American Express (AXP) Offering Possible 12.23% Return Over the Next 23 Calendar Days

American Express's most recent trend suggests a bullish bias. One trading opportunity on American Express is a Bull Put Spread using a strike $120.00 short put and a strike $110.00 long put offers a potential 12.23% return on risk over the next 23 calendar days. Maximum profit would be generated if the Bull Put Spread were to expire worthless, which would occur if the stock were above $120.00 by expiration. The full premium credit of $1.09 would be kept by the premium seller. The risk of $8.91 would be incurred if the stock dropped below the $110.00 long put strike price.

The 5-day moving average is moving up which suggests that the short-term momentum for American Express is bullish and the probability of a rise in share price is higher if the stock starts trending.

The 20-day moving average is moving up which suggests that the medium-term momentum for American Express is bullish.

The RSI indicator is at 78.68 level which suggests that the stock is neither overbought nor oversold at this time.

To learn how to execute such a strategy while accounting for risk and reward in the context of smart portfolio management, and see how to trade live with a successful professional trader, view more here

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LATEST NEWS for American Express

The 5 Best Dow Jones Stocks So Far in 2019
Sun, 23 Jun 2019 11:23:45 +0000
What a week! The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed over 2% last week, after the Fed cheered investors by indicating that it will cut interest rates next month. That sent tech and energy shares soaring- with the Dow climbing nearly 250 points on Thursday and reaching a record high in early trading on Friday. In short, the Dow is looking very strong right now- with the index up almost 15% year-to-date. In particular, the following five stocks are leading the pack in terms of year-to-date (YTD) performance. Here we turned to the Street to see whether these stocks still offer a compelling investing proposition. This is what top-performing analysts have to say: 1\. Microsoft (MSFT)– up 35% YTDMicrosoft takes the award of best-performing Dow stock so far this year. The company has put on a remarkable sprint of over 30% year-to-date. And analysts are almost uniformly positive about the company’s outlook going forward. That’s despite the fact that the current average analyst price target of $143 only suggests upside potential of 4%. But if you take a longer-term outlook, the stock’s multiple opportunities quickly become apparent.One analyst singing MSFT’s praises is five-star KeyBanc analyst Brent Bracelin. He has just reiterated his Microsoft buy rating with a $143 price target. Bracelin made the call following a number of upbeat meetings with Microsoft Gaming executives. “Gaming represents a $100B+ TAM opportunity for Microsoft” commented Bracelin. “We see Microsoft Gaming as a small (9.4% of FY18 sales) but strategic growth segment where the transformation to a subscription-based model (i.e., the Netflix of gaming) could sustain healthy growth and improving margins over the next three to five years as it gains share within a $100B+ gaming industry” the analyst told investors on June 11. Meanwhile Morgan Stanley’s Keith Weiss calls Microsoft ‘the best positioned firm in tech for the emerging Hybrid Cloud architectures.’ He highlights the company’s unique position as both a top 'New Stack' share gainer and the 1 'Old Stack' share gainer.And let’s not forget the savvy deal Microsoft has just struck with Oracle. The two companies announced a “cloud interoperability partnership enabling customers to migrate and run mission-critical enterprise workloads across Microsoft Azure and Oracle Cloud.” Moreover, “by enabling customers to run one part of a workload within Azure and another part of the same workload within the Oracle Cloud, the partnership delivers a highly optimized, best-of-both-clouds experience.” “Given Microsoft’s Azure is the 2 public cloud vendor in the world and Oracle is the clear 1 database vendor with a strong 2 position in enterprise applications that includes a fast-growing SaaS portfolio, we believe the two clouds complement each other well” writes Monness analyst Brian White, adding that the deal is a positive for both companies. View MSFT Price Target & Analyst Ratings Detail 2\. Cisco (CSCO)– up 32% YTDClose on Microsoft’s heels comes networking giant Cisco Systems. Over the last three years, Cisco shares have doubled and the stock shows no sign of slowing down. Even in the last five days, shares have soared 4%. Even a ratings downgrade from William Blair analyst Jason Ader didn’t deter investors for long.The analyst cited "signs of tightening demand across the IT infrastructure universe" at the company. And this weaker demand environment "could pressure growth in Cisco's fiscal 2020, especially when compared against unusually strong demand in fiscal 2019," the analyst said.As a result, Ader concludes that upside to consensus 2020 expectations, "as well as multiple expansion, will