Volatility

The Fed raised rates the expected 75 basis points, and also now sees the peak rate rising to 4.6% at some point next year. It also sees slower economic growth and rising unemployment.

All eyes are on the Fed today as the FOMC gathers to make its rate decision. Futures markets point toward strong likelihood of another 75-basis point hike.

The U.S. dollar strengthens with the yield curve steepening ahead of tomorrow’s FOMC interest rate decision. However, the VIX is also rising as investor uncertainty builds.

Equity index futures slide as investors await the Federal Open Market Committee’s interest rate decision this Wednesday.

Equity index futures are down and the VIX is up as economic reports out of Europe reflect higher inflation and lower retail sales similar to the States.

Negative retail sales and slower manufacturing data are raising concerns of stagflation in light of Tuesday’s hotter-than-expected CPI numbers.

The Producer Price Index (PPI) arrived better than expected while revealing mixed results for wholesale inflation. Meanwhile, the VIX is showing some signs of bullishness.

A hotter-then-expected August Consumer Price Index (CPI) sent stocks plummeting on Tuesday—now investors may expect the Federal Reserve to come out swinging on inflation next week.

The August Consumer Price Index (CPI) revealed that inflation grew faster than analysts had expected. The news prompted the U.S. dollar to rally and U.S. equity futures to fall.

Equity index futures point to a higher open as stocks and currency investors appear confident ahead of this week’s inflation reports.

Equity index futures are pointing to a higher open on a day light on economic news but heavy results for individual stocks like Tesla, Kroger, Zscaler, DocuSign, and more.

Equity index futures turn from mixed to negative after the European Central Bank (ECB) announced a 75-basis-point hike.

The U.S. dollar continues to rise despite the Bank of Canada expected to raise rates today and the European Central Bank expected to do the same tomorrow.

Equity index futures are pointing to a higher open despite Russia shutting down the Nord Stream 1 pipeline and OPEC+ cutting production.

A middling August jobs report could be enough to keep the Federal Reserve from being too aggressive on raising rates to curb inflation.

Equity index futures point to a lower opening as September trading kicks off with another China COVID-19 lockdown.

A weaker-than-expected ADP Employment report and falling oil prices could help stocks bounce back from yesterday’s selloff.

Equity futures rose in premarket trading, but investors might want to move cautiously with Europe’s still-hot inflation numbers and so much U.S. economic news ahead.

Equity index futures were lower ahead of Monday’s opening bell as investors are still reeling from Fed Chairman Powell’s tough talk on Friday and fear continued global central bank tightening could push the world’s economy closer to recession.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell gave investors some tough talk which caused stocks to plunge, but the bond market stood strong.

The long awaited day has come as Federal Reserve Chairman is expected to speak this morning at the Fed’s Jackson Hole Economic Symposium. Trading has been a bit subdued all week as investors have waited for the speech.

The U.S. gross domestic product was adjusted higher for the second quarter, news that could just push the Fed to a more hawkish stance.

The average true range (ATR) indicator could be a new arrow in your quiver of technical analysis tools. Learn how the ATR indicator helps traders set their exit strategy.

What is a black swan event? Learn about black swan events and how you can attempt to protect yourself and your portfolio from adverse shocks.

Market volatility and market inflation can destroy investment value. Here’s how investors can account for both in their long-term portfolio strategy.

CD investing isn’t limited to walking into your local bank branch and opening an account. Learn the potential benefits and risks of brokered CDs and bank CDs.

Earnings season can create volatility in price movement. Learn how to spot potential options trade candidates by assessing straddle price versus average earnings moves.

Diversification isn’t just about stocks, bonds, and cash. When hedging risk for an options portfolio, think price, time, and volatility.

When you look beneath the Analyze tab on thinkorswim®, you may find some features you may not have known about.

Understanding the nature of volatility regimes and recognizing when it’s shifting could help unlock potential trading opportunities.

Sharpe ratio is a metric that can help you compare investments from a risk-adjusted return perspective. Learn about calculating Sharpe ratios here.

Understanding the relationships between stocks, bonds, commodities, and currencies can help you identify economic trends and better manage your investments.

Want to try your hand at short-term trading? Consider swing trading: holding positions for a few days to try to capture a larger intermediate-term price swing.

Learn how the Risk Profile tool in the thinkorswim platform can help options traders visualize different scenarios and make trading decisions a little simpler.

With many options trading strategies to choose from, how do you find the right one? Consider a three-step process to help with your decision.

In technical analysis, many traders start with trend and momentum indicators. But don’t forget volatility indicators, which track the magnitude of price movements.

Options straddles and strangles are a way for advanced traders to get long or short exposure to volatility (vega), but the volatility needs to be weighted against time decay (theta). Here are the basics.

Protective puts are one way to hedge stocks against a significant price drop. But investors should consider factors such as time decay and volatility.

Do the headwinds of time decay turn you off from buying single options on volatile stocks? Find out how you may be able to turn the headwinds into tailwinds by trading those stock moves.

Successful traders have rules and stick to them, whether those rules are based on volatility, probability, technical analysis, or other factors.

Traders can use the beta-weighting tool on the thinkorswim® platform to view the overall risk of all their positions as a whole instead of looking at risks of individual assets.

Return on capital and liquidity mean specific things in finance. But they can mean something different to an option trader. Read this options trading terminology guide to find out.

