October 27, 2016 Market Wrap Up

The S&P 500 closed the day lower, making it the third straight losing session. Earnings continues to dominate the headlines. Thus far, earnings have been relatively mixed, giving some traders the belief that we might be in for a rate hike possibly in the NOV or DEC FOMC meeting.

In the after hours we got earnings out of Amazon (AMZN), which posted much smaller than anticipated profits. In addition, Alphabet (GOOG), topped the Street’s 3Q forecasts.

Stocks in play today included: Community Health Systems (CYH) -50%, GNC Holdings (GNC) -25%, Ocwen Financial (OCN) +16.5%, and Level 3 Communications (LVLT) +10.4%

The VIX sold gained nearly 9%, closing the day above 15, at 15.36.

Crude oil futures prices bounced a little bit, snapping a 3-day losing streak and gaining nearly 1% on the day.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in Iconix Brand (ICON), which traded 6.4 times normal option volume. In addition, we saw heavy put buying in Osiris Therapeutics (OSIR), which saw 9.8 times normal options volume.

Here’s what’s on tap for tomorrow:

Key Earnings:
28 Oct 2016- ABBV, AN, CVX, CBOE, HSY, MA, NWL, PSX, SNY, SHPG, TEN, WY, XOM, XRX, SIMO

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July 28, 2016 Market Wrap Up

The S&P 500 closed relatively flat ahead of a heavy earnings schedule and the aftermath of the FOMC meeting.

Stocks in play today include: Cirrus Logic (CRUS) +19.2%, Jazz Pharmaceuticals (JAZZ) +7.7%, Infinera (INFN) -33.6%, and GNC Holdings (GNC) -25%.

The VIX closed lower, now trading below 13 at 12.72.

Crude oil futures are down 6 straight days, trading barely above $41 per barrel.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in FireEye (FEYE), which traded 4.9 times normal volume. We also saw a ton of bearish bets being placed in Seadrill (SDRL), which traded 2.2 times usual volume.

This evening we got earnings out of Amazon (AMZN) +4.3%, Alphabet (GOOGL) +6.3%, Expedia (EXPE) -3.5%, and Eastman Chemical (EMN) -6.6% to name a few.

Here’s what’s on tap for tomorrow:

Key Economic Data:
29 July 2016- GDP 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
29 July 2016- ABBV, AN, BUD, CBOE, CPN, CVX, LYB, MRK, NWL, PSX, SAVE, UPS, WG, XOM

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November 17, 2015 Market Wrap Up

The S&P 500 closed the day relatively flat, after a surprising rally yesterday. With that said, there was a decent amount of trading volatility. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF had a range of 204.88 to 207.04.

A lot of attention has been focused on what the Fed will do next December. Not to mention, what’s happening overseas after the Paris attacks. Earlier today, a football match between Germany and Holland was cancelled due to security issues.

The VIX actually traded higher, closing at 18.65.

Stocks in play today, included GNC Holdings (GNC) -4%, Sunedison (SUNE) -32%, and Airgas (ARG) +29%.

The energy sector remains weak; the United States Oil Fund (USO) was down nearly 2.2% today. It’s now just 5% off the 52-week lows.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in Ulta Salon Cosmetics & Fragrance (ULTA). In addition, we saw bearish bets being placed in Herbalife (HLF) -2.19%.

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

Key Economic Data:
18 November 2015- Housing Starts 8:30 AM ET, FOMC Minutes 2:00 PM
19 November 2015- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET, Philly Fed Survey 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
18 November 2015- LOW, SPLS, TGT, CRM, GMCR, JACK, NTAP
19 November 2015- BBY, ADSK, GPS, ROST, NMBL, ZOES, SPLK
20 November 2015- ANF, FL

Key Events:
16 November 2015- UBS Global Technology Conference (runs till 10/19)
17 November 2015- Bank America Banking and Financial Services conference (runs till 11/18), Morgan Stanley Global Consumer & Retail Conference (runs till 11/18), Stifel Healthcare Conference (runs till 11/18)
18 November 2015- Barclays Global Auto Conference (runs till 11/19)