Recent Blogs

Feb, 14, 2013

Is Chasing Earnings Moves a Profitable Strategy?

By Lawrence G. McMillanMost professional traders tell novice investors not to chase earnings. I have felt that way throughout my trading career. However, I never actually did any...

Feb, 12, 2013

Historically Cheap Options: Time to Buy Straddles?

By Lawrence G. McMillanCurrently, option implied volatilities are near extreme lows, by many measures. We have seen that VIX got down to nearly 12. It has been below 10 in the past,...

Feb, 08, 2013

Weekly Stock Market Commentary 2/8/13

By Lawrence G. McMillan$SPX has bounced back and forth in the 1495 to 1515 range for nearly two weeks. A breakout in either direction would likely be enough to spur further momentum in the direction...

Feb, 06, 2013

Why Trade “The Market”? Just Trade “Volatility” Instead!

By Lawrence G. McMillanThe “game” of stock market predicting holds appeal for many because one who can do it seems powerful and intelligent. Everyone has his favorite indicators, analysis...

Feb, 01, 2013

Weekly Stock Market Commentary 2/1/13

By Lawrence G. McMillanThe stock market, measured by almost any broad-based index, made it through the entire month of January in a completely bullish mode. Thus the bullish trend is intact. As...

Jan, 29, 2013

Futures & Options Tax Considerations: Section 1256 Contracts

By Lawrence G. McMillanSection 1256 trades include all futures trades, as well as futures options. They also include option trades on cash-based indices ($OEX and $SPX, and especially $VIX),...

Jan, 25, 2013

Weekly Stock Market Commentary 1/25/13

By Lawrence G. McMillanThe broad stock market continues to advance almost every day. $SPX is now trading at prices last since in December, 2007. It is not far from the all-time highs of October...

Jan, 24, 2013

Severely Overbought Market: What Does It Really Mean?

By Lawrence G. McMillanThere are several ways to measure an overbought market, and we’ll review many of them in this article. It is common knowledge that overbought markets eventually sell off...

Jan, 18, 2013

Upside breakout in an overbought environment

By Lawrence G. McMillanMORRISTOWN, N.J. (MarketWatch) — After drifting sideways in a state of virtual somnambulation, the stock market finally broke out to the upside Thursday.It is now well...

Jan, 18, 2013

Weekly Stock Market Commentary 1/18/13

By Lawrence G. McMillanAfter drifting sideways in a state of virtual somnambulation, the stock market finally broke out to the upside Thursday. Based solely on the chart breakout, everything...

Pages

Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.
Trading or investing whether on margin or otherwise carries a high level of risk, and may not be suitable for all persons. Leverage can work against you as well as for you. Before deciding to trade or invest you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and ability to tolerate risk. The possibility exists that you could sustain a loss of some or all of your initial investment or even more than your initial investment and therefore you should not invest money that you cannot afford to lose. You should be aware of all the risks associated with trading and investing, and seek advice from an independent financial advisor if you have any doubts.
Visit the Disclosure & Policies page for full website disclosures.