December 17, 2015 Market Wrap Up

December 17, 2015 tvcuser Education, Trading ATVI, Data, Earnings, education, ETE, FOMC, KBIO, P, RWLK, S&P 500, SFL, SPY, TK, TOO, trading, VIX

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

December 15, 2015 tvcuser Education, Trading AAP, Data, Earnings, Economic, education, FOMC, ICPT, KCG, S&P 500, SPY, trading, USO, VIX, VRX, VSI

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

December 14, 2015 tvcuser Education, Trading Data, Earnings, Economic, education, HSY, HYG, S&P 500, SPY, USO, VIX

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 8, 2015 Market Wrap Up

December 8, 2015 tvcuser Education, Trading ALMP, BABA, Data, Earnings, Economic, education, Events, KMI, NGL, S&P 500, SAN, TIME, VIX, WYNN, YHOO

The S&P 500 closed lower, now making it four out of five down days. Oil has been dominating headlines as it has hit multi-year lows. In addition, many oil-related stocks were in play today, specifically, MLPs.

Kinder Morgan (KMI) -11%, NGL Energy Partners (NGL) -9%, Alerian MLP ETF (AMLP) +1.7%.

In the after hours, we got news out of Wynn Resorts (WYNN), CEO, Steve Wynn announced that he bought 1 million shares in the open market. The stock is up more than 5%. Also, Yahoo (YHOO) announced that it will not plan to move ahead on the Alibaba (BABA) spinoff. The stock price is up more than 2.5% in extended hours trading.

The VIX took off, closing the day 11% higher at 17.60.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in Time Inc (TIME). We also saw massive put buyers in Banco Santander (SAN).

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

Key Economic Data:
10 December 2015- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET
11 December 2015- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET
12 December 2015- PPI 8:30 AM ET, Retail Sales 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
09 December 2015- FRAN, MW, VRA
10 December 2015- CIEN, ADBE, FNSR, NCS

Key Events:
07 December 2015- Raymond James Tech & Communications Conference (runs til 12/09), UBS Global Media & Communications Conference (runs til 12/09), Wells Fargo Energy Symposium (runs til 12/09)
08 December 2015- Barclays Global Technology Conference (runs til 12/09), Goldman Sachs Financial Services Conference (runs till 12/09), Oppenheimer Healthcare Conference (runs til 12/09)

December 6, 2015 The Week Ahead

December 6, 2015 tvcuser Education, Trading Crude Oil, Data, Earnings, Economic, education, Events, S&P 500, SPY, trading, VIX

The SPDR S&P 500 (SPY) had its third straight winning week, and is now less than 1.2% off the 52-week highs. Despite the recent bullish action, the market has had its fair share of volatility. For example, we have had four straight +/- 1% in the S&P 500. It appears we are back to the ol’ good news is good…and bad news is good.

The VIX was relatively unchanged, closing the week at 14.88.

Crude oil futures closed below $40 a barrel after the OPEC Meeting. In general, the commodities market has been relatively weak compared to the equity market.

Here’s what is on tap this coming week:

Key Economic Data:
10 December 2015- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET
11 December 2015- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET
12 December 2015- PPI 8:30 AM ET, Retail Sales 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
07 December 2015- HRB
08 December 2015- AZO, CONN, COST, PLCE, KKD, PLAY
09 December 2015- FRAN, MW, VRA
10 December 2015- CIEN, ADBE, FNSR, NCS

Key Events:
07 December 2015- Raymond James Tech & Communications Conference (runs til 12/09), UBS Global Media & Communications Conference (runs til 12/09), Wells Fargo Energy Symposium (runs till 12/09)
08 December 2015- Barclays Global Technology Conference (runs til 12/09), Goldman Sachs Financial Services Conference (runs till 12/09), Oppenheimer Healthcare Conference (runs til 12/09)

December 1, 2015 Market Wrap Up

December 1, 2015 tvcuser Education, Trading ADT, ATV, CMI, Data, Earnings, Economic, education, Events, S&P 500, SPY, SUNE, URBN, VIX, VRX

The S&P 500 was strong all day, closing nearly 1% higher. The SPDR S&P 500 is less than 1% off the 52-week highs and more than 16% higher than the August lows. The market is preparing for potential rate hikes later this month. In addition, there might be some money managers chasing performance before the end of the year.

Stocks in play today included: Cummins (CMI) -7.8%, Acorn International (ATV) +630%, Sunedison (SUNE) +8.5%, and Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX) +9.6% to name a few.

The VIX got smoked, closing the day 9% lower at 14.67.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in ADT (ADT). We also saw massive put buyers in Urban Outfitters (URBN), which was down over 5%.

