AAL

Major Benchmarks Mixed as VIX Continues to Rise

Housing starts for July showed an unexpected decline

Deputy Editor
Aug 18, 2021 at 12:25 PM
facebook X logo linkedin


The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) is down 34 points at midday, ahead of the release of the Federal Reserve's meeting minutes this afternoon. The S&P 500 Index (SPX) also remains in the red, while the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) is sitting just above breakeven. On the other hand, the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) is pacing for its third-straight daily rise.

Weighing on investor sentiment today is an unexpected decline in housing starts for July, which fell 7% to a seasonally adjusted rate of 1.534 million units, while permits for future homebuilding jumped 2.6%. Meanwhile, the U.S. announced it will be starting Covid-19 booster shots next month, with top health officials noting that immunity diminishes with time. 

Continue reading for more on today's market, including: 

  • The streaming buzz behind ViacomCBS stock's upgrade. 
  • Lowe's stock charges higher following beat-and-raise
  • Plus, options traders target CREE; MNDY notches fresh record high; and dismal forecast sinks TUYA.

MMC 0818

Cree Inc (NASDAQ:CREE) is seeing an options surge today, following the company's fiscal fourth-quarter revenue miss and dismal first-quarter forecast. So far, 13,000 calls and 4,784 puts have crossed the tape, which is nine times what is typically seen at this point. The August 80 call is the most popular by far, with new positions being opened there. At last check, CREE is down 7.2% to trade at $80.08, after no fewer than three analysts lowered their price targets. On the charts, CREE has fallen below long-term support at the 320-day moving average, and is off 24.7% year-to-date.

CREE 0818

One stock outperforming on the Nasdaq today is Monday.com Ltd (NASDAQ:MNDY), up 12.4% to trade at $342.90 at last check, after earlier notching a fresh record high of $347.66. The newly traded company reported second-quarter losses of 26 cents per share, which were narrower than analysts' anticipated losses of $1 per share, as well as a strong revenue forecast for 2021. In response, no fewer than eight analysts lifted their price targets on MNDY. Over the past month, the security has added 62.1%.

Meanwhile, Tuya Inc (NYSE:TUYA) is one of the worst stocks on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) today, down 20.3% to trade at $11.96 at last check. The China-based software name reported second-quarter losses of 4 cents per share, which were in line with expectations, and more than doubled its revenue thanks to demand for its cloud services. However, the company's third-quarter revenue forecast missed analysts' estimates. The shares earlier fell to an all-time ow of $11.73, and are off 49.5 this quarter.

 

Two High-Octane Trade Ideas. One Simple Goal: Intraday Profits.

Dynamite Day Trading Signals delivers two same-day options trades every week — powered by proprietary intraday analysis and 43+ years of trading expertise.

But this isn’t just another stream of alerts.

It’s a structured plan with clear entry and exit points – designed for traders who want to act fast, trade smart, and wrap up gains before the closing bell.

No guesswork. No overnight exposure – Just two well-researched setups per week — whether you prefer buying premium or selling it.

And the results speak for themselves: subscribers have locked in +245.8% total profit over the last six months (since inception!).

👉 Start your one-month trial now for just $10, and be ready for the next trade alert.