Trader Talk

A trader works at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., August 19, 2021. Andrew Kelly | Reuters The markets: it’s August, but it’s also covid. Normal August trading flows are being greatly complicated by the delta variant. A third but still important complication: increasingly authoritarian action in China is

Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Source: NYSE Retail earnings have never been better, but the delta variant remains the wildcard. In theory, this is a golden moment for retailers, which begin reporting earnings this week. Consider the following: The consumer is flush. The American consumer has never had more disposable cash

Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, June 18, 2021. Source: NYSE Stock rotation: anti-lockdown, anti-low yields.   We are halfway through the third quarter, with the S&P 500 up a respectable 3.8% in the last six weeks. Even while a lot of traders are on the beach, there are two big narratives in

Gary Gensler, chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), speaks during a Senate Banking Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, July 30, 2013. Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images The head of the SEC says that crypto assets need a lot more regulation before they can move forward. Speaking at the

Gary Gensler, chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), speaks during a Senate Banking Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, July 30, 2013. Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler said Wednesday he wants mandatory disclosure on climate risks, and he wants the agency to

Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, June 25, 2021. Source: NYSE We’re halfway through second-quarter earnings. The results not only continue to beat forecasts by a wide margin, but estimates for the third and fourth quarter — and now even for 2022 — are continuing to rise. And most say estimates

The 20th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy is less than two months away. There will be many commemorations, many reflections on how downtown New York and the country has changed since then. But for the people who lived and worked downtown during that time and are still with us, this is also time to take

Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Source: NYSE The latest volatility in China – with regulators in Beijing attempting to reign in several sectors of the Chinese economy – is only the latest blow for international investors.  “The invest in China mantra has always been based on the idea that China

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), July 21, 2021. Brendan McDermid | Reuters A quarter of the way through earnings season, we are headed toward the best profit growth in over a decade.  One fourth of the S&P 500 has now reported second-quarter earnings.  Overall earnings are now expected

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. NYSE I have several friends in the restaurant business. For the past few weeks, I’ve heard the same story every weekend: business is fabulous, and we can’t get enough help. This week, several of those restaurant people asked me what was going on with these Covid

Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Source: NYSE Earnings season begins with two major tailwinds:  sky high prices and sky-high expectations.  On paper, second quarter earnings looks like the mother of all earnings reports, with estimates having risen steadily for the past six months, from expected 45% growth in January to

In this article KWEB Chinese and U.S. flags outside the building of an American company in Beijing, China January 21, 2021. Tingshu Wang | Reuterss A new Securities and Exchange Commission rule that will require foreign companies to submit documentation about government affiliations and government influence is causing headaches for China investors. It’s one of

It was a bad day for Cathie Wood.  And it was a very strange trading day.  For weeks, stocks have been held hostage to Treasury yields, particularly the 10-year.  As yields moved up, stocks, particularly high-multiple megacap stocks, moved down.  If yields dropped, tech rallied. That relationship has broken down. Yields have been down three

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. NYSE It’s the anniversary of the big drop: What’s changed?  Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen are testifying before the House Financial Services Committee on the state of the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday. It’s the one-year anniversary

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. NYSE Are you confused about what is going on in the markets? Traders sure are. “We all got comfortable thinking Covid was done or manageable, and it may turn out to still be a wild card,” Peter Tchir from Academy Securities told me. ”Nobody wants another

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on March 16, 2020 in New York City. Spencer Platt | Getty Images March 16, 2020 was the day when Covid got very real for market investors.  It was the week everyone realized that we would be in for a prolonged shutdown. When

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. NYSE Do you have Fear of Missing Out on all this wild trading going on this year? Would you buy a FOMO fund if someone offered it to you? Some investors are betting you will. Investing in the stock market these days is like

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. NYSE Stock traders don’t normally talk about bond auctions, but all this week the 10-year Treasury auction that will happen on Wednesday has been the main subject of conversation. “It’s been a long time since stock traders have cared about bond auctions,” Matt Maley

A Model X is on display at a Tesla showroom on February 13, 2021 in Beijing, China. VCG | Visual China Group | Getty Images What’s behind the drop in tech stocks? A model Wall Street uses to value stocks is flashing caution. Tech stocks are in a correction. The Nasdaq 100, the largest 100

The logos of Google, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and TikTok displayed on a computer screen. Denis Charlet | AFP via Getty Images Is it time for an ETF that measures hype? Measuring the buzz around stocks mentioned in social media is all the rage.  Now there’s an exchange-traded fund for that. The Van Eck Vectors