The iShares Russell Top 200 Value Index Fund (IWX) is seeing unusually high volume in afternoon trading Tuesday, with over 207,000 shares traded versus three month average volume of about 41,000. Shares of IWX were up about 0.8% on the day. Read More »

Shareholders of Alcoa, Inc. (AA) looking to boost their income beyond the stock's 1.5% annualized dividend yield can sell the January 2015 covered call at the $10 strike and collect the premium based on the 61 cents bid, which annualizes to an additional 4.7% rate of return against the current stock price (at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost), for a total of 6.2% annualized rate in the scenario where the stock is not called away. Any upside above $10 would be lost if the stock rises there and is called away, but AA shares would have to advance 21.9% from current levels for that to happen, meaning that in the scenario where the stock is called, the shareholder has earned a 29.4% return from this trading level, in addition to any dividends collected before the stock was called. Read More »

Symbols mentioned in this story: IEMG, SCCO, BVN Read More »

On 6/18/13, Goldcorp Inc (GG) will trade ex-dividend, for its monthly dividend of $0.05, payable on 6/28/13. As a percentage of GG's recent stock price of $28.26, this dividend works out to approximately 0.18%. Read More »

The officers and directors of a company tend to have a unique inside view into the business, so when these insiders make purchases, investors are wise to take notice. Presumably the only reason for a company insider to choose to take their hard-earned cash and use it to buy stock in the open market, is that they expect to make money — maybe they find the stock very undervalued, or maybe they see exciting progress within the company, or maybe both. Within the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, only nine companies have experienced such buying over the trailing six month period, one of which was Alcoa, Inc. (AA), where an investment totaling $38.9K invested across 2 purchases was made by Director Ratan Tata. Click Here to Learn Which Other Eight Dow Components Also Had Recent Insider Buying » Read More »

Symbols mentioned in this story: GDX, GG, ABX, NEM Read More »

In trading on Wednesday, shares of Teck Resources Ltd (TCK) entered into oversold territory, changing hands as low as $23.515 per share. We define oversold territory using the Relative Strength Index, or RSI, which is a technical analysis indicator used to measure momentum on a scale of zero to 100. A stock is considered to be oversold if the RSI reading falls below 30. Read More »

In trading on Wednesday, shares of Vale S. A. (VALE) entered into oversold territory, changing hands as low as $13.75 per share. We define oversold territory using the Relative Strength Index, or RSI, which is a technical analysis indicator used to measure momentum on a scale of zero to 100. A stock is considered to be oversold if the RSI reading falls below 30. Read More »

Symbols mentioned in this story: IYJ, DHR, DE, PCP Read More »

In trading on Tuesday, shares of Alcoa, Inc.'s $3.75 Preferred Stock (AA.PR) were yielding above the 4% mark based on its quarterly dividend (annualized to $3.75), with shares changing hands as low as $91.09 on the day. As of last close, AA.PR was trading at a 5.25% discount to its liquidation preference amount. Read More »

In trading on Tuesday, the iShares MSCI ACWI ex-US Telecommunication Services Sector Index Fund (AXTE) is outperforming other ETFs, up about 1.1% on the day. Components of that ETF showing particular strength include shares of SK Telecom (SKM), up about 1.1% and shares of Mobile Telesystems (MBT), up about 0.9% on the day. Read More »

This morning, Goldcorp (GG) declared its monthly dividend of 5 cents per share, maintaining the amount paid to shareholders last month. Based on the current stock price, investors can expect a yield of about 2.1% going forward. Shares of Goldcorp were higher on Monday, picking up 0.5%. Read More »

On 6/12/13, Alcoa, Inc.'s $3.75 Preferred Stock (AA.PR) will trade ex-dividend, for its quarterly dividend of $0.9375, payable on 7/1/13. As a percentage of AA.PR's recent share price of $94.79, this dividend works out to approximately 0.99%, so look for shares of AA.PR to trade 0.99% lower — all else being equal — when AA.PR shares open for trading on 6/12/13. On an annualized basis, the current yield is approximately 4.08%. Read More »

In trading on Monday, the Solar Energy ETF (KWT) is outperforming other ETFs, up about 2.5% on the day. Components of that ETF showing particular strength include shares of Suntech Power Holdings (STP), up about 11.8% and shares of LDK Solar (LDK), up about 9.1% on the day. Read More »

On 6/12/13, Teck Resources Ltd (TCK) will trade ex-dividend, for its semi-annual dividend of $0.45, payable on 7/2/13. As a percentage of TCK's recent stock price of $24.44, this dividend works out to approximately 1.84%, so look for shares of Teck Resources Ltd to trade 1.84% lower — all else being equal — when TCK shares open for trading on 6/12/13. Read More »

This morning, Verizon (VZ) declared its quarterly dividend of 51.5 cents per share, maintaining the amount paid to shareholders last quarter. Based on the current stock price, investors can expect a yield of about 4.2% going forward. Shares of Verizon were higher today, picking up 1.8% so far. Read More »

