July 24, 2016 The Week Ahead

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The S&P 500 closed the week near record levels, making that the fourth straight week of positive gains. We now set up for one of the busiest earning weeks of the year, along with the FOMC meeting on Wednesday.

The VIX continued to decline during the week, closing on Friday at 12.02.

Crude oil futures prices fell about 4% on the week. On the other hand, gold futures prices dropped about 1%. T-bond futures prices closed relatively flat on the week.

As mentioned earlier, earnings season starts really pick up now. We’ll be hearing from Apple (AAPL), Coca-Cola (KO), Mcdonald’s (MCD), Amazon (AMZN), and ExxonMobil (XOM) just to name a few.

Here is what is on tap for this upcoming week:

Key Economic Data:
26 July 2016- New Home Sales 10:00 AM ET
27 July 2016- Durable Goods Orders 8:30 AM ET, EIA Petroleum Status Report 10:30 AM ET, FOMC Meeting Announcement 2:00 PM ET
28 July 2016- International Trade in Goods 8:30 AM ET, Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET
29 July 2016- GDP 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
25 July 2016- COL, DHR, KMB, S, CR, ESRX, GILD, LVS, TXN
26 July 2016- AKS, ALLY, BAX, BEAV, BP, CAT, CHKP, CVLT, DD, FCX, DD, HOT, JBLU, JNS, KEY, KKR, LLY, MAS, MBLY, MCD, UA, UTX, VLO, VZ, WAT, AAPL, AKAM, APC, ASH, BWLD, CAKE, CAVM, ILMN, IRBT, JNPR, LLTC, PNRA, TWTR, X, ZION
27 July 2016- ARMH, ANTM, CMCSA, DB, DPS, GLW, GRMN, HES, HLT, IR, KO, LVLT, MDLZ, MO, NDAQ, NOC, ROK, SIX, STT, SVU, STM, AF, CA, CAKE, CRUS, GRPN, INFN, LM, MCK, NOW, PXD, ORLY, VRTX, WFM, XLNX
28 July 2016- APD, AZN, BWA, BMY, CAB, CELG, CL, CLF, CME, COMM, COP, DOW, ESV, F, GRUB, HOG, HSY, IP, LEA, LLL, MA, MJN, NOV, PENN, POT, WWE, AMZN, CBS, BIDU, CY, DECK, ES, EXPE, GOOGL, HIG, INVN, N, RSG, STRZA, WDC
29 July 2016- ABBV, AN, BUD, CBOE, CPN, CVX, LYB, MRK, NWL, PSX, SAVE, UPS, WG, XOM

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July 19, 2016 Market Wrap Up | TVC Trading Education Courses

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The S&P 500 closed slightly lower today, but still near record levels. Last night, we got earnings out of Netflix, IBM, and Vmware.

Stocks in play today include: Vmware (VMW) +9%, Line Coporation (LN) -10.14%, Stamps.com (STMP) -4.5%, and Monsanto Company (MON) +.4%

The VIX continues to get destroyed, as it closed below 12 today. Over the last month, the VIX has gone from a high of around 25 to now 11.97.

Crude oil futures dropped 1.5% today, however; down nearly 3% this week ahead of the DOE numbers tomorrow.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in Kroger (KR), which traded 2.3 times normal volume. We also saw a ton of bearish bets being placed in Michael Kors Holdings (KORS), which traded 7.7 times usual volume.

Here’s what’s on tap for tomorrow and the rest of the week:

Key Economic Data:
20 July 2016- EIA Petroleum Status Report 10:30 AM ET
21 July 2016- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET, Philly Fed Business Survey 8:30 AM ET, Existing Home Sales 10:00 AM ET

Key Earnings:
20 July 2016- ABT, ASML, HAL, MS, SAP, STJ, WBC, TUP, AXP, EBAY, FFIV, GGG, INTC, MAT, MLNX, NEM, PKG, QCOM, TSCO
21 July 2016- ALK, BBT, BIIB, BK, BX, DAN, DHI, DNKN, DPZ, DOV, GM, HBAN, JCI, LUV, PHM, UN, UNP, AMD, CMG, ATHN, COF, FLEX, P, SBUX, SLB, SWKS, SYK, T, V
22 July 2016- GE, HON, SWK, SWN, SYF, TXT, VFC, WHR

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July 16, 2016 The Week Ahead

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The S&P 500 broke through record high territory this week as the index moved nearly 1.5% higher. The Dow Jones Industrials also saw record highs during the week as earnings season starts revving up.

The VIX continued to decline during the week, closing on Friday at 12.67.

Crude oil futures gained about 1.5% on the week. On the other hand, gold futures prices dropped about 2%. T-bond futures prices dropped about 3% and falling off their yearly highs.

