Reserging Markets…?? – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) Friday continued the carnage, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down a staggering 2,200 points. Hopefully this was Chin’s “final punch,” as the exchange entered intoBear Domain. The S&P 500 fell 6%, the worst week since 2020. The Nasdaq Composite Index hit bear market territory also, falling 5.8%. Financial losses for the S&P 500 were breathtaking, losing 6.6 trillion dollars in just two days. Every trading partner in the … Read more…

Tariff Trouble & the Consumer – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) Last week finished on a ‘down note’, led by the Dow Jones Industrial Average, falling near 700 points. The tech heavy Nasdaq lost 2.7%, with favorite high techs and chips, including the Magnificent 7, leading the way. Negative news pushed all stocks lower, especially the latest reading of the core PCE, detailing that prices rose 0.4% month over month and 2.8% year over year, fighting the Fed’s magic mark … Read more…

Consumer Confidence Shrinks – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) The week ending March 15 was yet another roller-coaster ride of peaks and valleys. After a week of drifting, sliding backwards, and then gaining, the indexes eked out small gains. Investors and traders, beleaguered by the imposing of more tariffs and retaliatory tariffs, are reacting less severely, more rationally. The week was “tariff-calm,” with the administration seemingly on ‘tariff-hold,’ with the market in quiet mode. After the Reserver held … Read more…

Tariffs, Inflation….Turmoil by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) Consumers Sentiment Sinks… The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Survey, conducted by Janet Hsu, revealed many concerns. Government job eliminations, lingering wars, and immigration back-lashes, and ..tariffs have saddled the U.S. Consumer. The latest University of Michigan survey released mid-March was drastically lower, dropping 11% to 57.9% [last month was 64.7%] falling steadily since President Trump was elected. Recession concerns are on the rise as “soft-landing talk” has pretty … Read more…

Economic Chaos – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) A Roller-Coaster ride last week… Unpredictability, Precariousness, and Changeability roiled the market all week. Finishing Friday, the indexes were static, ending the week just below flatline. A ‘valiant’ burst of buying late Friday couldn’t save a lost week. The S&P 500 fell 3.1% for the week ended March 7. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 3.4% and the ‘bread and butter’ Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 2,4%. The smaller value stock … Read more…

The Tariff Debacle – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) The Nasdaq Composite led the indexes lower for the month of February, off 4% as the late Friday rally was short lived. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500 and the small cap value stock Russell 2000 struggled both losing to end the month. Tariff jockeying by President Trump continued to unsettle investors and traders. President Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky sparred in White House discussions regarding … Read more…

The Rebellious Economy – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) Nearly all sectors and all stocks finished Friday lower wiping out the week’s gain and setting the stage for the upcoming week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 438 points or 1.7% while the S&P 500 was off 1.7%. The heavy technology Nasdaq Composite was the big loser, falling 2.8% as the Magnoficient 7, chips and artificial intelligence stocks led the cascade downward–the biggest drop this year. Contributing to … Read more…

The Challenged Investor – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) Friday’s market was all peaks and valleys, with the indexes finishing the week slightly higher. A flood of news; tariff threats, the end of earnings season, and stubborn inflation, all add up to a heavy burden on investors and traders. Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer at Northlight Asset Management said, “You can really tell we’re in a bull market. All bad news seems to have been overlooked, and really … Read more…

The US Economy and Tariffs – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) The first week of February was uneventful as investors monitored the ever changing tariff situation, a better than expected jobs report and a parade of good earnings reports, with all boosting the market. The coming week will focus heavily on the CPI (Consumer Price Index report), to be released Wednesday, with more data to come on “wholesale and retail sales,” to track inflation. Many economists and analysts alike don’t … Read more…

The Revenge Game – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) Even though bad news seemed to overtake good news, the exchanges finished the month with gains. Stocks were positive for the first half, then slowly backed off with bad news piling up. Fears of President Trump’s institution of massive tariffs, the release of China’s DeepSeek chip innovation have rattled the market. As President Trump has backtracted on tariffs aimed at Mexico and Canada, he is moving forward on Chinese … Read more…