February 19, 2017 The Week Ahead

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Last week we wrote: “The markets keep rolling higher… seems like nearly every other day an all-time high is being made.” Well, not much has changed, as the all three averages posted gains of over 1% on the week.

Interestingly, the attention continues to stay more or less focused on politics than what’s going on in the financial markets. The VIX did gain on the week, moving from 10.85 to 11.49, however; that’s still relatively low given the political climate we’re in.

Moving on to gold and oil.

Crude oil futures closed the week lower, finishing down 0.76%. In precious metals, gold futures prices finished the week higher, gaining about .10%

Now, here is how some of the other closely followed ETFs did on the week: United States Oil Fund (USO) -0.96%, iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT) -0.36%, SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) +0.07%.

Some key earnings include: Tesla Motors, Wal-Mart, Hewlett Packard, Herbalife, and Home Depot.

Here is a list of some events that traders will be following:

Key Economic Data:
21 Feb 2017- PMI Manufacturing Index 9:45 AM ET
22 Feb 2017- Existing Home Sales 10:00 AM ET, FOMC Minutes 2:00 PM ET
23 Feb 2017- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET, EIA Petroleum Status Report 11:00 AM ET, New Home Sales 10:00 AM ET

Key Earnings:
21 Feb 2017- AAP, AER, BHP, CBRL, EXAS, EXPD, GPC, HD, HSBC, LL, M, MDR, MDT, PWR, WLK, WMT, EIX, CXO, FSLR, IRWD, LZB, NEM, PZZA, XPO
22 Feb 2017- DISH, GRMN, HFC, HST, LAMR, LYG, MBLY, NI, PNK, SBGI, SIX, TEX, TJX, TOL, WWW, CAKE, CLR, CLVS, ETE, ETP, EVHC, FIT, HPQ, LB, O, SQ, SUN, TROX, TSLA, TSRA
23 Feb 2017- BSFT, APA, CHK, CRZO, EME, IRM, KSS, PF, SAFM, SFM, STOR, VALE, VAC, DYN, GPS, HLF, IMAX, INTU, JWN, OLED, SWN, ZOES
24 Feb 2017- CLMT, DOC, FL, HSC, IAG, JCP, PEG, KBR, RLGY, STAR

Key Events:
20 Feb 2017- CAGNY Consumer Conference (runs till 2/24)
22 Feb 2017- Barclay’s Industrials Conference (runs till 2/23); RBC Healthcare Conference (runs till 2/23)

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February 14, 2017 Market Wrap Up

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The markets closed at the highs today. Despite the best efforts by the media to portray that the country is politically in shambles. The money changers are bullish stocks and we’re seeing it in these averages… and we’re seeing it in the depleted VIX. At some point, stocks will be too rich to own, however; judging by the price action we’re not there yet.

Strong earnings performers included: Diebold Nixdorf (DBD), Retailmenot (SALE), and Molson Coors (TAP)

Weak earnings performers included: Generac Holdings (GNRC) and Fossil Group (FOSL)

The VIX closed lower today, and is now trading below the 11 mark, closing at 10.74.

ETF Performers: United States Oil Fund (USO) +0.53%, iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT) -0.72%, SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) +0.11%.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR), which traded 6.3 times normal option volume. In addition, we saw heavy put buying in IMAX Corporation (IMAX), which traded 22 times normal option volume.

Here is what is left for the rest of the week:

Key Economic Data:
15 Feb 2017- Consumer Price Index 8:30 AM ET, Retail Sales 8:30 AM ET, Industrial Production 9:15 AM ET, EIA Petroleum Status Report 10:30 AM ET
16 Feb 2017- Housing Starts 8:30 AM, Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET, Philly Fed Survey 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
15 Feb 2017- ANGI, GRPN, HLT, LAD, OZM, PEP, SHOP, SODA, SONS, WIX, WYN, AMAT, CAR, CBS, CC, CF, CSCO, CVA, GDDY, GRPN, HAWK, KHC, MAR, MRO, NLY, NTAP, NTES, PKD, SPWR, TIVO, TRIP, WMB, WPZ
16 Feb 2017- AVP, CAB, CHTR, ALXN, DF, DUK, EPAM, GNC, H, MGM, NCI, RS, TIME, TPX, WEN, ZTS, WM, ANET, BCOV, CUBE, DVA, ED, FLS, KEYS, TRUE, WWAV
17 Feb 2017- AAN, CPB, CTB, DE, FNMA, MCD, VFC, SJM, LPNT, FLR

