Kira Brecht

As U.S. stock averages clawed and scraped to fresh record highs in the first half of 2015, it was easy to forget that European stock markets roundly beat their U.S. counterparts. Now the question becomes: Will Europe take the torch from the U.S. in the second half? Through early June, the Dow...

Energy stocks have arguably been the weak link of the stock market. With the sector bruised, some contrarian traders may begin to wonder if the retreat is a buying opportunity. Within the S&P 500 (SPX), the energy sector has chalked up the worst performance across all sectors over the last...

The health care sector is no longer just a corner of the stock market for investors to play defense. This category has chalked up the best performance in the S&P 500 index (SPX) year to date, climbing 9.2% through May 22 (versus a 3.3% gain for the S&P 500). Plus, it’s been the...

Editor’s note: This is the first of two articles covering market sentiment measures. Are you one of those investors who are glued to CNBC first thing in the morning? Always wondering what's trending in the world of finance? There are times in life when it’s OK to go along with...

Trading is a learned behavior that takes smarts, discipline, and a whole lot of patience. But novice traders often jump in unprepared and without an action plan. They can quickly find themselves in the “overtrading” abyss—a place they could have avoided by taking the time to...

A much weaker than expected Q1 gross domestic product (GDP) reading could be a red flag for corporate earnings. That means stock investors may need to adjust their expectations for earnings in coming quarters, especially if company execs are chirping their own concerns. Most industry...

Traders, are you looking only at the trees? It’s important to look at the forest, too. Multiple trading time frames can give your decisions the context they need. So unless you’re a day trader, don’t get mired in the ultra-short-term price movements of stocks. Instead,...