Standard & Poor's 500 Index

Cisco (CSCO) stock was under pressure in 2019 due to the US-China trade war. Options traders are betting on CSCO’s rise by the middle of March.

Roku shares (ROKU) have had an eventful year! They rose approximately 400% in 2019. However, the stock price fell more than 10% in December.

Options traders are betting that Aurora Cannabis stock will start to rise by the middle of March after some trying times for the company.

Cronos Group (CRON) missed analysts’ EBITDA estimates this year. The bad performance and weakness in the cannabis sector caused the stock to fall by 34.9%

Integrated energy stocks have underperformed the equity market in 2019. We’ll see what 2020 has in store for Chevron, ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, and BP.

On December 26, a Santa Claus rally seems to be in full swing. This effect pushed the S&P 500 (SPX) and Nasdaq Composite Index (COMP) to record highs.

Intel stock closed at $58.95 on December 20, up 1.71% from the previous trading session. This performance lagged the S&P 500’s 0.49% increase on the day.

Apple (AAPL) closed at $279.74 yesterday, falling 0.24% from the previous trading session. This change lagged the S&P 500’s (SPX) 0.04% decrease on the day.

Druckenmiller and Buffett got “trumped” by the President’s economic policies this year. Incidentally, the US economy posted better-than-expected growth.

Micron stock closed at $47.93 on Friday, rising 2.81% from the previous trading session. This change lagged the S&P 500’s (SPX) 0.91% increase on the day.

AT&T stock (T) closed trading at $38.10 on December 4, rising 1.44% from the previous trading session, and I’m seeing more upside ahead.

Over the past week, there have been several bullish bets placed on Facebook (FB) stock, suggesting that it could rise higher in the coming weeks and months.

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (BABA) closed at $200.82 in the latest trading session, marking a 3.14% rise from the previous day.

Marathon Petroleum (MPC) stock has underperformed the equity market and its peers in the current year. MPC’s stock price has risen 2.8% YTD.

This quarter, ExxonMobil (XOM) stock has fallen 2.4%. Let’s try to forecast XOM’s upper and lower price limits until the end of the year.

So far, Chevron’s (CVX) stock price has risen 2.1% in November due to stronger equity markets and higher crude oil prices.

Suncor stock has risen 3.8% this month, the highest among its peers, due to its robust results, higher oil prices, and stronger equity markets.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) (DIA) seems to be touching new highs despite pessimism related to progress in trade talks.

BP stock has been rising in the current quarter. The rise in the stock price is in line with increased crude oil prices and equity markets in the quarter.

In the November 14 trading session, Aurora Cannabis (ACB) stock fell 12.7% from the previous session during after-hours trading.

Some options traders are betting large, bullish bets in favor of Disney stock and Disney+ in particular. Let’s take a closer look at the options.

This month, Shell’s stock returns have been lower than most peers’. The company believes its returns could be vulnerable to macroeconomic conditions.

In the third quarter, some prominent institutions raised their stakes in Tesla stock. Here’s why it’s no surprise that institutions are grabbing the stock.

BP has the highest correlation coefficient of 0.60 with WTI, followed by Shell at 0.57. Meanwhile, ExxonMobil and Chevron have relatively low correlations.

Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A) and BP’s (BP) earnings fell in the third quarter. While BP’s profits fell 41%, Shell’s earnings fell 15%.

Tesla stock has risen 23% since the company’s October earnings release, bringing trouble for short sellers such as David Einhorn’s Greenlight Capital.

Shell plans to release its third-quarter results on Thursday. Analysts expect Shell’s earnings to fall YoY (year-over-year) in the third quarter.

BP will release its third-quarter earnings results on October 29. In the quarter, integrated energy companies faced severe business conditions.

The S&P 500 Index, which is trading close to an all-time high, could be affected by the Fed’s tone in its upcoming meeting.

The S&P 500 Index, represented by the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), rose 0.3% on October 23, nearing the all-time high it saw in July.

With the major indices pushing higher and higher, we need to again look at whether any new money should be put to work here.

Clorox (CLX) reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings on February 4.

Analysts continue to suggest a “hold” rating on Kellogg (K) stock. Analysts’ target price shows a downward trend.

Bank of America (BAC) and Goldman Sachs (GS) outperformed analysts’ estimates, which drove their stocks higher.

On January 16, Bank of America announced stellar fourth-quarter results. The bank had lower costs, which supported the bottom-line growth.

