SchaeffersResearch.com Trading Floor Blog

In a Shaky Market, Biotech Stocks Are Still Working

Wed, 16 May 2012 19:53:00 GMT

Major market indexes are in a serious slump, with the Nasdaq Composite (COMP) working on a streak of 10 consecutive down days -- assuming there isn't a serious bounce into the close today...(Read More)

Highs & Lows: AOL, Banco Santander, and Lennar

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:31:00 GMT

The major market indexes are battling breakeven this afternoon, torn between upbeat housing and industrial production data and ongoing political tension in Greece...(Read More)

Option Bears Brace for More Downside from Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Wed, 16 May 2012 16:21:00 GMT

Options traders have been snapping up puts on Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL), with speculators apparently looking for the stock to pull back...(Read More)

Shut Up Greece, Facebook's Here

Wed, 16 May 2012 15:55:00 GMT

While Greece and JPMorgan Chase (JPM) have garnered most of the headlines over the past couple of weeks, Facebook's (FB) IPO has definitely received its fair share of attention...(Read More)

Data Drop: Investors Intelligence Sentiment Survey

Wed, 16 May 2012 15:03:00 GMT

The weekly figures from the Investors Intelligence (II) sentiment survey are out...(Read More)

Analyst Downgrades: CLF, KLAC, and LRCX

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:36:00 GMT

Analysts are weighing in today on commodity stock Cliffs Natural Resources Inc...(Read More)

Analyst Upgrades: CSCO, TLAB, and TQNT

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:16:00 GMT

Analysts are weighing in today on blue-chip tech stock Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO - 16.54), telecom concern Tellabs, Inc...(Read More)

Highs & Lows: Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Colgate-Palmolive, and Ericsson

Tue, 15 May 2012 18:24:00 GMT

As Wall Street continues to chew on the developing political drama in Greece, stocks are wavering around breakeven this afternoon...(Read More)

My Take on JPMorgan Chase's 'Hedge'

Tue, 15 May 2012 16:10:00 GMT

I have been reading a lot of articles about JPMorgan Chase's (JPM) supposed "hedge" and how it "didn't work out as planned." Specifically, I have been trying to figure out exactly what they did, and, in basic terms, I think it was something like this: JPM purchased a lot of corporate debt...(Read More)

Good News in U.S. Battles Bad News in Europe

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:52:00 GMT

This morning's retail sales and Empire State manufacturing index were pretty good overall, but those European countries still won't leave us alone...(Read More)

Potential Support Levels to Watch on the S&P 500 Index

Tue, 15 May 2012 13:56:00 GMT

The S&P 500 Index (SPX) continues to break support levels, the latest being a close beneath the March key low at 1,340...(Read More)

Analyst Downgrades: AMAT, MCD, and PCX

Tue, 15 May 2012 13:25:00 GMT

Analysts are weighing in today on semiconductor stock Applied Materials, Inc...(Read More)

Analyst Upgrades: AKAM, AMZN, and GRPN

Tue, 15 May 2012 13:09:00 GMT

Analysts are weighing in today on content delivery issue Akamai Technologies, Inc...(Read More)

The Next Key Technical Level to Watch After IWM's Neckline Breach

Mon, 14 May 2012 19:10:00 GMT

It seems like ever since earnings season started to slow down, the focus has been back on Greece and the rest of Europe...(Read More)

With Europe Still in the Driver's Seat, How to Navigate the U.S. Market

Mon, 14 May 2012 18:54:00 GMT

Despite a better-than-expected earnings season for U.S. corporations amid a backdrop of persistently bearish sentiment, news from Europe continues to be the primary driver of price action among domestic equities...(Read More)

Highs & Lows: Eldorado Gold, Symantec, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Mon, 14 May 2012 18:06:00 GMT

The major market indexes are wallowing in red ink this afternoon, as traders respond to economic fears from overseas and last week's hedging loss from JPMorgan Chase (JPM)...(Read More)

Analyst Downgrades: AONE, CHK, and NOK

Mon, 14 May 2012 13:19:00 GMT

Analysts are weighing in today on lithium-ion battery specialist A123 Systems, Inc...(Read More)

Analyst Upgrades: ACI, SPLK, and TOL

Mon, 14 May 2012 12:50:00 GMT

Analysts are weighing in today on energy issue Arch Coal, Inc. (ACI - 8.06), software stock Splunk Inc...(Read More)

Big Drop In AAII Bulls Could Bode Well for Stocks

Fri, 11 May 2012 18:53:00 GMT

The American Association of Individual Investors (AAII) conducts a popular sentiment poll that tries to get a good gauge of what the average investor is thinking for the next six months...(Read More)

JPMorgan Can't Keep Regional Banks Down

Fri, 11 May 2012 18:40:00 GMT

This morning, the market was hit with a lot of bad news related to JPMorgan Chase & Co...(Read More)

Highs & Lows: Alere, Apollo Group, and Verizon

Fri, 11 May 2012 18:37:00 GMT

The major market indexes are wobbling around breakeven this afternoon, as traders weigh JPMorgan's (JPM) trading blunder against an upbeat reading from the University of Michigan/Thomson Reuters consumer sentiment index...(Read More)

Analyst Upgrades: ARNA, HOV, and DDS

Fri, 11 May 2012 13:28:00 GMT

Analysts are weighing in today on drug stock Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ARNA - 3.66), homebuilder Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc...(Read More)

Analyst Downgrades: BBY, JPM, and MCP

Fri, 11 May 2012 13:10:00 GMT

Analysts are weighing in today on big-box retailer Best Buy Co., Inc. (BBY - 19.94), banking giant JPMorgan Chase & Co...(Read More)

Define Your Risks, Both Known and Unknown

Thu, 10 May 2012 18:58:00 GMT

Often, there are events that can transpire in the market that can have broad-sweeping effects on both the macro landscape and individual stocks...(Read More)

Highs & Lows: Archer Daniels Midland, News Corp., and Windstream

Thu, 10 May 2012 18:38:00 GMT

Stocks are modestly higher this afternoon, recovering from heavy losses suffered earlier in the week on news of a decline in weekly jobless claims...(Read More)