This morning, many of the leading casino stocks are declining lower after a report was released that China may target junket or trip operators with links to organized crime. Junket operators help drive gamblers to the Macao casinos. ...

This morning, many of the leading gold mining stocks are struggling to catch a bid higher on the session. One of the best ways to follow the gold mining sector is to track the Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (NYSEARCA:GDX). Today, the GDX is trading lower by 0.11 cents to $42.23 a share. The GDX still looks weak on the daily chart as price is trading below the important 50, and 200-day moving averages. Short term traders should watch for intra-day support around the $42.00, and $41.50 levels.    ....

When looking at stocks, always take note of two things. First, look to see how the market is behaving. Is the market strong or weak? Second, analyze the strength or weakness of any one particular stock. More often than not, you can tell the future stock movement by doing these two simple steps. ...

Following a slowdown in trading activity from mid-year 2009 to mid-year 2012, U.S. institutions and ISDA are hopeful about a recovery in equity derivatives trading volumes in 2013, but hardly bullish. Activity in the equity derivatives market is a function of broad investor sentiment. According to Jayson Kim with AIG, “at the moment investors are not confident about the durability of the economic recovery or the future direction of financial markets but remain optimistic.”

As everyone can see, the stock markets around the world have exploded higher. It really does not matter if you look at the London FTSE 100, German DAX, Shanghai Index, Nikkei 225 Index, Dow Jones Industrial Average, or even the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE), they are all surging higher. What is the one factor that all of these economies have in common? It is simply money printing. All of the central banks that control the currencies of these nations are printing money like never before.