be more challenging from here."Nonetheless, Cisco still boasts a ‘Strong Buy’ analyst consensus rating. The average analyst price target stands at $59 (4% upside potential). And with the ongoing trade war between US and China, Cisco continues to look relatively attractive to tech-focused investors. “Cisco remains our top pick for investors looking at safe havens in the current environment to navigate through the trade war noise,” commented JPMorgan analyst Samik Chatterjee recently. He notes that “relatively modest exposure to China and largely immune to any trade-related impacts.” View CSCO Price Target & Analyst Ratings Detail 3\. Visa (V)– up 31% YTDCredit card and payments giant Visa continues to outperform. And now top-rated Wedbush analyst Moshe Katri has raised his V price target from $170 to $187 (8% upside potential). According to Katri, Visa benefits from a double whammy of "strong secular growth tailwinds," and accelerated, ongoing monetization efforts. He is confident Visa can deliver annual growth of 10% to 15% in credit-card revenue and 20% growth in adjusted EPS over the next few years.Encouragingly, Cantor Fitzgerald’s Joseph Foresi also sees a whole ‘basket of catalysts’ for Visa stock. Note that Foresi is ranked 2 out of over 5,200 analysts – so he clearly knows what he is talking about when it comes to stock picking. Not only does the company have a leading credit card position, it also offers significant opportunities for growth internationally and digitally. “We like Visa’s opportunity to capitalize on the global conversion of cash into credit, international opportunities, and digital payment tailwinds. Visa has a basket of catalysts expanding its TAM including Visa Direct, contactless payments, & B2B to name a few” writes the analyst. “We remain attracted to Visa's dominant position in the global card network market and its strong, recognizable international brand” the analyst told investors. View V Price Target & Analyst Ratings Detail 4\. American Express (AXP)– up 31% YTDVisa isn’t the only credit card company delivering sizable gains. AXP is also up over 30% year-to-date. What sets AXP apart is that it is one of only a few financial service companies capable of both issuing and processing electronic payment cards. This means the company can generate revenue from interest earning products on top of network processing transaction fees.For Merrill Lynch’s Jason Kupferberg the company continues to look undervalued. He has just reinstated coverage of AXP with a buy rating with a Street-high price target of $145. From current levels this suggests shares can surge a further 17% in the coming months.He calls the company’s credit card membership program “a worthy investment which offers customers unique experiences beyond traditional rewards points.” And even though costs have been rising as a proportion of revenue, the analysts writes that he has nevertheless “been pleasantly surprised to see [American Express] strategically raise card fees to help offset these costs.”View AXP Price Target & Analyst Ratings Detail 5\. Disney (DIS)– up 28% YTD Walt Disney Co is enjoying a wild ride so far in 2019. The company is gearing up for the launch of its highly anticipated Disney+ streaming service in November. “Disney is our top pick in the content space as we reiterate our Buy rating and raise our price target to $175” cheers Rosenblatt analyst Mark Zgutowicz. Meanwhile Loop Capital’s Alan Gould sees Disney +’s first year subscriber count topping the 10M consensus. Plus excitement is building over the opening of its highly anticipated $1 billion theme park expansion Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Starting June 24, the park will be open to the public without reservations. “The segment has been a key growth driver for the company over the last few years… Given the incremental returns from investment we are encouraged the company continues to invest in this segment with Star Wars Galaxy Edge” commented Zgutowicz. As if that wasn’t enough, Disney’s 2019 blockbuster Avengers: Endgame is now the second-highest grossing movie of all-time worldwide. And now Disney plans to rerelease the movie with additional scenes- a sneaky attempt to topple box-office leader Avatar from first place according to commentators.However, Imperial Capital’s David Miller has a word of warning for investors. He has just downgraded DIS from Buy to Hold, writing: "The core rationale for lowering our rating to In-Line is simply due to the fact that the stock has performed consistent with our previous Outperform rating.”“Most of the catalysts we focused on at the time of that ratings change: the film slate, the opening of the two Star Wars lands, the disposal of the Regional Sports Networks, the Disney+ analyst day, and the re-financing of the various 21st Century Fox legacy debt tranches, have either happened, or are set to happen, and at a record multiple on 2021 earnings, are pretty much built in to the stock, in our view" the analyst concludes. View DIS Price Target & Analyst Ratings DetailDiscover the Street's best-rated stocks over the last 7 days here

