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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September 14, 2016 Market Wrap Up

The S&P 500 was not able to hold onto gains today, as it closed slightly lower. The market is relatively flat on the week as it awaits the highly anticipated FOMC announcement next week. One thing is for sure, we’re starting to see more volatility as witnessed by the surge in the VIX over the last four trading days.

Stocks in play today included: Herbalife (HLF) +3.9%, Apple (AAPL) +3.5%, and Monsanto (MON) +0.39%

The VIX caught a bid and is now trading above 18.

Crude oil futures prices are having a rough week thus far. They’re down nearly 6% on the week, and down about 3% today.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in LyondellBasell Industries (LYB), which traded 3.9 times normal option volume. In addition, we saw heavy put buying in Level 3 Communications (LVLT), which was 5.5 times normal options volume.

Here’s what’s on tap for tomorrow and Friday:

Key Economic Data:
15 Sep 2016- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET, PPI 8:30 AM ET, Retail Sales 8:30 AM ET, Philly Fed Survey 8:30 AM ET, Industrial Production 9:15 AM ET
16 Sep 2016- Consumer Price Index 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
15 Sep 2016- ORCL

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