expansion. And it’s even after many big-cap tech companies announced tens of thousands of layoffs. That trend will likely continue this year. Companies are finding ways to do the same – or more – with fewer employees. Advances in technology such as AI can make that happen. The latest company to announce layoffs is Xerox (XRX). The imaging technology ...
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Six directors at Simon Property Group (SPG) recently added to their positions. The buys ranged from $26,756 to $52,793. Each director increased their holdings by about 1 percent. This is similar to other buys made by Simon directors on a quarterly basis going back over the past few years. Aside from these buys, the company’s Chief Administrative Officer bought nearly $1 million in shares in mid-2021. There have been no insider sales over the last two years. Overall, Simon insiders own Read More About This

Swiss bank UBS Group (UBS) soared over 50 percent last year, coming off extremely low valuations. One trader is betting on a pullback in shares in the coming months. That’s based on the May 17, 2024 $25 puts. With 132 days until expiration, 11,402 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 200, for a 57-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $0.60 to make the bearish bet. UBS shares recently traded for just over ...
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2023 was a great year for the markets. But behind the headline data, some sectors performed better than others. Most of 2023 followed the narrative of rising interest rates. That weighs on the cost of capital. However, that trend has started to shift in recent months. Interest rates have peaked. And investors are looking toward interest rate cuts in 2024. That could prove a boon for companies that benefit from lower rates, which may be outperformers this year as a result. One ...
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Lawrence Hilsheimer, CFO at Greif (GEF), bought 2,210 shares in two transactions in the last week of December. The buys increased his position by just under 2 percent, and came to a total cost just under $150,000. The CFO was a buyer and seller of shares earlier in 2023 as well. A few other company insiders were active, mostly as sellers, with one notable buy from the company’s Chief Supply Chain Officer. Overall, Greif insiders own 4.9 percent of shares. The packaging ...
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Commerce platform Shopify (SHOP) rose over 120 percent in 2023, fueled in strong part by the year-end rally. One trader is betting shares will pull back in the coming weeks following their major move. That’s based on the February 2 $64 puts. With 28 days until expiration, 8,931 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 203, for a 44-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $0.60 to make the bearish bet. Shopify recently traded ...
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Markets can often get ahead of themselves, particularly with tech trends. The internet boom of the 1990s led to the creation of many companies, but most of those companies died out before they could become profitable. Today, AI is garnering similar attention. But AI programs can be incorporated into existing companies across a number of sectors immediately. And it can be improved over time. Companies that have started to integrate AI now may see the benefits of that play out this ...
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William Shepard, a director at CME Group (CME), recently bought 278 shares. The buy increased his stake by less than 1 percent, and came to a total cost of $58,646. The director was the most recent buyer with purchases in September 2023 and April 2023, each for similar amounts under $60,000. Several company directors and insiders, including the company CEO, were sellers of shares over the past year. The last buy from another insider came in December 2022. In total, CME ...
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