Key Events:
14 Feb 2017- Goldman Sachs Technology & Internet Conference (runs till 2/16)
15 Feb 2017- Leerink Global Healthcare Conference (runs till 2/16)

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February 12, 2017 The Week Ahead

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The markets keep rolling higher… seems like nearly every other day an all-time high is being made. For the S&P 500, that makes 3 straight weeks where it’s gained. Despite the majority of the media hating on the new President, the markets are painting a totally different picture.

President Trump has announced that he has plans to make some major changes to the tax code. Some market participants believe that this will benefit corporations greatly. This might explain some of the recent optimism in the markets.

Earnings continue to pour in. Thus far, they haven’t been especially great nor especially bad. One only needs to look at the VIX to get that picture. The VIX closed the week below 11, at $10.85.

Moving on to gold and oil.

Crude oil futures closed the week slightly higher, gaining the last three days and ending up .10%. In precious metals, gold futures prices finished the week higher, gaining more than 1.1%

Now, here is how some of the other closely followed ETFs did on the week: United States Oil Fund (USO) -0.35%, iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT) +1.48%, SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) +1.27%.

Some key earnings include: Teva Pharmaceuticals, T-Mobile, McDonald’s, and PepsiCo, Inc.

Here is a list of some events that traders will be following:

Key Economic Data:
14 Feb 2017- PPI 8:30 AM ET
15 Feb 2017- Consumer Price Index 8:30 AM ET, Retail Sales 8:30 AM ET, Industrial Production 9:15 AM ET, EIA Petroleum Status Report 10:30 AM ET
16 Feb 2017- Housing Starts 8:30 AM, Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET, Philly Fed Survey 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
13 Feb 2017- FDC, HCP, ON, TEVA, VSM, AMKR, BRKR, CRX, CSOD, FLO, GPOR, OMF, VNO
14 Feb 2017- AMAG, CS, DBD, DISCA, DPS, GNRC, FLIR, INCY, SALE, TAP, TMUS, TRU, VG, A, AIG, BYD, CALX, CSR, DVN, ENLK, ESRX, FANG, FOSL, HIVE, HUBS, LC, NBIX, VDSI
15 Feb 2017- ANGI, GRPN, HLT, LAD, OZM, PEP, SHOP, SODA, SONS, WIX, WYN, AMAT, CAR, CBS, CC, CF, CSCO, CVA, GDDY, GRPN, HAWK, KHC, MAR, MRO, NLY, NTAP, NTES, PKD, SPWR, TIVO, TRIP, WMB, WPZ
16 Feb 2017- AVP, CAB, CHTR, ALXN, DF, DUK, EPAM, GNC, H, MGM, NCI, RS, TIME, TPX, WEN, ZTS, WM, ANET, BCOV, CUBE, DVA, ED, FLS, KEYS, TRUE, WWAV
17 Feb 2017- AAN, CPB, CTB, DE, FNMA, MCD, VFC, SJM, LPNT, FLR

Key Events:
14 Feb 2017- Goldman Sachs Technology & Internet Conference (runs till 2/16)
15 Feb 2017- Leerink Global Healthcare Conference (runs till 2/16)

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February 7, 2017 Market Wrap Up

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The markets closed the day mixed on below average trading volume. One interesting note coming out of Bespoke, was that the S&P 500 has gone 80 sessions without a single down day of 1% or lower. Again, that’s pretty amazing considering all the media attention we’ve had surrounding US politics.

