January 7, 2015 Market Wrap Up

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It was another rough day in the markets. We’re already down 5% in the S&P 500, early into the new year. The catalyst this time came out of Asia. The Shanghai Composite dropped 7% overnight. With that said, all eyes will be on that market this evening. However, the markets closed a tad above their daily lows.

The VIX exploded higher, closing up to nearly 25, a gain of over 21%.

Crude oil futures prices have not faired better, they’re down about 9% on the new year.

Stocks in play today included: Apple (AAPL) -4.8%, Sunedison (SUNE) -38.5%, Dynavax (DVAX) +39%

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in Darling Ingredients (DAR). We also saw aggressive put buying in Cerner Corp (CERN).

There is not much on tap in respect to economic news.

Conferences:
6 January 2016- Consumer Electronics Show (runs till 1/9)

January 5, 2016 Market Wrap Up

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The S&P 500 had its first up day of the new year, however; it’s still down more than 1% from yesterday’s sell off. A really shaky start, which makes tomorrow’s FOMC minutes a potential market changer.

In addition, the Consumer Electronics Show continues tomorrow. Companies are presenting their new products to this huge public forum. A good showing can boost stock prices higher. On the other hand, a poor showing can really drive stock prices lower, as witnessed with FitBit (FIT) today.

The VIX sold off slightly, closing the day slightly below 20.

Crude oil futures prices have not faired better, they’re down about 3% over the first two trading days of the year.

Stocks in play today included: Apple (AAPL) -2.5%, Fitbit -18.4%, and ManKind (MNKD) -48.4%

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in Microchip Technology (MCHP). We also saw aggressive put buying in Cirrus Logic (CRUS) .

Key Economic Data:
6 January 2016- International Trade 8:30 AM ET, FOMC Minutes 2:00 PM ET
7 January 2016- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
6 January 2016- MON
7 January 2016- FINL, KBH, STZ, WBA, BBBY, HELE, SNX, TCS

Conferences:
6 January 2016- Citigroup Internet, Media & Telecom Conference (runs till 1/7)
6 January 2016- Consumer Electronics Show (runs till 1/9), Goldman Sachs Energy Conference (runs till 1/7)

January 3, 2016 The Week Ahead

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The S&P 500 closed the year slightly negative, snapping a four year streak of positive returns. Unfortunately, the Dow Jones Industrial Average also suffered the same fate. On the other hand, the NASDAQ was able to post modest gains on the year.

The VIX actually closed the week higher, finishing 2015, above 18.

Crude oil futures prices dropped significantly again for the second straight year. The futures prices are currently trading well below $40 per barrel. Gold futures prices finished the year relatively flat.

We should get a sneak peek of what 2016 will be like on Wednesday, as the FOMC releases the minutes from their last meeting. With that said, volumes should slowly start picking back up.

Here’s what is on tap this coming week:

Key Economic Data:
4 January 2016- ISM Manufacturing Index 10:00 AM ET
6 January 2016- International Trade 8:30 AM ET, FOMC Minutes 2:00 PM ET
7 January 2016- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
6 January 2016- MON
7 January 2016- FINL, KBH, STZ, WBA, BBBY, HELE, SNX, TCS

Conferences:
5 January 2016- Citigroup Internet, Media & Telecom Conference (runs till 1/7), Goldman Sachs Healthcare Conference
6 January 2016- Consumer Electronics Show (runs till 1/9), Goldman Sachs Energy Conference (runs till 1/7)

December 29, 2015 Market Wrap Up

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The S&P 500 is up over 1% over the last two days on relatively low volume. With that said, we’ve got just two more trading days till the year is over. Will all three major indices finish positive? At the moment, NASDAQ and the S&P 500 are both positive. However, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) is still down slightly.

The VIX continues to see a big sell off, it’s now trading around 16 and was down about 5% on the day.

Oil names caught a small bounce, the United States Oil Fund (USO) was up nearly 2% after the API Inventory numbers came out in the after hours.

Stocks in play today included: Sunedison (SUNE) -9%, FXCM +26%, and Amazon (AMZN) +2.8%.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in Newell Rubbermaid Inc. (NWL). We also saw aggressive put buying in Ultra Petroleum Corp (UPL).

As mentioned earlier this week, there isn’t much going on data wise.

Key Economic Data:
31 December 2015- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET

December 27, 2015 The Week Ahead

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And then there was four…that is, four more trading days left in 2015. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) is in positive territory, however; these are those lowest returns seen since 2011.

In respect to news and events, there isn’t much on the table. In fact, there are no earnings this week and we only have a few economic releases. With that said, don’t expect much in the form of trading volume.

The VIX actually dropped nearly 5 points from last week, and is now sitting below 16.

Crude oil futures caught a small bounce during the week, however; prices are down a lot on the year. The United States Oil Fund (USO) is down more than 36% on the year.

Most traders will be taking this time to take a break from the markets. While others might spend their time reviewing their process, going over what worked, what didn’t, and what they can do to improve in 2016. If you’re still searching for your edge, we invite you to check out our training program. It was created by a team of industry recognized traders, aimed at helping those new (and even experienced) traders get the skills they need to compete in these ever changing markets.

Moving on.

Here’s what is on tap this coming week:

Key Economic Data:
29 December 2015- International Trade 8:30 AM ET
31 December 2015- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET

December 20, 2015 The Week Ahead

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The SPDR S&P 500 (SPY) had a rough week following the FOMC decision to raise key interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade. The reaction thus far has not been positive from the markets, the SPY dropped nearly 1% and is negative on the year.

The VIX actually dropped during the week, however; it still closed above 20 on Friday.

