Trading Insights
Learn essentials from our trading specialists
Trading basics
Rational Buy & Sell Decisions
Schwab experts explain how to tune out market noise and make more deliberate investment decisions.
Common Options Mistakes
When it comes to options trading, education and awareness are important for establishing a strong foundation. Consider these common mistakes that traders often encounter.
How to Sell Stock
When traders buy stock, they also need to think about their exit strategy. Kevin Horner describes the different sell orders you can use to exit a position.
How to Plan a Smart Trade
Find out why you should have a trade plan—and the five elements that may help you put it to work successfully.
From our trading experts
Market commentary
Schwab Market Update
U.S. equities started Q3 off on a high note, rallying from the lows of the day to finish in the plus column.
Friday's Schwab Market Update Podcast
U.S. equities started Q3 off on a high note, rallying from the lows of the day to finish in the plus column.
Mid-Year Muni Market Outlook
We suggest that muni investors consider taking advantage of the recent selloff by moving up in both credit quality and coupon structure, and moderately extending duration.
Looking to the Futures
The crypto investing front has taken another barrage of body blows, pushing Bitcoin to test the $19,000 per coin level once again.
Explore more topics
Options
Credit Spread Options vs. Risk
Learn how credit spreads allow you to swap a limited amount of profit potential for the opportunity to reduce risk.
Long Call vs. Bull Call
With so many bullish options strategies to choose from, how do you know which is right for your next trade? In this article, we'll compare two bullish options strategies in order to assist you with the decision-making process.
Common Options Mistakes
When it comes to options trading, education and awareness are important for establishing a strong foundation. Consider these common mistakes that traders often encounter.
Futures
Looking to the Futures
The crypto investing front has taken another barrage of body blows, pushing Bitcoin to test the $19,000 per coin level once again.
Cryptocurrency: How to Start
There are multiple ways to access the cryptocurrency market, including over-the-counter trusts, mutual funds and ETFs, futures, and the stocks of companies involved in cryptocurrencies.
What Is a Micro E-Mini Future?
Micro E-mini futures offer traders exposure to four leading U.S. stock indexes in bite-size contracts.
Technical analysis
How to Use Volume Indicators
Sometimes stock price trends aren't quite what they seem. Here's how to use volume to confirm or refute a trend.
Head-and-Shoulders Patterns
Identifying so-called head-and-shoulders patterns can be tricky but profitable.
Stop and Stop-Limit Orders
Learn the difference between a stop order and a stop-limit order and how to decide when to use one over the other
Fundamental analysis
When to Sell Dividend Stocks
Picking your dividend-paying stocks is half the battle. How do you know when it's time to sell? Consider following these three steps.
Trading tools
Understanding Stock Settlement
Learn about main types of settlement violations, their consequences, and how to avoid them.
Using an Options Calculator
Want to calculate potential profit and loss levels on an options strategy? Find out how our options calculator works.