As mentioned earlier, earnings season starts really pick up now. We’ll be hearing from Microsoft, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Goldman Sachs Group, Bank of America, and Netflix just to name a few.

Here is what is on tap for this upcoming week:

Key Economic Data:
19 July 2016- Housing Starts 8:30 AM ET
20 July 2016- EIA Petroleum Status Report 10:30 AM ET
21 July 2016- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET, Philly Fed Business Survey 8:30 AM ET, Existing Home Sales 10:00 AM ET

Key Earnings:
18 July 2016- BAC, CALM, HAS, HAS, JBHT, MTG, SCHW, EMC, IBM, NFLX, YHOO, VMW
19 July 2016- JNJ, GS, KSU, LMT, NVS, RF, UNH, DFS, MSFT, NAVI, UAL, ISRG, BHP
20 July 2016- ABT, ASML, HAL, MS, SAP, STJ, WBC, TUP, AXP, EBAY, FFIV, GGG, INTC, MAT, MLNX, NEM, PKG, QCOM, TSCO
21 July 2016- ALK, BBT, BIIB, BK, BX, DAN, DHI, DNKN, DPZ, DOV, GM, HBAN, JCI, LUV, PHM, UN, UNP, AMD, CMG, ATHN, COF, FLEX, P, SBUX, SLB, SWKS, SYK, T, V
22 July 2016- GE, HON, SWK, SWN, SYF, TXT, VFC, WHR

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July 12, 2016 Market Wrap Up

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The S&P 500 is now at record levels, as earnings season is freshly upon us. Not only that, but the Russell 2000 is up around 10% over the last ten days, as we’re seeing investors gain a stronger appetite for risk.

Stocks in play today include: American Airlines Group (AAL) +11.26%, Amazon (AMZN) -.89%, Stone Energy (SGY) +23.45%, and Netsuite (N) +10.7%.

Despite all major indices advancing, the VIX actually didn’t move much…closing the day at 13.55.

Crude oil futures gained more than 4% today closing slightly below $47 per barrel. With that said, crude oil is about 9% off its year to date hights.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in Etsy (ETSY), which traded 63.2 times normal volume. We also saw a ton of bearish bets being placed in Cracker Barrel (CBRL), which traded 5.8 times usual volume.

Here’s what’s on tap for tomorrow and the rest of the week:

Key Economic Data:
13 July 2016- EIA Petroleum Status Report 10:30 AM ET
14 July 2016- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET, PPI-FD 8:30 AM ET
15 July 2016- Consumer Price Index 8:30 AM ET, Retail Sales 8:30 ET, Industrial Production 9:15 AM ET

Key Earnings:
13 July 2016- CSX, YUM
14 July 2016- BLK, JPM, PGR, AMD
15 July 2016- C, WFC, USB, FBR, PNC

July 10, 2016 The Week Ahead

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The S&P 500 is sitting just under all-time highs, at it gained 1.3% for the week. Some attribute Friday’s move to the June employment report, which showed an impressive number of 287,000 jobs. Now, with earnings season being the next catalyst, we’ll know soon enough if all-time highs can be broken.

The VIX got steamrolled on Friday, dropping more than 10.5% and closing at 13.20. Interestingly, bonds are near all-time highs despite lows in VIX. Not only that, but gold futures prices gained nearly 2% on the week. They too, are near yearly highs.

On the other hand, crude oil futures prices declined nearly 6% on the week. With that said, they’re hanging around $45 per barrel. They’re now more than 11% off their yearly highs.

As mentioned earlier, earnings season kicks off with Alcoa on the 11th. One of the first sectors reporting will be banking. With that said, we’ll be hearing from JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, Wells Fargo, and PNC Bank to name a few.

Here is what is on tap for this upcoming week:

Key Economic Data:
13 July 2016- EIA Petroleum Status Report 10:30 AM ET
14 July 2016- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET, PPI-FD 8:30 AM ET
15 July 2016- Consumer Price Index 8:30 AM ET, Retail Sales 8:30 ET, Industrial Production 9:15 AM ET

Key Earnings:
11 July 2016- AA, VOXX
12 July 2016- FAST, ADTN, AIR
13 July 2016- CSX, YUM
14 July 2016- BLK, JPM, PGR, AMD
15 July 2016- C, WFC, USB, FBR, PNC

July 7, 2016 Market Wrap Up

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The S&P 500 was relatively flat today on below average volume. However, there were some interesting sectors in play. More specifically, healthcare, retail and foods. With that said, a lot of eyes and ears will be on tomorrow’s jobs report as the shortened trading week comes to a close.

