Shawn is responsible for overseeing the thinkpipes® trading platform and research related to financial markets and market structure. He is also a regular contributor to shows on TD Ameritrade Network, media affiliate of TD Ameritrade, including Morning Trade Live and Market On Close. He has been with TD Ameritrade since 2011 and held positions in Client Services and with TradeWise Advisors, an option-based trade advisory and separate but affiliated company under TD Ameritrade.
Cruz graduated from Illinois State University with a BBA in finance and economics and an MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business with concentrations in analytic finance, finance, and economics. He holds Series 7, Series 63, and Series 66 industry licenses.
Before attending Illinois State, he served as an infantryman in the United States Marines Corps.
With bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies becoming more widely accepted and understood, trying to avoid companies with any exposure to them might be futile.
By now, most of us know the 2020 narrative about “stay-at-home” stocks and big tech having a great year while airlines, casinos, and hotels slumped. But is there a way investors could’ve identified the potential winners early? A deep dive into long-term societal trends might be key.
Although negative rates aren’t officially here, they’re here in reality due to Treasury yields falling below inflation. That means investors might want to consider how to position their portfolios, no matter what the Fed ultimately decides.
After years of tepid inflation—that is, a general rise in prices—recent readings indicate it could be on the rise, helped by dovish monetary policy and fiscal stimulus. Is that good or bad? Here's a primer on inflation and what it could mean for your portfolio.
As the COVID-19 pandemic ground commercial activity to a halt in early 2020, the United States turned to fiscal and monetary authorities for help in getting the flagging economy up and running. Here’s a primer on these two types of stimulus.
As the U.S. economy pulled back in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Reserve turned to a tool it used in the 2008–09 financial crisis: quantitative easing (QE). Here’s a crash course for investors.
The monthly U.S. Employment Situation report—commonly called the jobs report—is perhaps the most closely watched fundamental indicator for traders and investors. Here’s why.
Large caps might get a lot of attention, but small-cap stocks are still a popular investment subset. And it’s important to track them separately from their larger siblings. Learn about small-cap stocks and the Russell 2000 Index.
Use alerts to monitor individual securities as well as your portfolio performance. Here's how.
Learn the thinkorswim platform's Order Entry tool and how multi-leg trades, or option spreads, can make sense for qualified traders during earnings season.
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