Trader Talk

I spent a day at the Security and Exchange Commission’s headquarters with SEC Chairman Jay Clayton and the co-directors of the Division of Enforcement, Stephanie Avakian and Steven Peikin. The highlight was a visit to the Forensics Lab, a copper-lined room where the SEC extracts data from cell phones and computers that are part of

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Brendan McDermid | Reuters President Trump’s comment that he had no deadline on a China deal has predictably thrown markets into a tizzy, as the self-imposed deadline of Dec. 15 for additional tariffs is now less than two weeks away. The market is now

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange, November 4, 2019. Brendan McDermid | Reuters It’s not very exciting, but the market keeps advancing almost every day. The S&P has been up 10 of the 13 trading days this month, yet market technicians do not seem concerned the market is getting too

A trader blows bubble gum during the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on August 1, 2019, in New York City. Johannes Eisele | AFP | Getty Images As the S&P 500 has broken out of its trading range into record highs, euphoria has been growing — fast. Technicians like Stephen Suttmeier

A much broader breakout in the markets may be very near. The markets have started the month with a powerful, largely-cyclical, rally. What’s missing is a significant breakout: Only 10% of the S&P are at new highs, despite a historic high for that index. Part of the reason is a big move-up in the largest

It was one of the stranger market moves of the year in an already strange week. After dropping more than 30 points on a disappointing September Non-Manufacturing ISM, the S&P bottomed 10 minutes later and rallied back to 2881, reversing almost all of the losses, and then went positive later in the morning. What happened?

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Spencer Platt | Getty Images The market is in a slow melt-up mode on Friday. There was a volume spike at 11:30 a.m. as European markets closed and as the S&P 500 passed the earlier highs of the day at 10:00 a.m. ET, a

Investing pioneer Charles Schwab came to the New York Stock Exchange floor this week to speak with CNBC about his new book, Invested, a personal memoir of the company’s history. Schwab founded an investing newsletter firm in 1963 that would be incorporated in 1971 and officially become Charles Schwab & Co. in 1973.  Price wars:

President Donald Trump speaks after announcing and initial deal with China while meeting the special Envoy and Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China Liu He at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on October 11, 2019. Nicholas Kamm | AFP | Getty Images After a partial trade deal, what’s

The market is breaking out as global economic data is taking the edge off the slowdown narrative. The marginal mover of stocks this year has been the Federal Reserve, trade, and the global economic slowdown, led by weakness in Europe and China. The global economic slowdown has even encompassed worries about a slowdown in the

Traders work, as a screen shows Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s news conference after the U.S. Federal Reserve interest rates announcement, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, October 30, 2019. Brendan McDermid | Reuters October is ending strong. Here’s what’s next. The market is closing out October from a position of considerable

There’s one big word we are not hearing this earnings season. There are plenty of issues causing agita for investors this earnings season: China, industrial slowdown, auto sales slowdown. The one word that is not being uttered on conference calls: recession. The U.S. consumer — the engine of global growth — is still holding up,

A ceremony to start manufacturing new CAT 777A haul trucks at the Caterpillar Tosno factory. Sergei Konkov | TASS | Getty Images With about one-fourth of the S&P 500 reporting third quarter earnings, several high-profile earnings misses have analysts wondering if the long-feared earnings recession may be getting closer. In recent weeks, Federal Express, McDonald’s