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

Key Economic Data:
01 December 2015- ISM Manufacturing 10:00 AM ET
03 December 2015- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET
04 December 2015- Employment Situation 8:30 AM ET, International Trade 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
01 December 2015- BMO, BOBE
02 December 2015- AEO, AVGO, ARO, VMEM
03 December 2015- EXPR, G, SHLD, AMBA, BKS, FIVE, ULTA
04 December 2015- HOV

Key Events:
30 November 2015- Credit Suisse Industrial Conference (runs till 12/3), Credit Suisse Tech, Media, Telecom Conference (runs till 12/3)
01 December 2015- Citigroup Basic Materials Conference (runs till 12/2), Cowen 4th Annual HealthCare Conference, Cowen 5th Annual Ultimate Energy Conference (runs till 12/2), Goldman Sachs Metals & Mining Conference (runs till 12/2), Piper Jaffray HealthCare Conference (runs till 12/2)
03 December 2015- Wells Fargo Boston Gaming Forum
04 December 2015- American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting

November 30, 2015 Market Wrap Up

November 30, 2015 tvcuser Education, Trading ADT, AMZN, ANF, Data, Earnings, Economic, education, Events, GLD, GPS, S&P 500, TGT, trading, URBN, USO, VIX, WMT

The S&P 500 closed the day relatively weak, as traders came back from Thanksgiving break. With that said, we still finished the month higher. On the other hand, energy, the United States Oil Fund (USO) finished the month down more than 12%. In addition, gold, the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) was down nearly 7% on the month.

There was a decent amount of attention on retail names, stats for Black Friday and Cyber Monday were hitting the tape. Unfortunately, Target (TGT) had issues with their website today, the stock price was down 1.3%. Here’s how other retailers fared: Wal-Mart (WMT) -1.6%, Gap (GPS) -2.3%, Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) -3.8%, and Amazon (AMZN) -1%.

The VIX finished the day a point higher, closing the month at 16.13.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in ADT (ADT). We also saw massive put buyers in Urban Outfitters (URBN), which was down over 5%.

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

Key Economic Data:
01 December 2015- ISM Manufacturing 10:00 AM ET
03 December 2015- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET
04 December 2015- Employment Situation 8:30 AM ET, International Trade 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
01 December 2015- BMO, BOBE
02 December 2015- AEO, AVGO, ARO, VMEM
03 December 2015- EXPR, G, SHLD, AMBA, BKS, FIVE, ULTA
04 December 2015- HOV

November 25, 2015 Market Wrap Up

November 25, 2015 tvcuser Education, Trading AEZS, CSTM, Data, Earnings, Economic, education, KBIO, OPXA, S&P 500, trading, USO, VIX, VTL

The S&P 500 closed the day relatively flat and with little volume. Of course, this made sense, the markets will be closed tomorrow in the US, for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Given the anemic volume, it was also not a surprise to see the VIX close lower, finishing the day at 15.19.

Now, there was a ton of economic data that came out this morning. Durable goods came in better than expected. In addition, jobless claims were at the low end of expectations. Personal income was inline along with new home sales.

As mentioned yesterday, low float stocks continued to be the soup de jour. With volume drying up due to the holiday, traders have been feasting on stocks like Aeterna Zentaris (AEZS) +48%, Opexa Therapeutics (OPXA) +6%, Vital Therapies (VTL) +9%, and KaloBios Pharmaceuticals (KBIO) +45%.

The United States Oil Fund (USO) was flat today after geopolitical headlines dominated the news yesterday.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in Constellium (CSTM).

The market is closed tomorrow, but here is what we have for the rest of the week:

Key Earnings:
27 November 2015- BLOX

From all of us at TVC, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday!

November 24, 2015 Market Wrap Up

November 24, 2015 tvcuser Education, Trading A, ACAS, AEZS, AVXL, Data, Earnings, Economic, education, OPXA, S&P 500, SIEN, trading, USO, VIX, VTL

The S&P 500 closed the day relatively flat, however; that doesn’t mean we didn’t have a fair share of volatility. Before the U.S. session was open, the futures were down a decent amount, following reports that a Russian fighter jet was shot down by Turkish forces. But as the day progressed, the geopolitical fears subsided and the market got back on track.

Despite a flattish close, the VIX rose slightly, closing at 15.93.

Low float stocks have been the soup de jour this week. With volume drying up due to the holiday, traders have been feasting on stocks like Aeterna Zentaris (AEZS) -10%, Opeca Therapeutics (OPXA) +12%, Vital Therapies (VTL) +5%, Anavex Life Sciences (AVXL) -6.5%, and Sientra (SIEN) +14% … just to name a few.

The energy sector caught a bounce; the United States Oil Fund (USO) as geopolitical concerns dominated the world news.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in Agilent Technologies (A). In addition, we saw bearish bets being placed in American Capital (ACAS).

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

Key Economic Data:
25 November 2015- Durable Goods 8:30 AM ET, Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET, Personal Income 8:30 AM ET, New Home Sales 10:00 AM ET

Key Earnings:
25 November 2015- DE
27 November 2015- BLOX

November 19, 2015 Market Wrap Up

November 19, 2015 tvcuser Education, Trading AGN, education, FOMC, KBIO, MDT, NKE, S&P 500, SPY, SUNE, trading, USO, VIX, VRX

The S&P 500 closed the day relatively flat, after a monster rally yesterday, where the market reacted positively to the FOMC minutes.

Interestingly, the VIX actually is trading around 17 and we are less than 2% off the highs in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF.

Stocks in play today, included Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX) +15%, Sunedison (SUNE) -11%, and Kalobios Pharmaceuticals (KBIO) +367%. Also, in the after hours, Nike (NKE) announced a new $12 billion share repurchase program and a raise in dividends. The stock is up more than 3% in the after hours.

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

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in Allergran (AGN). In addition, we saw bearish bets being placed in Medtronic (MDT).

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

20 November 2015- ANF, FL