Volatility

The People’s Bank of China cuts key interest rate, sparking an Asian market rally that could boost to U.S. stocks.

Investors could be in for another tough day as equity index futures point to a lower open. Retailer woes may continue with mixed earnings from Kohl’s and BJ’s Wholesale.

Stocks fell hard on Wednesday after back-to-back earnings reports from Walmart and Target raise concern over consumer goods profit margins.

Investors hoping to build off of yesterday’s rally may find it difficult because of big earnings miss by Target.

Stocks could trade higher on Tuesday despite mixed reports from retailers and retail sales. Weakness in the U.S. dollar appears to be pushing equity index futures higher.

Retail sales and earnings reports from Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Target, and many more will bring the industry group in focus this week.

Elon Musk tweets concern over Twitter paying bot and spam accounts, then putting the deal at risk. However, equity index futures are still pointing to a higher open.

Investors appear to be buying up bonds as S&P 500 futures point to a lower open.

April’s inflation numbers stay at a stubborn 40-year high as food and energy prices rise and real wages fall.

The 10-year Treasury yield pulls back in premarket trading allowing equity index futures rise as sellers await tomorrow’s Consumer Price Index report.

Stocks continued their decline and today were joined by energy stocks falling with plunging gas and oil prices.

Nasdaq futures led other equity index futures lower in premarket trading as rising yields continue to put pressure on growth stocks—particularly in the technology and consumer discretionary sectors.

The Employment Situation report was a mixed blessing with an increase in nonfarm payrolls and a higher unemployment rate. Will these less-than-stellar numbers push stocks lower?

What rate rally? Major indexes give back Wednesday’s gains and more as investors rethink the impact of higher borrowing costs on consumers and businesses.

After Wednesday’s Fed move and rally, investors consider the possibility of a more modest-than-expected June rate hike announcement might be.

It’s been a battle, but the bulls are working on a three-day win streak. However, the Fed could slaughter the bulls depending on how aggressive today’s rate announcement might be.

On the eve of a crucial Federal Reserve rate meeting, equity index futures turn mixed after Monday’s dramatic late-session gains.

China and Europe are reporting economic slowing, but the Fed’s interest rate announcement on Wednesday is capturing the most attention.

An unexpectedly inflation report sends stocks spiraling as investors fear how the Fed might react in their meeting on interest rates next week.

Big Tech week is ending on a sour note as Apple may be feeling the supply chain issues other companies like Amazon have reported.

Equity index futures point to a higher open against a slew of positive earnings from Meta, Qualcomm, Merck, McDonald’s, and more. But negative GDP could spoil the party.

Equity index futures get a boost from Microsoft, T-Mobile, and Visa, but Alphabet and Boeing aren’t making it easy after Tuesday’s sell-off.

U.S. index futures open lower despite strong earnings reports from UPS and PepsiCo.

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.

Market volatility and inflation can both be effective at destroying investment value. Here’s how investors can account for both in their long-term portfolio strategy.

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.

Learn about “black swan” events and how you can attempt to protect yourself and your portfolio from adverse shocks.

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.

The average true range indicator could be a new arrow in your quiver of technical analysis tools.

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.