Square Stock Is Breaking Out and Running to $84
Fri, 21 Jun 2019 14:17:04 +0000
It's been the prevailing wisdom that bank stocks can't rally, and so I've avoided betting on their upside. But there is an interesting sliver of the sector: fintech. These are the transactor companies and I personally favor Square (NASDAQ:SQ) and American Express (NYSE:AXP). The former, SQ stock, has been my go-to upside bet for months and it's been an easy trade.Source: Via SquareThis year, SQ stock has been out of favor on Wall Street. Suddenly, it lagged all the other major fintech competitors. Visa (NYSE:V), MasterCard (NYSE:MA) and Paypal (NASDAQ:PYPL) are at or near all-time highs while Square stock has been languishing miles away from its own. * 5 Boring Stocks to Buy This Summer Nevertheless, I remain positive on the company because the bull thesis has not changed. The world is still looking to migrate their transactions online, and SQ is part of the elite group of companies that will make that happen.InvestorPlace – Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsRecently Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) announced its indirect entry into the arena with their introduction of LIBRA. This further legitimizes all electronic financial transactors. So today's point is I should stay long Square stock regardless of the short-term dips for as long as the economic variables remains the same. Why To Go Long SQ StockThe macroeconomic conditions remain strong. This is in spite of the recent rhetoric that it's deteriorating. In the end, I suspect that it's not as bad as most fear.So, I am comfortable in my assumption that this environment is likely to persist for months if not years. And within it, SQ stock is still a buy right here. Luckily I have already written about buying the May dip. I sold bull put spreads and bought calls.The spreads yielded maximum gains already expiring today in my favor. My calls are already up 64% so I am letting them run. I may sell some covered calls against them to further leverage my asset. Because I sold the put spread means that I am understating my profit because my basis cost is null. It's basically a free trade from here.I am not sharing to brag but rather to offer perspective. Today's bullish SQ stock note stands alone. It still has more upside potential than downside risk this year. Currently, Square stock is in a tough zone which has been pivotal so it will offer resistance. Onus is on the bulls to plow through, and it may take a few tries.My first target for SQ is near $84 per share. But that would only bring it back to within 15% of the all-time high. This means I may be understating my target for the stock — so the reward is pretty darn big even after the 25% bounce from $60 per share.This is not the same as saying SQ stock cheap because it's definitely not. Visa, MasterCard and PYPL are much cheaper from the traditional sense but SQ still needs time to grow into its valuation. So comparing them purely on value is wrong.Rallies rarely unfold in one straight line so there will be rough areas. I expect resistance around $76 per share. Clearly $84 will also be a challenge but if the bulls can break through it then they could finish the primary 2019 objective of $95 per share. Trading SQ StockNow that we've looked at what's above current price we also need to watch for potential pitfalls below.Depending on risk tolerance I would probably set my first stop at $71 per share. If that's lost then it could invite sellers down to $68 then $64 per share. While this is not my forecast, it is a realistic scenario that exist below especially if the geopolitical headlines cause a market wide panic sell in the next few weeks.If for any reason equities collapse I bet that SQ would find footing around $60 per share. This has been a big pivot level for 15 months. These tend to be sticky because both bulls and bears have battle histories at them. * The 7 Best Dow Jones Stocks to Buy for the Rest of 2019 The bottom line is that Square stock had been in the penalty box for whatever reason but seems to have gotten out. It is now free to resume its prior trajectory because its products and service will be in high demand for years to come. I can even ignore the short-term dip because they are part of normal price action. This is a proven management team so they will execute well on plans.Nicolas Chahine is the managing director of SellSpreads.com. As of this writing, he did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. Join his live chat room free here. More From InvestorPlace * 4 Top American Penny Pot Stocks (Buy Before June 21) * The 7 Best Dow Jones Stocks to Buy for the Rest of 2019 * 5 Boring Stocks to Buy This Summer * 7 S&P 500 Stocks to Buy With Little Debt and Lots of Profits Compare Brokers The post Square Stock Is Breaking Out and Running to $84 appeared first on InvestorPlace.

