January 5, 2017 Market Wrap Up

The markets saw their first down day of the new year. The Dow Jones Industrials and Russell 2000 all finished lower. However, the Nasdaq was able to finish out the day positive. Keep in mind, volumes are still relatively light this week as traders are slowly getting back in the groove.

The VIX continued it’s sell off, as it closed below 12 at 11.67.

Now, here is how some of the other closely followed ETFs did on the week: United States Oil Fund (USO) +1.04%, iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT) +1.57%, SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) +1.55%.

Stocks in play today included: Palo Alto Networks (PANW) +3.10%, Kohls (KSS) -19%, and CEB Inc. (CEB) +20.92%.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in Host Hotels and Resorts (HST), which traded 4.9 times normal option volume. In addition, we saw heavy put buying in Mallinckrodt (MNK), which traded 3.6 times normal option volume.

Check out what’s left on the schedule below:

Key Economic Data:
6 Jan 2017- Employment Situation 8:30 AM ET; International Trade 8:30 AM ET

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July 6, 2016 Market Wrap Up

The S&P 500 has been on an absolute tear lately, and inching ever closer to the all-time highs. With that said, we’re less than 2% from those levels. Interestingly, Treasury bonds are also near yearly highs, along with gold futures prices.

It almost feels like something has to give? But the million dollar question is in what and when. The market reacted positively after the FOMC Minutes were released this afternoon. Of course, traders are still digesting the aftermath of the Brexit.

Stocks in play today include: Kohl’s (KSS) +2.78%, Carmax (KMX) +5.6%, and Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX) +16.9%.

The VIX was down nearly 4%, closing the day below 15, at 14.96.

Crude oil futures bounced nicely ahead of tomorrow’s DOE numbers. The United States Oil Fund (USO) was up over 2% on the day.

On the options front, we saw large call buying activity in Foot Locker (FL), which traded 4.8 times normal volume. We also saw a ton of bearish bets being placed in Chemours Company (CC) which traded 16.2 times usual volume.

Here’s what’s left for the rest of the week:

Key Economic Data:
7 July 2016- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET, EIA Petroleum Status Report 11:00 AM ET
8 July 2016- Employment Situation 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
7 July 2016- PEP, CUDA, HELE