Friday, April 19, 2024
Using covered calls on index ETFs is a popular way to produce additional cash flow from holding stocks. For instance, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) is not only the most heavily traded ETF in the world, but it’s also commonly used for covered call trades. A large block of covered calls seemingly traded last […]
This week we are highlighting the most popular gold ETF which tracks the physical asset. What we see here are multiple trades placed in the same week by different traders. Both of these trades are indicating very bullish expectations from traders.
As expected, the Federal Reserve (Fed) raised rates in it June 15th meeting. Until then, the assumption was that the Fed would incrementally increase rates by 50 basis points (bps) at the next handful of meetings. However, after the hot consumer price index (CPI) number the week prior, the Fed was pushed into a more […]
The hot consumer price index (CPI) number last Friday has caused major damage to the equity markets. Volatility has remained elevated. There seems to be no relief in sight regarding the inflation numbers that we are seeing across industries—and, most importantly, in our daily expenses. The Federal Reserve will do what it can to increase […]
The markets are ugly. This market crash is ugly. Volatility, as measured by the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) just spiked to 32.76. Traders are running scared. Stocks are plunging. Inflation is out of control. Central banks are racing to cool inflation. The Dow fell from its April 2022 high of about 35,500 to 30,663. There […]
Inflation is hitting all of us pretty hard. The cost of living is rapidly increasing—most notably, we have seen gas prices increase substantially over the last year. While gas prices are the headline, consumers are being hit with rising costs everywhere. Food, rents, housing prices, gas prices, heating oil. It’s everywhere. That list doesn’t even […]
I’m continuing to pound the table on the idea of selling options to generate income with volatility at its current level. The Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) continues to hover around 30, which is creating very interesting opportunities in options. Most everyone owns stocks. Therefore, the risk we all share is that the equity market could […]
Last week was a tough one for social media company Snap (SNAP), which missed badly on guidance. The company warned of challenging macroeconomic conditions ahead and the stock dropped over 40% the next day. The following day, the stock gained 10%, and a large investor bought 10,000 January SNAP calls. This seemingly very bullish trade […]
With my conservative investment strategies, I do not have much reason to worry about the current stock market correction. I know that if I accumulate dividend-paying shares for cheap while others are selling, my income and wealth will be much greater when the market recovers. And it always recovers. I am, however, concerned about a […]
Selling puts on the Proshares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures ETF (UVXY) is one of my go-to trades when implied volatility is high and I think it will stay elevated in the near term. UVXY is supposed to correspond to 1.5x the performance of the S&P 500 VIX Short Term Futures Index. The short of it […]