Some strong earnings performers included: Cardinal Health (CAH) and National Oilwell (NOV)

Some weak earnings performers included: Disney (DIS), Michael Kors (KORS), and General Motors (GM).

The VIX closed lower today, and is still trading below the 12 mark, as it ended the day at 11.29.

Now, here is how some of the other closely followed ETFs did on the week: United States Oil Fund (USO) -1.67%, iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT) +0.74%, SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) -0.24%.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in Denbury Resources (DNR), which traded 8.7 times normal option volume. In addition, we saw heavy put buying in Infinera Corporation (INFN), which traded 3.4 times normal option volume.

Here is what is left for the rest of the week:


Key Economic Data:
8 Feb 2017- EIA Petroleum Status Report 10:30 AM ET
9 Feb 2017- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM

Key Earnings:
8 Feb 2017- AXTA, CTSH, EXC, GRA, GRUB, HUM, LPX, RIO, OC, SNY, TWX, VOYA, DNB, FISV, GLUU, IRBT, LVLT, MC, PAYC, SCSS, TRMB, TYL, WFM, ZEN
9 Feb 2017- BATS, BWA, BZH, CLF, COTY, CVS, DNKN, K, KKR, KO, LIVE, MAS, MHK, OXY, PTEN, RAI, TDC, TWTR, VIAB, VRTU, WWE, YUM, ATVI, CERN, CYBR, EXPE, INFN, JCOM, LPLA, MNK, NCR, MPWR, NVDA, NWSA, P, RICK, UBNT, VRSN, WU, YELP, ZAYO, ZNGA
10 Feb 2017- AXL, G, MT

Key Events:
6 Feb 2017- Credit Suisse Financial Services Forum (runs till 2/8)
8 Feb 2017- Cowen 38th Annual Aerospace, Defense & Industrials Conference (runs till 2/9)
9 Feb 2017- KBW Winter Financial Services Symposium (runs till 2/10)

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February 5, 2017 The Week Ahead

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Overall, the markets were relatively flat during the week. With that said, earnings thus far haven’t been really exciting. We got some positive results out of Apple and Facebook. However, Amazon disappointed some, but nothing bad where it caused a significant sell-off in other areas of the market.

In economic news, the FOMC meeting resulted in no changes to the key interest rate. However, they still have a plan for several rate hikes this year. One important change in their language was that they are now saying that inflation will rise vs. expected too.

Outside of that, a lot of the media attention is around the first 100 days of President Trump.

Despite all the protesting and the media trying their best to make the new regime appear toxic, the market thus far is not buying into any of it. With that said, the VIX closed at 10.97 on Friday.

Going into the week, traders will be mainly focused on earnings.

Moving on to energy.

Crude oil futures closed the week pretty strong, having 3 out of 5 winning days and ending up 1.21%. On the other hand, gold futures prices finished the week down more than 1.3%

Now, here is how some of the other closely followed ETFs did on the week: United States Oil Fund (USO) +1.23%, iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT) -0.31%, SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) +2.33%.

Some key earnings include: Disney, Time Warner, Twitter, CVS, and Coca-Cola to name a few.

Here are a list of events that traders will be watching:

Key Economic Data:
7 Feb 2017- International Trade 8:30 AM ET
8 Feb 2017- EIA Petroleum Status Report 10:30 AM ET
9 Feb 2017- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM

Key Earnings:
6 Feb 2017- BWP, HAS, L, NEWL, TSN, CBOE, SYY, DO, FOXA, HMN, LYB, MAC, TSO, YRCW
7 Feb 2017- ADM, BP, CAH, CDW, EMR, FIS, GM, ICE, KORS, MNK, NOV, SABR, TDG, TEN, VMC, AKAM, BWLD, DIS, GILD, GNW, JIVE, LITE, MCHP, MDLZ, NUAN, ORLY, PAA, PNRA, PAGP, PXD, TCS, TDW, TTWO, TWLO, ULTI, YUMC, ZG
8 Feb 2017- AXTA, CTSH, EXC, GRA, GRUB, HUM, LPX, RIO, OC, SNY, TWX, VOYA, DNB, FISV, GLUU, IRBT, LVLT, MC, PAYC, SCSS, TRMB, TYL, WFM, ZEN
9 Feb 2017- BATS, BWA, BZH, CLF, COTY, CVS, DNKN, K, KKR, KO, LIVE, MAS, MHK, OXY, PTEN, RAI, TDC, TWTR, VIAB, VRTU, WWE, YUM, ATVI, CERN, CYBR, EXPE, INFN, JCOM, LPLA, MNK, NCR, MPWR, NVDA, NWSA, P, RICK, UBNT, VRSN, WU, YELP, ZAYO, ZNGA
10 Feb 2017- AXL, G, MT

