Indexes Edge Higher – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) After all the hoopla, after Mr. Powell’s giant release of the half point rate cut, markets drifted with the indexes all closing a slight bit higher for the week, but very uneventful. Still the Dow Jones Industrial Average managed a new record high, over 42000 after a spirited move on Wednesday, supported by good data on Labor and lower interest rates. By Friday it was back to a ho-hum … Read more…

Powell’s Resolve – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) Word on the Street is Picking Up Steam….The Federal Reserve ‘could’ cut a half point. According to the CME FedWatch tool Friday afternoon “there is a 47% chance that the Fed would cut rates to a range of 4.75% to 5%.” Both the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 showed week ending gains with the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 surging 6% and 4%, far better than the first four … Read more…

The Floundering Market – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) After an erratic month, stocks on all exchanges surprisingly finished higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the month up 1.8%, while the S&P 500 advanced 2.3% and the robust heavy tech Nasdaq Composite edged up 0.6%. Friday was the tipping point as the techs and chips and value stocks all firmed up after a topsy-turvy four weeks. As data confirmed, inflation is slowing, labor is cooling and retail … Read more…

Consumer Confidence Surges – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) This week’s menu is again filled with several pertinent reports. Tuesday will see the release of the Case-Shiller Home Price index for June, with The National Association of Realtors releasing its “Pending Home Sales Index” for July. The NAR report will focus on ‘housing activity’ as both releases will define the present housing market conditions. Also coming up after market close on Wednesday will be the much awaited earnings … Read more…

The Unyielding Economy – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) After a wild market all last week, up and down and topsy-turvey, who would believe it was the best week of this year, yet it was!! Peaks and valleys turned into consecutive daily gains with the indexes all positive. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, for the week added 2.9%, while the S&P 500 was up 3.9%. The heavy technology Nasdaq Composite led all indexes with a surge of 5.3%, … Read more…

Market Place Turmoil – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) Peaks and valleys ruled the markets last week as investors and traders fought through a topsy-turvy sell off. After all the ups and downs of the weeks’ trading, indexes were just above where the ‘ride’ started. The standard-bearer S&P 500 after all the juggling still finished up 12% so far this year, a remarkable gain amidst the volatility of the recent market. “The market is apt to be volatile … Read more…

The Long and Short Of It – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) Friday ended the week on a sour note; the indexes were awful as the major sell-off carried the tech heavy Nasdaq Composite down 417 points, closing at 16,776, or off 3.4%. The Conservative Dow Jones Industrial Average was more of the same, losing 1.5% of its value. The S&P 500 suffered, losing 1.8%, as the indexes lost billions. The 10-year Treasury yield dropped, falling to below 2020 levels as … Read more…

The Fed Fuels Stocks and Bonds – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) Gross Domestic Product {GDP} pushed the economy at a faster clip in the second quarter, doubling the pace of the first quarter of 1.4% to 2.8% according to the Commerce Department. A good barometer and pulse of the trending economy. The GDP monitors all U.S. produced products and all services performed. Economists had predicted a rate of 2.1%. The economy shows great strength as the Labor Market continues to … Read more…

Indexes Trade Winners – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) A Troubled Week… the market stuttered from a “global technology outage” crippling companies’ worldwide. Add in a major selloff of techs, chip stocks and market favorites, and you have indexes that shed major capital. The Nasdaq Composite, laden with heavy techs, fell 0.8% Friday, losing a concerning 3.6% for the week. The S&P 500 lost 0.7% with nearly all sectors negative. The blue chip Dow Jones Industrial Average lost … Read more…

Pivoting Techs – by Justin Vaughn

(Justin Vaughn, Editor, Options Trading Report) The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Russell 2000 stepped up Friday as investors and traders, ready for the pivot to small cap value stocks, jumped started the two laggard indexes. As inflation signs continue to show cooling, along with indications the Fed is near a rate cut, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Russell 2000 came alive, with Russell gaining 6% for the week. The S&P 500 had … Read more…