Wall Street recently peddled investment tools that allowed retail investors to track the inverse performance of the VIX, an index that tracks market volatility.
Wall Street firms promised immense gains from these funds with manageable risk.
That all went up in smoke on Feb. 5, when the VIX more than doubled in the course of an hour and sent these inverse funds into free fall.
Wall Street recently peddled investment tools that allowed retail investors to track the inverse performance of the VIX, an index that tracks market volatility.
Wall Street firms promised immense gains from these funds with manageable risk.
That all went up in smoke on Feb. 5, when the VIX more than doubled in the course of an hour and sent these inverse funds into free fall.
Predicting market performance in any given year is a lot like predicting heavyweight fights; you assess each fighter's history, weigh it against their opponent, read the "tale of the tape," and put your money down on the line.
For 2016, my market prediction is the same as Mr. T's Clubber Lang from "Rocky III": Pain!
Asset classes and markets all over the world will get a heaping helping of extreme volatility.
Here's why 2016 will be so volatile, and what to do.
Options trading is one of the best ways to navigate market volatility.
Today, I'm going to explain the different kinds of volatility and how they affect the markets generally and options specifically.
The last few weeks of trading have been downright rough...
The markets staged a "whistling past the graveyard" rally for a little more than a week after the Aug. 24 crash only to come tumbling down again by 3% on Sept. 1 as nearly every sector was hit.
Robust technical support levels that were years in the making have been snapped like so many little twigs.
Key indicators have all but failed traders who are scrambling to find bottoms to trade off of, and the Chicago Board of Options Exchange Volatility Index (VIX) has been breaking six-year records, topping 53 on Aug. 24 and 30 on Sept. 1.
The sheer breadth of the chaos is matched only by the growing chorus of pundits speculating on the drivers of the chaos.
Let them speculate and fumble around in the dark. What's really rocking this market is what I call the "Three Cs."
Here they are - plus the two sectors that will rise above it all...
At the end of 2014, we predicted that the coming year would be defined by extreme market chaos. Shah actually called it "the perfect storm of volatility" in his first investor briefing of the year.
Now that volatility is here with a vengeance.
On Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average alone dived more than 1,000 points, then surged 900 points... only to drop more than 400 points again. That's a story that repeated itself on indexes worldwide.
The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index (VIX) surged to a six-year high of 53.29 until volatility swamped the quoting system.
Today we're going to examine in granular detail a moneymaking tool called the loophole trade. And we're going to drill down and comprehensibly discuss why certain market conditions would compel us to recommend this tactic.
Remember: Through familiarity that's gained by the proper application of financial knowledge, you can overcome fear of volatility and risk.
We want you to confidently embrace the power of the loophole trade...
Market volatility has been rampant. Last week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average saw triple-digit gains or losses on four out of five trading days.
Volatility will continue in coming months as investors grapple with economic data and try to gauge when the U.S. Federal Reserve will raise interest rates.
We've got a great tool tailor-made to turn market volatility to your advantage. Because the waters have been a little choppy lately, to say the least.
This is a tool relatively unknown to most investors. And it's perfect for today's market.
Here's how to conquer volatility - and cash in - with this one simple move...
Market volatility is going to be extreme - that was my prediction for 2015.
With the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeting more than 300 points yesterday and oil below $50 for the first time since April 2009, now's the time to act.
We're going to be riding the market seesaw, folks, and profiting the whole time. Here's how...
Seasoned investors know there are ways a trade can go wrong for you - that's why thorough research and tight investing discipline are so important.
But, the truth is, there's only one surefire way to lose your shirt, only one move that's absolutely, positively guaranteed to cost you money.
And it's a shockingly easy play to make. In fact, as of 2014, more than 52% of Americans have made this fatal trading mistake.
They didn't see it coming, and, even worse, plenty of these folks thought they were actually playing it safe.
On the heels of the worst market volatility in nearly 20 years, and more "crash talk" than we've heard maybe ever, it's starting to look like a smart time to hit the eject button and get out of the markets altogether.
In fact, that's probably the most common question I'm hearing these days: "Should I be in the stock market right now?"
U.S. stock markets continued their downward spiral today (Friday). The sell-off accelerated in the final hour of trading, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipping another 115 points. This was the worst week for both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq since May 2012.
The S&P Volatility Index (VIX) jumped another 13%, finishing one of the most volatile trading weeks of 2014.
Here are the top stories from the stock market today...
Market volatility is back with a vengeance. The triple-digit moves in the Dow Jones Industrial Average we're seeing almost daily are telling us that markets are very nervous.
Investors are jumping out because they don't want to get caught in a correction, and they're jumping back in because they don't want to miss the next leg up. However, things aren't exactly what they seem to be.
Here’s the truth about the new volatility…
After the markets got slammed yesterday (Thursday), falling 161 points on a number of fear-triggering global economic events, there are a handful of stocks to watch today in what could be another volatile performance.
While summertime Fridays are typically quiet for equities, today's schedule of market moving events is jam-packed. It's also coming off a day that included a plane crash, the announcement of ground military offensive from Israel, and a 40% move in the Volatility Index (VIX).
With earnings in focus, here are seven stocks to watch today, including GE, GOOG, MSFT, and more...
Gold for August delivery, the most actively traded contract, rose $4.50, or 0.3%, to $1,310.60 an ounce in morning trading. Spot gold gained $2.70 to $1,310.
Find out what moved the gold price today - and this week - here...