Crude oil futures continue to get hit, as they are now down more than 40% on the year and close to 20% on the month.

Will the selling pressure continue or will get the Christmas rally?

We will know soon enough. With that said, this is a shortened week due to the Christmas Holiday. Thursday is a half day and Friday we are off. Expect volumes to dry up or be low this week.

Here’s what is on tap this coming week:

Key Economic Data:
22 December 2015- GDP 8:30 AM ET, Existing Home Sales 10:00 AM ET
23 December 2015- Durable Goods Orders 8:30 AM ET, Personal Income and Outlays 8:30 AM ET, New Home Sales 10:00 AM ET
24 December 2015- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
22 December 2015- CAG, MU, CAMP, NKE, PAYX

December 17, 2015 Market Wrap Up

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The S&P 500 closed lower, a day after the FOMC announced that they would be raising key interest rates. Initially, futures were trading higher pre-market. However, as the day progressed things got uglier. In fact, we saw some heavy selling pressure in the after-hours session. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF closed the day down more than 1.5%.

Surprisingly, the VIX didn’t really blast off, only gaining about 6% and closing below 19.

Oil names took a hit, not a surprise, as crude oil futures closed below $35 per barrel. Some oil and gas names also took a hit. For example, Teekay Offshore partners (TOO) was down over 50% after they announced that they would be cutting their dividend.

Stocks in play today included: Kalobios Pharmaceuticals (KBIO) -53%, Teekay (TK) -57%, Pandora (P) +13%, and ReWalk Robotics (RWLK) +80%.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in the Energy Transfer Equity (ETE) and Activision Blizzard (ATVI). We also saw massive put buyers in Ship Finance International (SFL).

Here’s what is going on for tomorrow:

Key Earnings:
18 December 2015- BBRY, DRI, KMX, LEN

December 15, 2015 Market Wrap Up

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The S&P 500 closed higher, making it two straight up days after Friday’s sell off. In fact, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) has regained nearly all of Friday’s losses. Of course, this sets the stage for tomorrow’s FOMC meeting. For now, the consensus is that they will raise rates, but we’ll know for sure what their intentions are in the afternoon.

The VIX took a hit today, dropping nearly 8 percent. With that said, it’s still trading above 20, going into the FOMC announcement.

Oil caught a bounce, making it two straight up days. The United States Oil Fund (USO) was about 1.5%.

Stocks in play today included Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX) +17%, Advance Auto Parts (AAP) +6%, and Intercept Pharmaceuticals (ICPT) +16%.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in the Vitamin Shoppe (VSI). We also saw massive put buyers in KCG Holdings (KCG).

Here’s what is going on for the rest of the week:

Key Economic Data:
16 December 2015- Housing Starts 8:30 AM ET, Industrial Production 9:15 AM ET, FOMC Meeting Announcement 2:00 PM ET, FOMC Forecasts 2:00 PM ET, Fed Chair Press Conference 2:30 PM ET
17 December 2015- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET, Philly Fed Business Outlook Survey 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
16 December 2015- FDX, JOY, JBL, PIR, ORCL
17 December 2015- ACN, RAD, GIS, SAFM, RHT
18 December 2015- BBRY, DRI, KMX, LEN

December 14, 2015 Market Wrap Up

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The S&P 500 closed higher, but it had a fair share of volatility before it decided its path. The SPDR 500 ETF (SPY) had wide range, trading between 199.95 to 203.05. There were reports that a “fat finger” caused the sudden market volatility.

Oil continues to dominate headlines, not to mention natural gas, which hit 13 year lows today. However, the United States Oil ETF (USO) did catch a small bounce today.

The VIX sold off a little after Friday’s massive spike. The VIX closed at 22.73.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in the Hershey Company (HSY). We also saw massive put buyers in the iShares iBoxx High Yield ETF (HYG).

Here’s what is happening the rest of the week:

Key Economic Data:
15 December 2015- Consumer Price Index 8:30 AM ET
16 December 2015- Housing Starts 8:30 AM ET, Industrial Production 9:15 AM ET, FOMC Meeting Announcement 2:00 PM ET, FOMC Forecasts 2:00 PM ET, Fed Chair Press Conference 2:30 PM ET
17 December 2015- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET, Philly Fed Business Outlook Survey 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
16 December 2015- FDX, JOY, JBL, PIR, ORCL
17 December 2015- ACN, RAD, GIS, SAFM, RHT
18 December 2015- BBRY, DRI, KMX, LEN

December 13, 2015 The Week Ahead

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The SPDR S&P 500 (SPY) snapped a 3-week winning streak in spectacular fashion, after seeing a decline of nearly four percent. All eyes are going to be on the upcoming FOMC meeting, will they raise rates or keep them unchanged? After this sell-off, will they put those thoughts on hold? We’ll have the answer on Wednesday.

The VIX absolutely exploded, closing the week at 24.39, a jump of nearly 10 points from the previous Friday close.

Crude oil futures hit a 7-year low after dropping more than 11% during the week. With that said, there seems to be no bottom in sight.

Here’s what is on tap this coming week:

Key Economic Data:
15 December 2015- Consumer Price Index 8:30 AM ET
16 December 2015- Housing Starts 8:30 AM ET, Industrial Production 9:15 AM ET, FOMC Meeting Announcement 2:00 PM ET, FOMC Forecasts 2:00 PM ET, Fed Chair Press Conference 2:30 PM ET
17 December 2015- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET, Philly Fed Business Outlook Survey 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
14 December 2015- FCEL, PAY
16 December 2015- FDX, JOY, JBL, PIR, ORCL
17 December 2015- ACN, RAD, GIS, SAFM, RHT
18 December 2015- BBRY, DRI, KMX, LEN