Options Expiration Week: Take Profits & Reposition for Further Gains
Standard Monthly Options expire at the end of this week. Since we have 7 open positions to address, we thought we should discuss them now so you have time to…
Real Estate & the Headwinds of Higher Interest Rates
Real estate has performed far better than we expected since the financial crises. Did we think there would be some kind of recovery? Yes, but we thought it would look…
Aflac (AFL) The Duck that Quacks
Aflac Inc. (AFL) provides supplemental health and life insurance products. Most of us are familiar with the company’s advertisement campaign featuring a duck telling people about the protection Aflac’s disability…
Packaging a Trade in WestRock (WRK)
WestRock Company (WRK) manufactures and sells paper and packaging solutions in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. The company is organized into three divisions. (1) Corrugated Packaging segment produces…
Easy Money Has Been Made: Take Profits on Acuity Brands (AYI) Put Spread
Back on March 24, 2016, we recommended investors construct a bearish put-spread on Acuity Brands, Inc. (AYI), the lighting manufacturing and solutions company. Click here for the original article. The company…
Dynamics of Equity & Oil Prices
Understanding how the market is behaving is critical for stock and options traders alike. It is important to understand the price action of individual stocks, commodities, bonds and the asset class…
A Superior Way to Get Long Amazon
Today on CNBC Options Action, Mike, recommended buying an AMZN 925/1000 June Call spread as a stock replacement strategy. This article is for registered members - please login or click…
Oil, War & Bull Traps
I wrote an article last night for release this morning, only to find that the US Government fired off 50 to 60 Tomahawk cruise missiles against a Syrian air base…
To VIX or Not to VIX
Investors look to the VIX index for guidance concerning future volatility of return on the equity markets in general and the S&P 500 in particular. Many people want to “trade”…
Nervous Bulls
It is no secret that equity prices are elevated. The post-election rally pushed share prices back to levels we thought we would not see again for a long long time. Since…
Unfriend Facebook?
Facebook, Inc. operates a social networking website. The Company website allows people to communicate with their family, friends, and coworkers. Facebook develops technologies that facilitate the sharing of information, photographs,…
What If GDP Growth Is Not Improving?
Ever since the election, investors have been in a positive mood. Share prices took off on the day of the election results and did not look back. With election results…