Investors considering a purchase of Nucor Corp. (NUE) shares, but tentative about paying the going market price of $44.17/share, might benefit from considering selling puts among the alternative strategies at their disposal. One interesting put contract in particular, is the January 2015 put at the $33 strike, which has a bid at the time of this writing of $2.50. Collecting that bid as the premium represents a 7.6% return against the $33 commitment, or a 4.7% annualized rate of return (at Stock Options Channel we call this the YieldBoost). Read More »

In trading on Thursday, shares of Gerdau S.A. (GGB) entered into oversold territory, changing hands as low as $6.02 per share. We define oversold territory using the Relative Strength Index, or RSI, which is a technical analysis indicator used to measure momentum on a scale of zero to 100. A stock is considered to be oversold if the RSI reading falls below 30. Read More »

There's an old saying on Wall Street about insider buying: there are many possible reasons to sell a stock, but only one reason to buy. Back on February 15, Masco Corp.'s Director, Donald R. Parfet, invested $25,001.91 into 1,244 shares of MAS, for a cost per share of $20.10. Bargain hunters tend to pay particular attention to insider buys like this one, because presumably the only reason an insider would take their hard-earned cash and use it to buy stock of their company in the open market, is that they expect to make money. Read More »

Investors in Vale S. A. (VALE) saw new options begin trading today, for the June 14th expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the VALE options chain for the new June 14th contracts and identified one put and one call contract of particular interest. Read More »

Investors in Barrick Gold Corp. (ABX) saw new options begin trading today, for the June 14th expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the ABX options chain for the new June 14th contracts and identified one put and one call contract of particular interest. Read More »

On 6/10/13, Newmont Mining Corp. (NEM) will trade ex-dividend, for its quarterly dividend of $0.35, payable on 6/27/13. As a percentage of NEM's recent stock price of $34.63, this dividend works out to approximately 1.01%, so look for shares of Newmont Mining Corp. to trade 1.01% lower — all else being equal — when NEM shares open for trading on 6/10/13. Read More »

A company's own top management tend to have the best inside view into the business, so when company officers make major buys, investors are wise to take notice. Presumably the only reason an insider would take their hard-earned cash and use it to buy stock of their company in the open market, is that they expect to make money — maybe they find the stock very undervalued, or maybe they see exciting progress within the company, or maybe both. So in this series we look at the largest insider buys by the ''top brass'' over the trailing six month period, one of which was a total of $34.3M by James C. Flores, Vice Chairman of the Board at Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold (FCX). Read More »

There's an old saying on Wall Street about insider buying: there are many possible reasons to sell a stock, but only one reason to buy. Back on April 12, Alcoa, Inc.'s Director, Ratan Tata, invested $20,573.47 into 2,510 shares of AA, for a cost per share of $8.20. Bargain hunters tend to pay particular attention to insider buys like this one, because presumably the only reason an insider would take their hard-earned cash and use it to buy stock of their company in the open market, is that they expect to make money. Read More »

Symbols mentioned in this story: GDX, GG, ABX, NEM Read More »

Southern Copper Corp (SCCO) has been named as a Top 5 dividend paying metals and mining stock, according to Dividend Channel, which published its weekly ''DividendRank'' report. The report noted that among metals and mining companies, SCCO shares displayed both attractive valuation metrics and strong profitability metrics. The report also cited the strong quarterly dividend history at Southern Copper Corp, and favorable long-term multi-year growth rates in key fundamental data points. Read More »

In trading on Tuesday, shares of Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold (FCX) were yielding above the 4% mark based on its quarterly dividend (annualized to $1.25), with the stock changing hands as low as $30.60 on the day. Dividends are particularly important for investors to consider, because historically speaking dividends have provided a considerable share of the stock market's total return. To illustrate, suppose for example you purchased shares of the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) back on 12/31/1999 — you would have paid $146.88 per share. Fast forward to 12/31/2012 and each share was worth $142.41 on that date, a decrease of $4.67/share over all those years. But now consider that you collected a whopping $25.98 per share in dividends over the same period, for a positive total return of 23.36%. Even with dividends reinvested, that only amounts to an average annual total return of about 1.6%; so by comparison collecting a yield above 4% would appear considerably attractive if that yield is sustainable. Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold (FCX) is an S&P 500 company, giving it special status as one of the large-cap companies making up the S&P 500 Index. Read More »

On 6/5/13, Precision Castparts Corp. (PCP) will trade ex-dividend, for its quarterly dividend of $0.03, payable on 7/1/13. As a percentage of PCP's recent stock price of $213.61, this dividend works out to approximately 0.01%. Read More »

Symbols mentioned in this story: IEMG, MBT, BAP, SCCO Read More »

Investors in Newmont Mining Corp. (NEM) saw new options begin trading today, for the June 7th expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the NEM options chain for the new June 7th contracts and identified one put and one call contract of particular interest. Read More »