American Express Stock Lifts Into Market Leadership
Thu, 20 Jun 2019 15:27:50 +0000
American Express stock is playing catch-up with rivals Visa and Mastercard in 2019, posting a series of all-time highs.

Ripple executive on blockchain startup’s outlook: ‘We’re planning aggressive growth’
Wed, 19 Jun 2019 21:40:57 +0000
San Francisco-based Ripple sees a deal to buy about 10 percent of MoneyGram for $30 million as a means to expand a key part of its operations.

Dow Jones Today: Stocks Almost Had Some Fed Fun
Wed, 19 Jun 2019 20:33:42 +0000
As was expected, the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged following the conclusion of its two-day meeting today. But what market participants wanted was inklings of hope that a rate cut could materialize later this year. That wish was granted, helping stocks rally into the close.Source: Shutterstock Importantly, the word "patient" was not featured in the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) statement, indicating the Fed could take a more proactive approach to managing rates if the world's largest economy starts to show signs of weakness."The Committee continues to view sustained expansion of economic activity, strong labor market conditions, and inflation near the Committee's symmetric 2 percent objective as the most likely outcomes, but uncertainties about this outlook have increased," said the FOMC. "In light of these uncertainties and muted inflation pressures, the Committee will closely monitor the implications of incoming information for the economic outlook and will act as appropriate to sustain the expansion, with a strong labor market and inflation near its symmetric 2 percent objective."InvestorPlace – Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsOne Fed member, James Bullard, preferred to lower rates by 25 basis points at this meeting. That was not enough to deliver the coveted rate cut, but it was enough to send the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 higher by 0.42% and 0.3%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.15%. Winners, But Were There Enough?Yes, the Dow is home to just 30 stocks and in late trading, two-thirds of those names were higher. But if nitpicking is to occur on an otherwise positive day, it is worth noting that Dow's offenders today were all cyclical names. Going a bit further with the scrutiny, several of the Dow losers today were among the index's biggest components. But to be fair, some of these stocks have been on winning streaks and the Wednesday losses were mostly modest. * 7 Value Stocks to Buy for the Second Half UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH), the Dow Jones' largest healthcare component, was the blue-chip index's biggest winner today, adding 1.82%. Not to play politics here, but UNH's Wednesday rally occurred a day after President Donald Trump kicked off his reelection at a rally in Orlando.Obviously, the election is a long way out, but as has been note here, UNH and rival healthcare providers have been under pressure amid speculation that Medicare For All could become a reality if a Democrat wins the White House. Again, November 2020 is a long way away, but UNH has been trending higher for almost two months and looks poised to wipe out its year-to-date loss.American Express (NYSE:AXP) was one of the best-performing financial services names in the Dow today. The stock, a Warren Buffett favorite, added 1.01% after Bank of America Merrill Lynch analyst Jason Kupferberg put a "buy" rating and a $145 price target on the shares, implying significant upside from Wednesday's close.AXP is a "a worthy investment which offers customers unique experiences beyond traditional rewards points" and "we have been pleasantly surprised to see [American Express] strategically raise card fees to help offset these costs," said the analyst in a note cited by Barron's.Home improvement giant Home Depot (NYSE:HD) ticked higher, aided by the Fed minutes. Lower interest rates often benefit companies with exposure to the residential real estate market, and that rate chatter could aid Home Depot in its quest to break through resistance at the $210 area. If that happens, it could be off to the races for the stock. Bottom Line on the Dow Jones TodayIt is difficult to complain about Wednesday's price action. Sure, stocks could have gained more, but for the most part, investors got what they wanted in terms of dovish Fed commentary. Plus, Fed funds futures are indicating a July rate cut is a real possibility.Fortunately, investors looking to prepare for a rate cut without incurring significantly higher risk can turned to a beloved asset class: dividend stocks and ETFs. Several dividend ETFs hit record highs today and a large batch are withing just a few percentage points of doing the same.As of this writing, Todd Shriber did not own any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace * 4 Top American Penny Pot Stocks (Buy Before June 21) * 7 Value Stocks to Buy for the Second Half * 7 Hot Stocks to Buy for a Seemingly Sleepy Summer * 6 Chip Stocks Staring At Big Headwinds in 2019 Compare Brokers The post Dow Jones Today: Stocks Almost Had Some Fed Fun appeared first on InvestorPlace.

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