The Better Bet

In the wee hours of Thursday morning, at 4:30 a.m. ET, Manufacturing PMI news for the UK will be released. This is a leading indicator for UK economic activity and health. PMI is the Purchasing Manager’s Index. It is derived from a survey of 600 purchasing managers asked to rate the...

When trading, it’s imperative to be aware of the news, especially any financial news that is scheduled for release. Those events can move the markets, though it’s never known how the markets will react. Research can be done by looking back to find consistency or an average move over...

The U.S. Census Bureau will release news on Durable Goods Thursday at 8:30 a.m. ET. There are two reports out. The first one includes the value of new purchase orders for all durable goods. Items with a life expectancy of three years or more that are considered hard, like computers, appliances,...

Retail sales and pricing news will be released this week for Canada. The four reports coming out Friday, August 19, at 8:30 a.m. ET, reveal consumer spending trends and any signs of inflation. Based on previous market reaction to this Canadian news the event, it can be traded using an Iron Condor...

The first UK Retail Sales news based on the period after the June 23 Brexit vote to leave the European Union, will be released Thursday. While the Bank of England predicts an economic downturn for the future, economists think evidence will not be apparent quite this quickly. Nevertheless, it is...

The market is moved by news events. When the FOMC speaks about happenings with the Fed Funds, traders are all ears trying to gauge which way the market is going to move. These movements have an impact on the way traders trade different markets. The Federal Funds Rate is the interest rate...

Once a month, the manufacturing index from the Philadelphia area is released by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. This bank is one of 12 Reserve Banks that are part of the Federal Reserve System. This index is based on results from manufacturers in that area, surveyed on business...

Traders interested in trading in the evening hours can look to scheduled economic news events for opportunities. Wednesday, August 17, at 9:30 p.m. ET, the Australian Bureau of Statistics will release the Employment Change and Unemployment Rate for Australia. Both reports are leading economic...

U.S. Retail Sales, the change in value of all retail sales, and Core Retail Sales, the Retail Sales number excluding automobiles, will be released for Friday at 8:30 a.m. EST. The Producer Price Index, which shows the change in prices of finished goods, and Core Producer Price Index,...

US Preliminary Nonfarm Productivity and Preliminary Unit Labor Costs are to be released Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. ET. The preliminary numbers are released quarterly in an annualized format, and get revised later. Both reports have to do with the efficiency and cost of labor, excluding the farming...

Every month, the Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP), also known as employment change, is released. Traders expectations that the markets will move creates implied volatility, which can lead to Iron Condor and Straddle trade opportunities.   The nonfarm payrolls for this month will come out Friday at...

The common mistakes made by new traders can actually happen to any trader at any time. Let’s look at an analogy of learning to play golf. If someone wants to learn to play golf, they have to learn how to use the clubs. You can't just look at the clubs and choose one that is pretty, and...

As a new trader, it can sometimes be hard to take a step back and evaluate the mistakes that are causing failures during the trading day. This series identifies the most common mistakes made by new traders in the hopes that they can be corrected. Trading Journal: As a trader, take the time...

Why do most traders fail? Trading is about taking a step back and looking at the long term rather than what can be made in the next trade, the next hour or the next night. This series will examine some of the common mistakes made by new traders. Lack of Education: The Paul Simon song from the 70...