Stocks in play today include: Humana (HUM) -10%, AVG Technologies (AVG) +30.9%, Whitewave Foods Company (WWAV) +18.6%, and First Solar Energy (FSLR) -9.9%

The VIX was down a little bit, closing at 14.76.

Crude oil futures got torched today. The United States Oil Fund (USO) was down more than 4%, closing the day at 10.82.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in Nordstrom Inc (JWN), which traded 6.7 times normal volume. We also saw a ton of bearish bets being placed in WellCare Health Plans, which traded 16.8 times usual volume.

Here’s what’s left for tomorrow:

Key Economic Data:
8 July 2016- Employment Situation 8:30 AM ET

July 6, 2016 Market Wrap Up

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The S&P 500 has been on an absolute tear lately, and inching ever closer to the all-time highs. With that said, we’re less than 2% from those levels. Interestingly, Treasury bonds are also near yearly highs, along with gold futures prices.

It almost feels like something has to give? But the million dollar question is in what and when. The market reacted positively after the FOMC Minutes were released this afternoon. Of course, traders are still digesting the aftermath of the Brexit.

Stocks in play today include: Kohl’s (KSS) +2.78%, Carmax (KMX) +5.6%, and Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX) +16.9%.

The VIX was down nearly 4%, closing the day below 15, at 14.96.

Crude oil futures bounced nicely ahead of tomorrow’s DOE numbers. The United States Oil Fund (USO) was up over 2% on the day.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in Foot Locker (FL), which traded 4.8 times normal volume. We also saw a ton of bearish bets being placed in Chemours Company (CC) which traded 16.2 times usual volume.

Here’s what’s left for the rest of the week:

Key Economic Data:
7 July 2016- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET, EIA Petroleum Status Report 11:00 AM ET
8 July 2016- Employment Situation 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
7 July 2016- PEP, CUDA, HELE

July 3, 2016 The Week Ahead

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What a difference a week makes. The S&P 500 has gained more than 5% over the last 4 trading sessions, as it’s inching closer to yearly highs. With that said, the VIX on Friday closed at 14.77, that’s 42% off last Friday’s close of 25.76. Some believe the threat of contagion after Brexit was overestimated as it appears that the EU and UK plan on working closely together to assure some type of order.

Interestingly, Gold, often recognized as a safe haven also saw futures prices rise this week, nearly 2% and closing around 1340… which isn’t too far from the year to date high. Not to mention, US Treasury futures prices also rose more than 2% on the week. They too, are near the yearly highs.

Crude oil futures prices rose more than 3% on the week, at around $49 per barrel.

Outside of the FOMC minutes being released, we’ve got a pretty thin schedule coming up with markets being closed on Monday. With that said, have a happy and safe Independence Day!

Here is what is on tap for this upcoming week:

Key Economic Data:
6 July 2016- International Trade 8:30 AM ET, FOMC Minutes 2:00 PM ET
7 July 2016- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET, EIA Petroleum Status Report 11:00 AM ET
8 July 2016- Employment Situation 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
6 July 2016- WBA
7 July 2016- PEP, CUDA, HELE

May 22, 2016 The Week Ahead

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The S&P 500 snapped its three week losing streak on Friday, however; the same could not be said for the Dow, which currently suffered its fourth straight down week. The FOMC minutes which were released earlier in the week point toward a potential rate hike in June. Since then, the market reaction has been very mixed.

Despite this heightened level of uncertainty, the VIX was relatively unchanged for the week, closing at 15.20.

Crude oil futures prices are at yearly-highs, inching ever closer to the $50 per barrel market. On Friday, they closed above $48.40. That’s more than 50% higher than the 3-month lows. With that said, energy is the best performing sector thus far, with financials and healthcare lagging.

Here is what is on tap for the rest of the week:

Key Economic Data:
24 May 2016- New Home Sales 10:00 AM ET
25 May 2016- International Trade in Goods 8:30 AM ET, EIA Petroleum Status 10:30 AM ET
26 May 2016- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET, Durable Goods Orders 8:30 AM ET
27 May 2016- GDP 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
24 May 2016- AZO, BBY, TOL, HPE, INTU, NMBL
25 May 2016- BMO, TIF, COST, HPQ, LGF, NTAP
26 May 2016- ANF, DG, FRED, GME, PANW, SPLK, ULTA, VEEV, VNET

Key Events:
23 May 2016- JP Morgan Technology Media & Telecom Conference (runs till 5/25); SunTrust Financial Services Conference (runs till 5/25); UBS Global Healthcare Conference (runs till 5/25)
24 May 2016: Morgan Stanley China Conference (runs till 5/26); UBS Global Oil & Gas Conference (runs till 5/26); Wolfe Global Transportation (runs till 5/25)