Trying to select the right options strategies, strikes, and expirations? Learn how to rank volatility using IV percentiles and see if changes are normal or unusual.

2020 was a challenging year for investors. But 2021 might be a challenge as well—for different reasons. Here’s a look at the opportunities and risks.

Starting the new year fresh can be a great idea. Despite the drop and pop we saw last year, it may still be a good time to think about resetting your trading strategies and get a fresh start.

Selling covered calls and cash-secured puts can help investors generate additional income, increase their probability of success, decrease their volatility of returns, and lower their overall risk when compared to buying stock.

When faced with high volatility, many options traders turn to these five strategies designed to capitalize on elevated volatility levels.

Like most financial advisors, robo-advisors recommend portfolios based on investors’ long-term financial goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance. Because robo-advisors generally use algorithms to make investment decisions, they avoid emotions and generally charge lower fees.

How can skew offer insight into market sentiment? Implied volatility between out-of-the-money put and call options is almost always skewed depending on whether there’s panic to the downside or upside.

The “financial independence, retire early” (FIRE) movement was all the rage in 2018 and 2019, but the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we think about a lot of things. Has the upheaval in 2020 changed the desire to FIRE? And how might retirement plans be affected by the current situation?

Special-purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) have been around awhile, but they’ve gotten some new attention in 2020. Here’s a look at the mechanics and risks for investors involved in blank-check companies.

A good defense is the best offense, right? It’s sometimes true for investing as well. Here’s what investors should know about defensive investing and defensive sectors.

Are you an investor who follows the daily or weekly ebb and flow of your retirement accounts? If so, market downturns might be a bit unsettling at times. But what if instead of focusing on today’s bottom line you focused instead on outcomes—your progress toward your goals? Here’s how.

The escalating coronavirus pandemic that triggered a bear market in U.S. stocks in early 2020 looks to have tipped us into a possible recession. How can you prepare for and invest during a recession and bear market?

Learn about the Bollinger Bands technical indicator and how it can help identify volatility and overbought/oversold conditions in stocks and indices.

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.

Tariffs have been part of American economic history from the country’s origins. Are tariffs good or bad for investors?

Should you switch from trading long options strategies to short options strategies when volatility levels are high? Sometimes prices are high for a reason.

All investments experience market volatility, which is why retirement portfolio strategies should focus on allocating assets across investments of different risk levels.

When companies report quarterly earnings, the stakes can be high. A single earnings miss can dent an investment portfolio that’s concentrated. Here are a few ideas for managing idiosyncratic risk.

When volatility rears its occasional head, some investors consider cashing out stocks. But are there better ways to ride out market volatility? Cameron May explains.

What is a smart-beta ETF? Explore what qualifies as a smart-beta fund and what systems define this type of ETF.

In these times of stock market volatility, many investors are looking for yield in fixed income and dividend stocks. However, there’s risk in these investments, too, so know what you’re getting into.

As trade war fears heat up between the U.S. and some of its major trading partners, some investors may be looking for tariff protection. Here are some things to consider as you aim for a “trade-war-proof” portfolio.

When volatility falls, many option traders turn to these five strategies designed to capitalize on depressed volatility levels.

Trading with your emotions during times of market volatility? Explore whether a robo-advisor may be able to help.

Looking for volatility exposure? Learn about volatility products including VIX options.

Temporarily protect your retirement against volatility risk. Here are some retirement- planning strategies.

Got stock options? Set goals and have a plan. Here are three steps to consider for your equity compensation plan.

Volatility data is focused on the long term. Traders are focused on the short term. There is a way to convert volatility data so it can be useful for the trader.

Does volatility worry you when it comes to the stock you've received as compensation? Learn tips to help manage this valid concern.

Here’s why you need to keep your retirement money growing even when you’re already using it (hint: inflation and longevity).

New to stock investing? Learn the basics of stocks, earnings, dividends, and how a stock’s value is determined.

The recent wave of volatility might serve as a reminder of the importance of using a diversified investment trading approach. Here are some tips to avoid possible traps in these choppy markets.

Using volatility and market statistics is one of many keys to successful stock market trading. Learn how to incorporate them into your investment strategy.

With the earnings calendar tools available on the TD Ameritrade thinkorswim Platform, you can be in the know when it comes to the earnings season.

Learn about the dynamics of foreign exchange volatility, and where to find currency volatility data.

The U.S. presidential election cycle theory of the stock market says that the market moves based on the year of the president's term. Is there any proof?

Implied volatility tends to be mean reverting. But what does that really mean? Learn how options traders can potentially benefit from monitoring implied volat

ETFs have matured but they’re not done evolving. Morningstar’s Scott Burns urges income-seeking investors to expand their minds and their research.

Volatility’s tendency to level out after a spike can present strategy opportunities, especially selling strategies found with strangles and iron condors.

Use volatility to pick an options strategy to speculate on a given direction, rather than to replace fundamental analysis and charts to determine potential.

Trying to time the market? Add sentiment analysis to your stock trading approach to help narrow the time horizon around an underlying security’s move.

Check out short-term options pricing to gain a sense of how the underlying stock could move around an earnings release. You can track straddles or use the TD

Out-of-the-money call options may be hard to trade when volatility is low, but there are good opportunities for cheaper options trades during market extremes.