This morning, Tupperware Brands (TUP) declared its quarterly dividend of 62 cents per share, maintaining the amount paid to shareholders last quarter. Based on the current stock price, investors can expect a yield of about 3.1% going forward. Shares of Tupperware were lower with the markets on Friday, falling 0.4%. Read More »

The WisdomTree Dividend ex-Financials Fund ETF (DTN) is seeing unusually high volume in afternoon trading Monday, with over 168,000 shares traded versus three month average volume of about 65,000. Shares of DTN were trading flat on the day. Read More »

Turning today to week-over-week shares outstanding changes among the universe of ETFs covered at ETF Channel, the largest outflow was seen in the Gold Miners ETF (GDX), which shed 2.1 million shares, or a 1.1% decrease week over week. Among the largest underlying components of GDX, in morning trading today Goldcorp (GG) is up about 1.7%, and Barrick Gold (ABX) is higher by about 1.6%. Read More »

This morning, General Growth Properties (GGP) declared its quarterly dividend of 12 cents per share, maintaining the amount paid to shareholders last quarter. Based on the current stock price, investors can expect a yield of about 2.1% going forward. Shares of GGP were higher on Monday, picking up about 0.8%. Read More »

In trading on Monday, precious metals shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 1.7%. Helping drag down the group were shares of Platinum Group Metals Limited (PLG), off about 8.4% and shares of Primero Mining (PPP) down about 5.2% on the day. Read More »

Comments from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke lifted the markets briefly this morning as he talked about the risks associated with the shadow banking system. Read More »

This morning, Goldcorp (GG) declared its monthly dividend of five cents per share, maintaining the amount paid to shareholders last month. Based on the current stock price, investors can expect a yield of about 2.1% going forward. Shares of Goldcorp were flat on Monday afternoon, trading just below $29 per share. Read More »

As the saying goes, there are many possible reasons for an insider to sell a stock, but only one reason to buy -- they expect to make money. So let's look at two noteworthy recent insider buys. Read More »

Investors have another slew of earnings reports coming out this week, but the big news came out of Omaha, Nebraska over the weekend. Berkshire Hathaway reported strong first quarter earnings, highlighted by its growing hoard of cash. Read More »

This morning, Alcoa (AA) declared its quarterly dividend of three cents per share, maintaining the amount paid to shareholders last quarter. Based on the current stock price investors can expect a yield of about 1.4% going forward. Shares of Alcoa were higher this morning, gaining 1.5% so far. Read More »

This morning, Goldman Sachs upgraded shares of Amgen (AMGN) from neutral to buy as near-term catalysts could propel the stock higher. With the upgrade, Goldman set a $130 price target and added the stock to its Conviction Buy List. Shares of Amgen were higher by 1.3% this morning. Read More »

This morning, Citigroup downgraded shares of Intuit (INTU) from buy to neutral as earnings growth has slowed to the range of 10-15% per year from its historic 15-20% range. With the downgrade, Citigroup set a price target of $59. Read More »

Looking today at week-over-week shares outstanding changes among the universe of ETFs covered at ETF Channel, the largest inflow was seen in the Gold Miners ETF (GDX), which added 8.1 million shares, or a 4.1% increase week over week. Among the largest underlying components of GDX, in morning trading today Goldcorp (GG) is up about 3%, and Barrick Gold (ABX) is higher by about 2.8%. Read More »

This morning, Barrick Gold (ABX) reported first quarter earnings of $847 million, or 85 cents per share, a sharp decrease from the same quarter last year when gold prices were higher. Adjusted earnings came in at 92 cents per share, topping Wall Street estimates, and sending shares higher this morning. The mining giant company said it would cut costs by at least $500 million this year as lower gold prices are impacting earnings across the sector. Read More »

This morning, JP Morgan downgraded shares of General Electric (GE) from buy to neutral following disappointing earnings last week. The firm indicated earnings visibility was a concern and set a price target of $22. Read More »

On Thursday morning, Peabody Energy (BTU) reported a quarterly loss of $23.4 million, or 9 cents a share. This isa sharp reversal to the $172.7 million the company earned in a year earlier. The company said revenue slipped more than 13% as coal prices have fallen globally. Read More »

The SPDR MSCI ACWI ex-US ETF (CWI) is seeing unusually high volume in afternoon trading Wednesday, with over 411,000 shares traded versus three month average volume of about 119,000. Shares of CWI were down about 1.6% on the day. Read More »

Barrick Gold (ABX) was downgraded by J.P. Morgan (JPM) from underweight to neutral due to uncertainty surrounding the Pascua Lama project. Read More »

As the saying goes, there are many possible reasons for an insider to sell a stock, but only one reason to buy -- they expect to make money. So let's look at two noteworthy recent insider buys. Read More »

This fifteenth trading week of 2013 comes to a close with stocks still closing higher for the week, but retreating from yesterday's record levels. Read More »