As the final echoes of the 2025 holiday shopping season fade, the U.S. retail sector is entering a complex and contradictory landscape. While the "Cyber Five" and December rush delivered a respectable 4.2% year-over-year increase in nominal spending, the industry is now bracing for a significant "spending breather"
March ICE NY cocoa (CCH26 ) today is up +295 (+4.96%). March ICE London cocoa #7 (CAH26 ) is up +275 (+6.52%). Cocoa prices are sharply higher today, posting 2-week highs. The slower pace of cocoa arrivals at ports in the Ivory Coast has fueled con...
As the final trading days of 2025 wind down, the U.S. stock market finds itself in a delicate balancing act. While the traditional "Santa Claus rally" has provided a modest lift to major indices, investors are increasingly fixated on the upcoming release of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC)
As 2025 draws to a close, the global semiconductor industry stands at the precipice of its most significant structural shift since the invention of the integrated circuit. The frantic "AI gold rush" of 2023 and 2024 has matured into a disciplined, high-stakes era of industrial execution. With the global chip
As the final trading days of 2025 wind down, the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (Nasdaq: ^NDX) is showing uncharacteristic signs of exhaustion. After a year defined by the relentless expansion of artificial intelligence and record-shattering valuations, the index has retreated from its autumn peaks, currently hovering around the 25,644 mark.
As the sun sets on 2025, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSE: ^DJI) is capping off a year of remarkable resilience, maintaining its footing near record highs during the final holiday-shortened trading week. While the broader market experienced a slight "breath-catching" pause on Monday, December 29, the blue-chip index remains
As the final trading days of 2025 unfold, the S&P 500 is showing signs of a tactical "breather" after a historic year that saw the index surge nearly 20%. After touching an all-time intraday high of 6,940 last week, the benchmark index has entered a period of consolidation,
In a seasonally favorable period, US equity indices are rallying but with hesitancy, with small-caps and tech struggling to build on the most recent momentum.
As the final trading days of 2025 draw to a close, a profound shift is recalibrating the landscape of Wall Street. The "Magnificent 7" dominance that defined the market for nearly three years is facing its sternest test yet, as institutional capital flows out of high-flying technology names and into
The final weeks of 2025 have proven to be a sobering period for the U.S. financial sector, as a confluence of interest rate uncertainty and emerging credit risks sparked a broad sell-off across banking stocks and major exchange-traded funds. While the broader markets flirted with record highs earlier in
As the calendar turns toward 2026, the semiconductor industry is no longer just a story of processing power; it has become a story of connectivity. Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO) has emerged as the central architect of this shift, positioning itself as the indispensable provider of the "plumbing" required to link
As the calendar turns to 2026, the artificial intelligence (AI) narrative in the United States stock market has undergone a fundamental transformation. What began in 2023 as a speculative frenzy has solidified into the "base case" for the entire macroeconomic outlook. No longer a peripheral growth theme, AI infrastructure spending
As the final trading days of 2025 wind down, investors are witnessing a rare and unsettling phenomenon in the financial markets. Despite the S&P 500 hovering near a staggering record high of 6,950 and the Nasdaq-100 showing resilient strength, the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) has refused to settle
Lumentum (LITE) has surged 340% over the past year, driven by strong technical momentum. The stock recently set a new 10-year high. Shares maintain a 100% “Buy” opinion from Barchart. Analyst sentiment is bullish, with most rating LITE a “Strong Buy”...
As the curtain closes on 2025, NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) finds itself at a familiar yet intensified crossroads. After a year that saw the company briefly touch a historic $5 trillion market capitalization, the final weeks of December have been characterized by a notable retreat. Shares of the chip giant have
March arabica coffee (KCH26 ) today is up +1.05 (+0.30%). March ICE robusta coffee (RMH26 ) is up +17 (+0.44%). Coffee prices climbed to 1.5-week highs today as below-average rainfall in Brazil has heightened concerns about the coffee crop. Somar M...
As 2025 draws to a close, Nike Inc. (NYSE:NKE) finds itself at a curious crossroads. On the streets and in the gym, the "Swoosh" is regaining the cultural cachet it arguably lost during the early 2020s, fueled by a return to sport-centric innovation and high-profile collaborations. However, on Wall
Both ETFs track U.S. real estate, but their index design leads to meaningfully different portfolio behavior once market conditions and interest rates shift.
Gold has pulled back on year-end profit-taking and Dollar strength, but Fed rate cut expectations, political uncertainty, and war risks continue to support safe-haven demand. The broader uptrend remains intact.
As the final trading days of 2025 wind down, the U.S. financial sector is experiencing a period of cautious consolidation. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), the nation’s largest lender, saw its shares ease slightly during Monday’s session, trading at $327.82—just a breath away from its
As the final trading days of 2025 wind down, the "Santa Claus Rally" that propelled financial stocks to record highs earlier this month has hit a formidable wall. Shares of major banking institutions are sliding in year-end trading as investors aggressively re-evaluate the macroeconomic outlook for 2026. The optimism that
Yesterday's Barchart article on Costco showed that COST stock is cheap. Today's article illustrates an interesting strategy: short one-month out-of-the-money COST puts and calls to pay for longer-dated in-the-money COST calls.
The historic "Hard Asset Super-Cycle" of 2025 hit a significant technical speed bump this week as gold and silver futures retreated from their highest levels in history. After a year defined by aggressive fiscal expansion and geopolitical upheaval, the precious metals market is experiencing a sharp year-end correction. As of
February WTI crude oil (CLG26 ) today is up +1.43 (+2.52%), and February RBOB gasoline (RBG26 ) is up +0.0337 (+1.97%). Crude oil prices are moving sharply higher today after weekend talks to end the Ukraine-Russian war failed to yield a breakthrough...
As the final trading days of 2025 draw to a close, the financial world is reflecting on a year defined by the "Great AI Decoupling"—a period where the market finally distinguished between companies merely talking about artificial intelligence and those deploying it at a mission-critical scale. At the epicenter
The meteoric rise of AppLovin (NASDAQ:APP) faced its most significant technical challenge of the year today as shares slipped below the psychologically critical $700 threshold. On December 29, 2025, the software giant, which has been the poster child for AI-driven advertising growth throughout the year, saw its momentum break
As the final trading week of 2025 commenced on Monday, December 29, the S&P 500 Index (SPX) experienced a measured retreat from its recently established record highs. After a year defined by the relentless expansion of artificial intelligence and a pivotal shift in monetary policy, investors appeared eager to
