Despite uncertainty in the global economy, price data suggests inflation may be on the rise—a potentially worrisome development considering U.S. unemployment levels are still alarmingly high. The world is undoubtedly more complicated since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. And while it’s impossible to follow every story, investors and traders would be wise to keep … Continued
After a subpar 2020, the financial sector has been racing higher on optimistic Q4 earnings expectations, as well as rising interest rates. After a busy holiday season, action in the financial markets can be quiet, mirroring the slowdown in post-Christmas retail activity. But this year, amid a global health crisis and a bumpy transition of … Continued
The mean-reverting nature of volatility makes it a great candidate for a portfolio, especially compared to directional bets, which typically constitute a 50-50 proposition. Hindsight illustrates that since the market bottomed in March 2020, picking market direction has been a lot easier than usual. Based on the performance of broad-market indexes, such as the Nasdaq … Continued
New offerings of Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) were red-hot in 2020, outpacing even traditional initial public offerings (IPOs) for the first time in history. After a slow start to 2020, initial public offerings (IPOs) rebounded in strong fashion during the second half of the year. That wasn’t necessarily surprising because owners of private companies … Continued
Agricultural commodities are hitting multi-year highs on optimism that a strong global economic rebound will unfold in 2021. Not to be outdone by the stock market and bitcoin, the agricultural corner of the U.S. financial markets has officially joined the “everything rally,” with many of the most prominent “ags” trading at multi-year highs to start … Continued
The Joe Biden presidency is expected to usher in a new era of renewable energy innovation and dominance in the United States. Back in September, Luckbox projected several market sectors could surge if Joe Biden were elevated to the White House in 2021. At the top of the list was green—aka renewable—energy. In this case, … Continued
The iShares Russell 2000 Index ETF (IWM) rallied an astounding 18% in November and opened up some new trading opportunities in the process. In the financial markets, price and fear tend to be inversely correlated. When the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) is screaming higher, that usually corresponds with a sharp pullback in broad market indexes, … Continued
The Grinch may have briefly stolen Christmas from Whoville, but modern day “Grinch bots” are ruining holiday shopping for many consumers in real life. Concocted in the 1950s by Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a story about the power of possibility and transformation, and ultimately the salvation of a troubled soul. In … Continued
The 2020 trading year saw record volatility, record highs, record lows, and everything in between—as illustrated in the charts below. From a trading and investment perspective, 2020 has been one of the most memorable in history. Today’s post represents a year in review in chart form—ideal for any market participant reflecting on the year that … Continued
Bitcoin is on fire and recently broke through its previous all-time high, pulling other cryptocurrency-levered assets along with it. Interest in the cryptocurrency space has exploded in recent days with the price of a single bitcoin spiking to new all-time highs—well north of $20,000. Leading the entire sector higher, the world’s best-known digital coin appears … Continued