Key Events:
6 Feb 2017- Credit Suisse Financial Services Forum (runs till 2/8)
8 Feb 2017- Cowen 38th Annual Aerospace, Defense & Industrials Conference (runs till 2/9)
9 Feb 2017- KBW Winter Financial Services Symposium (runs till 2/10)

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January 26, 2017 Market Wrap Up

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The markets closed the day relatively mixed. The S&P 500, Dow, and Russell 2000 closed negative. While the Dow Jones Industrials and the Nasdaq closed the day up. We finally saw Dow 20k the other day.

Some strong earnings performers included: Wynn Resorts (WYNN), Southwest Airlines (LUV), and L3 Technologies (LLL)

Some weak earnings performers included: Alphabet (GOOG), Starbucks (SBUX), and Juniper Networks (JNPR)

The VIX continues to move lower, it closed at 10.63, down nearly 2% on the day.

Now, here is how some of the other closely followed ETFs did on the week: United States Oil Fund (USO) +1.95%, iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT) +0.34%, SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) -0.93%.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in YUM China Holdings (YUMC), which traded 26.3 times normal option volume. In addition, we saw heavy put buying in NutriSystem Inc. (NTRI), which traded 17.6 times normal option volume.

Here is what is left for tomorrow:

Key Earnings Release Dates:
27 Jan 2017- ABBV, APD, BEN, CL, CVX, HON, UBS

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January 24, 2017 Market Wrap Up

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The markets closed the day relatively strong. The S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrials, Nasdaq, and Russell 2000 all finished green. With that said, the Dow Jones Industrials are less than 100 points from 20k.

Some strong earnings performers included: Alibaba Group (BABA), Du Pont (DD), and Kimberly Clark (KMB)

Some weak earnings performers included: Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and AK Steel (AKS)

The VIX continues to move lower, it closed at 11.07, down nearly 6% on the day.

Now, here is how some of the other closely followed ETFs did on the week: United States Oil Fund (USO) +0.44%, iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT) -0.69%, SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) -0.45%.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in CONE Midstream Partners (CNNX), which traded 15.3 times normal option volume. In addition, we saw heavy put buying in LSB Industries Inc (LXU), which traded 10.5 times normal option volume.

Earnings will continue to be the theme for the rest of the week and the next couple. Check below:

Key Economic Data:
25 Jan 2017- EIA Petroleum Status Report 10:30 AM ET
26 Jan 2017- International Trade in Goods 8:30 AM ET, Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET, New Home Sales 10:00 AM ET

Key Earnings Release Dates:
25 Jan 2017- BA, EAT, FCX, HBAN, HES, PG, NSC, NVS, NYCB, PGR, ROK, SC, STT, TXT, UTX, CCI, EBAY, FFIV, LRCX, LVS, MCK, PUB, QCOM, URI, VRTX, WDC
26 Jan 2017- AEP, ALK, BHI, CAT, CELG, DGX, DOV, DOW, F, HP, JBLU, LEA, LLL, LUV, MJN, NOC, RCI, EFTC, FLEX, GOOG, INTC, JNPR, KLAC, MSFT, PYPL, SBUX, SYNA, SWFT, VMW
27 Jan 2017- ABBV, APD, BEN, CL, CVX, HON, UBS

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January 12, 2017 Market Wrap Up

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The markets were relatively weak today as all major indices finished the day lower. However, it’s important to note that volumes were below average. In fact, there wasn’t really much going on today. Tomorrow should be a little different as we’re expecting earnings out of some big banks.