Target is scheduled to announce its third-quarter results on November 20. Analysts expect Target to maintain its growth momentum.

Procter & Gamble plans to announce its earnings for the first quarter of fiscal 2019 on October 19. On October 10, PG was down 11.4% YTD.

As of July 20, Kellogg (K) stock has grown 23.9% since it reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter earnings on May 3.

Cleveland-Cliffs’s (CLF) CFO Tim Flanagan mentioned that the company is expected to generate $400 million of free cash flow in the second half of 2018.

Philip Morris International (PM) reported its Q2 earnings on July 19, posting adjusted EPS of $1.41 on revenues of $7.73 billion.

Cleveland-Cliffs’ (CLF) new management has always been keen on exiting the volatile seaborne iron ore business as soon as possible.

Philip Morris (PM) plans to release its Q2 earnings on July 19. On July 11, PM stock traded at $82.84, down 18.3% from its Q1 earnings.

Dunkin’ Brands (DNKN) traded at $68.56 on July 3, which represents a 10.5% increase since its Q1 2018 earnings were released on April 26.

The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) fell 9.4% in the first six months of 2018.

Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF) has come a long way as far as its business mix is concerned.

Kellogg (K), along with Conagra Brands (CAG) and McCormick (MKC), is among the very few food stocks trading positively this year.

The correlation between gold and the S&P 500 (SPX) is 0.18 on a year-to-date basis.

In times of escalating geopolitical or economic concerns, gold often acts as a safe-haven asset. This year, however, gold’s safe-haven appeal seems to be somewhat tarnished.

As of June 22, Starbucks (SBUX) was trading at $51.24, which represents a 13.7% fall since the announcement of its fiscal second-quarter earnings on April 26.

According to a survey by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, 31.0% of respondents see a trade war as the biggest tail risk for the markets, up from 25.0% in May.

After posting negative returns last week, US stock market futures have started the week 0.6% lower.

Like most of its peers, Kimberly-Clark (KMB) stock has underperformed the broader market so far this year.

In this series, we’ll look at analysts’ revenue and EPS estimates for Williams-Sonoma over the next four quarters, as well as the company’s guidance and valuation.

As was widely expected, the Fed raised interest rates by 25 basis points yesterday, to 1.75%–2%.

Target’s (TGT) turnaround strategy has picked up the pace and is expected to support the company’s sales and earnings growth in future quarters.

Despite its recent fall, HPE has risen ~6.2% to date in fiscal 2018. If we consider its performance in the last year, it’s risen ~6%.

In a classic Donald Trump move, the president wrote a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to cancel their planned meeting in Singapore next month.

Breaking the cycle of alternate days of gains and losses, the cryptocurrency markets seem to have experienced an extreme downturn.

The Campbell Soup Company (CPB) stock is trading at a record low. It fell ~12.4% on May 18.

As per the 13Fs filed for the first quarter, hedge funds still seem to have confidence in gold’s price outlook.

In the first quarter, Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) posted adjusted EPS (earnings per share) of $2.13 on revenue of $1.2 billion.

Herbalife Nutrition (HLF) stock has followed a strong uptrend due to improving fundamentals.

To date in 2018, IBM stock has lost 5.4% of its value. In the last year, IBM stock has fallen ~9.2%.

Lately, the DJIA (Dow Jones Industrial Average) has been through a lot of ups and downs.

FireEye (FEYE) is scheduled to announce its 1Q18 earnings on May 2. Analysts expect FireEye’s revenues to reach $194.0 million.

Altria Group (MO) posted its 1Q18 earnings before the market opened yesterday. What went wrong?

Home Depot (HD) stock reacted positively to Wells Fargo’s “outperform” rating, rising as high as $178.38 on April 23.

Church & Dwight (CHD) stock fell ~6% on Friday, April 20, 2018, after being downgraded by Deutsche Bank to “hold” from “buy.”

The S&P 500 Index has lost ~1% in 2018. However, IBM stock has risen 2% this year, outperforming the S&P 500 Index.

McCormick (MKC) has seen double-digit sales and earnings growth over the past couple of quarters.

Darden Restaurants (DRI) posted its fiscal 3Q18 earnings before the market opened on March 22.

In this series, we’ll look at analysts’ revenue and earnings expectations for Chipotle in 2018.

Since the beginning of 2018, Shake Shack stock has fallen 4.9%.

In this series, we’ll look at analysts’ revenue and earnings estimates for McDonald’s in the next four quarters.

