Jon Markman's Trader's Advantage

Daily Issues

Trades Update

May 17, 2013

Stocks ramped higher once again on Friday on positive economic data, setting a new series of record highs for the Dow Jones and the S&P 500. Gains in growth stocks and those in the industrials and energy sectors boosted the broad market as consumer sentiment improved in May.

The Dow gained 120 points, or 0.8%, the S&P rose 16 points, or 1% and the Nasdaq also ended higher by 1%. In today's issue of Trader's Advantage, I'll review this week's market activity in my latest Markman-in-a-Minute podcast, I'm canceling one call recommendation and replacing it with another and we've taken some nice profits on one common position.

Energy Laggards Poised for Breakout

May 16, 2013

Stocks turned lower late today after more talk about the Federal Reserve tapering its asset purchases hit the wires. The news did not break any new ground, so this development helps to show that investors are surprisingly nervous despite recent strength in prices. Earlier in the session came data on jobless claims and the housing market that were slightly weaker than expected, but neither was considered a showstopper.

Tech was the only sector to finish in positive territory, while retail stocks underperformed. Looking back over the past three weeks, another group that has advanced finally, after weakness for a year or two, has been the big energy companies. Yet the pace of the advance of the energy stocks has been a bit uneven, as certain super-giant global energy outfits have lagged. In today's Trader's Advantage, I'll discuss the opportunity this presents for options traders, including a new buy along those lines. I'll also recap one new sell, and reset targets and stops on our other current trades.

Trades Update

May 14, 2013

Once again, stocks rallied to new highs on Tuesday with the S&P 500 leading the way. The S&P gained 1%, the Nasdaq ended up by 0.7% and the Dow finished with a hefty 0.8% gain. It's worth noting that the S&P is now up more than 15% for 2013.

In today's issue of Trader's Advantage, we've taken profits and closed out another winning trade, we entered several positions that I recommended yesterday and I'm canceling one recommendation.