The VIX closed the day slightly higher at 11.54.

Now, here is how some of the other closely followed ETFs did on the week: United States Oil Fund (USO) +1.5%, iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT) -0.22%, SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) +0.36%.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in Zayo Group Holdings (ZAYO), which traded 6.2 times normal option volume. In addition, we saw heavy put buying in Veeco Instruments (VECO), which traded 25.6 times normal option volume.

Check out what’s left on the schedule below:

Key Economic Data:
13 Jan 2017- PPI-FD 8:30 AM ET, Retail Sales 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings Release Dates:
13 Jan 2017- BAC, BLK, INFY, JPM, PNC, WFC

Key Conferences:
JPMorgan Healthcare Conference (runs till 1/13)

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January 4, 2017 Market Wrap Up

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The markets are coming into 2017 on a two-day winning streak. Once again, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is creeping in on 20k. Volumes today were relatively light, despite get some fresh data from the FOMC, more specifically, the release of the minutes from the last meeting.

Judging by how the VIX performed, there wasn’t much of a surprise in the Fed minutes. With that said, the VIX closed at 11.85, a drop of nearly 8%.

Now, here is how some of the other closely followed ETFs did on the week: United States Oil Fund (USO) +1.49%, iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT) +0.39%, SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) +0.39%.

Stocks in play today included Kohl’s, which announced some poor holiday sales numbers in the after-hours. At the time of this writing the stock price was down nearly 9%. With that said, several other retailers were taken down with it. This includes: Macy’s -7%, Nordstrom -2.7%, and Dillards -1.6%.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in PTC Therapeutics (PTCT), which traded 2.1 times normal option volume. In addition, we saw heavy put buying in YPF Sociedad Anonima (YPF), which traded 5.1 times normal option volume.

Check out what’s left on the schedule below:

Key Economic Data:
5 Jan 2017- EIA Petroleum Status Report 11:00 AM ET
6 Jan 2017- Employment Situation 8:30 AM ET; International Trade 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
5 Jan 2017- MON, STZ, WBA, RT, HELE, PSMT, SCHN

Key Conferences:
5 Jan 2017- JPMorgan 15th Annual Technology Forum at CES; Stephens, Oppenheimer, RBC Capital at CES; CES (runs until Friday, the 8th)

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January 2, 2017 The Week Ahead

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As many expected, volume was relatively light going into the last trading week of 2016. With that said, it should be noted that equities in general had a very impressive year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up roughly 13% on the year, the S&P 500 approximately 10%, and the Nasdaq was up more than 7%.

We enter a shortened trading week, however; it should be a busy month with the inauguration of President-Elect Trump happening near the end of the month.

Despite the volume output, the VIX managed to climb steadily the final week, closing 2016 at 14.04.

Crude oil futures had an impressive comeback in 2016, after hitting a low in February, they gained more than 100%, closed the year above $50 per barrel and right near their 52-week highs.

Now, here is how some of the other closely followed ETFs did on the week: United States Oil Fund (USO) +2.27%, iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT) +1.12%, SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) +1.88%.

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Here are a list of events that traders will be watching:

Key Economic Data:
3 Jan 2017- ISM Manufacturing Index 10:00 AM ET
4 Jan 2017- FOMC Minutes 2:00 PM ET
5 Jan 2017- EIA Petroleum Status Report 11:00 AM ET
6 Jan 2017- Employment Situation 8:30 AM ET; International Trade 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
4 Jan 2017- SONC
5 Jan 2017- MON, STZ, WBA, RT, HELE, PSMT, SCHN

Key Conferences:
4 Jan 2017- Citigroup Internet, Media, Telecom Conference (runs till 1/5)
5 Jan 2017- JPMorgan 15th Annual Technology Forum at CES; Stephens, Oppenheimer, RBC Capital at CES; CES (runs until Friday, the 8th)