Oracle stock has risen more than 19.0% in the past year. During the same period, the S&P 500 Index has risen 15.0%.

Despite the massive surge in Microsoft stock, which helped its market cap to cross the $724 billion mark, it’s lagging behind Amazon (AMZN), which has a market cap of ~$726 billion.

The Kraft Heinz Company (KHC) reported weaker-than-expected 4Q17 results on February 16, 2018.

Shake Shack (SHAK) is scheduled to announce its 4Q17 earnings after the market closes on February 15, 2018.

What the markets have long been fearing has finally come true, at least in part. The S&P 500 (SPY) (SPX) hit a record high on January 26, 2018. Since then, the index has fallen ~8% as of February 6, 2018.

The S&P 500 Index and the SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB) have returned -0.9% and -6.3%, year-to-date, respectively.

Altria Group (MO) posted its 4Q17 earnings on February 1, 2018. The company posted adjusted earnings per share of $0.91 on net revenues of ~$4.7 billion.

Yum! Brands (YUM) is scheduled to announce its 4Q17 earnings before the market opens on February 8, 2018. The company’s stock price was trading at $82.63 at the close of trading on February 2.

IBM stock has a beta of ~1.07, which indicates that it is 7% more volatile than the overall market.

McDonald’s (MCD) posted its 4Q17 earnings before the market opened on January 30. The company posted adjusted EPS (earnings per share) of $1.71 on revenues of $5.34 billion.

After a dismal performance for most of 2017, Occidental Petroleum (OXY) stock has recently been mostly in a consistent uptrend.

Starbucks (SBUX) posted its fiscal 1Q18 earnings on January 25. SBUX posted adjusted earnings per share of $0.58 on revenues of ~$6.1 billion.

The cash cost of goods sold for Cleveland-Cliffs’ (CLF) APIO division was $44.56 per ton in 4Q17, 22% higher YoY (year-over-year) and 10% higher sequentially.

Equity markets It’s no secret that US equity markets (SPY) (SPX) seemingly hit higher highs every other day in 2017. The S&P 500 rose 19.4%, reaching record highs. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that market participants are worried about valuation getting stretched. While higher valuation doesn’t automatically mean assets are overvalued, the perception of […]

EQT Corporation’s (EQT) stock was pretty volatile in 2017, as you can see below, mostly declining in 1H17 and looking relatively shaky in 2H17.

Electric vehicles The automotive sector is the second-largest steel consumer after the construction sector. Over the last century, internal combustion vehicles have dominated the automotive landscape (SPY) (SPX). However, EV (electric vehicle) sales are expected to grow multifold in the coming years amid a push by several governments around the world. Steel versus aluminum Steel […]

McDonald’s (MCD) is scheduled to announce its 4Q17 earnings before the market opens on January 30, 2018.

Whiting Petroleum (WLL) stock slowed down last week, rising just 0.50% in the week ended January 19. Year-over-year, the stock has fallen ~41%.

Chesapeake Energy (CHK) stock took a slight dip last week, falling 7.7% in the week ended January 19 compared to the week ended January 12.

Goldman Sachs’s upgrade of Jack in the Box (JACK) appears to have increased investor confidence, leading to a rise in the company’s stock price.

Morgan Stanley (MS) announced its 4Q17 earnings on January 18, 2018. Its adjusted EPS (earnings per share) were $0.84, and its revenue was $9.5 billion.

Raymond James’s upgrade of Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) on January 19, 2018, appears to have increased investors’ confidence, leading to a rise in Chipotle’s stock price.

Jefferies’ upgrade of Philip Morris International (PM) appears to have increased investor confidence, leading to a rise in the company’s stock price.

Anadarko Petroleum stock Since late 2017, Anadarko Petroleum (APC) stock has mostly followed an uptrend, like most energy stocks. Year-to-date, Anadarko Petroleum’s stock has fallen ~16.6%. In comparison, the Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) has risen ~3%, and the S&P 500 SPDR ETF (SPY) (SPX-INDEX) has risen 24%. Anadarko Petroleum stock has been driven primarily […]

Whiting Petroleum (WLL) stock increased 5.8% in the week ended January 12, 2018, compared to the week ended January 5, 2018. WLL has been on an uptrend, mirroring crude oil prices.

In the final part of our series, we’ll look at RSP Permian’s (RSPP) stock performance compared to the benchmark energy sector as well as the broader market as well as crude and natural gas prices.