NFTRH57 went in depth on a broad spectrum of market indicators and short term scenarios. One of which included the oh so satisfying state of the VIX. But really, we don't expect the bull case to just fold up its tent and go home, now do we? No, maybe we expect a little more earnings hype, a lit ... Read more

Last month, we highlighted Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Zweig’s criticism of the long-term stock return data that Jeremy Siegel has used in his book, Stocks for the Long Run . Zweig said that the data Siegel used for 1802-1870 was “rotten with methodological flaws& ... Read the ... Read more

So what doesn't move volatility? An low delta OTM call spread in a VIX product to name one thing. What actually does? Well, stuff like this, from OptionsMonster last Friday (free sub. required). If you've ever wondered where volatility goes to die, read on. Two recent trades made bear i ... R ... Read more

Another day, another glowing financial headline. Here is the ridiculous headline of the day: Bank of America posts first-quarter profit, surpasses view . Bank of America Corp. posted strong first quarter results today, as higher revenue from the purchase of Merrill Lynch & Co. help offset ... Read more

Trying to gauge market sentiment is a challenge. But that does not mean people don't keep trying. From measurements based off of skirt lengths, to closed end fund discounts, to the VIX we just keep trying. The newest candidate is Credit Suisse's so-called "Fear Barometer" out which is base ... Read more

After beginning the week in pullback mode, stocks concluded the holiday-shortened week with a broad-based round of impressive gains. The Nasdaq Composite tacked on 3.9%, the S&P 500 3.8%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average 3.1%. Small and mid-cap stocks rocketed higher. The Russell 2000 and ... Read more

Ah Spring. Three batters into the season and the Mets blow their first "runner on 3rd, less than 2 outs" situation. But hey, in honor of soon-to-open Citi Field, our old friend, the June 5 reverse-conversion, is trading like crazy again. Over 31K calls and 24K puts have traded. The conve ... Read more

Dell (DELL) has a problem, or a series of problems. Its share of the PC and server businesses is under pressure from IBM (IBM), HP (HPQ), IBM (IBM), Sun (JAVA), Hitachi, and other companies based in China and Taiwan. If IBM buys Sun, it ends up with a much larger piece of the server market ... Read more

Enjoy dear readers. Enjoy the market's rally. You, me... all of us who are active in the financial markets have had a umm, difficult last half a year. So enjoy the relief as desperate politicians the world over try to whoop up some hope and hype. When this chart comes into the bear market retrace t ... Read more