You've probably noticed the ticker flashing on your screen. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares, better known by its punchy ticker FAS, is one of those financial instruments that makes people either very rich or very stressed. Today, January 17, 2026, the markets are closed for the weekend, but the dust is still settling from Friday's closing bell.
The FAS stock price today sits at $163.89. That was a modest bump of about 0.31% from the previous session. Honestly, for a 3x leveraged fund, a move under 1% feels like a nap. But if you look at the intra-day action from Friday, it was anything but boring. The fund hit a high of $166.75 before sliding back down.
Leveraged ETFs are weird. They don't behave like your grandfather's bank stocks. They’re built for speed, not for comfort.
The Reality of FAS Right Now
A lot of folks look at the $163.89 price tag and think they’re buying a piece of JPMorgan or Berkshire Hathaway. Technically, you sorta are, but with a massive turbocharger attached. FAS tracks the Financial Select Sector Index, which includes the heavy hitters like JPM, Visa, and Wells Fargo.
However, because it's designed to return 300% of the daily performance of that index, the math gets wonky fast.
Why the price moved (and why it didn't)
Friday's price action was a classic case of "hurry up and wait." Early in the morning, the financials looked strong. Investors were buoyed by some stabilizing news in the banking sector and a general sense that the 2026 economic "above-trend growth" predicted by firms like BlackRock was actually kicking in.
But then the momentum fizzled.
By 2:00 PM, the gains started eroding. Why? Probably because active traders—the ones who actually use FAS—didn't want to hold a triple-leveraged long position over a weekend. It's too risky. If a major bank releases bad news on a Sunday night, the FAS price on Monday morning won't just drop; it’ll crater.
The Volatility Problem Nobody Mentions
If you look at the 52-week range, it’s wild. We’re talking about a low of $92.66 and a high of $189.23. That is a massive spread.
Most retail investors see that $189 high and think, "Hey, at $163, it's a bargain!"
That is a dangerous way to think about leveraged ETFs.
These things suffer from something called volatility decay. Basically, because the leverage resets daily, if the underlying financial index goes up 2% one day and down 2% the next, you don't break even. You actually lose money. Over weeks or months, those tiny mathematical "slippages" eat your principal.
- Current Price: $163.89
- Day Change: +$0.51 (+0.31%)
- Volume: Around 185,535 (lower than the usual 500k+ average)
- Expense Ratio: 0.89% (It costs money to run those complicated swap agreements)
Honestly, seeing the volume drop like that suggests that the big money might be sitting on the sidelines, waiting for a clearer signal from the Fed or the upcoming earnings reports from the big banks.
Is FAS Actually "Cheap" Today?
"Cheap" is a relative term in the world of 3x leverage.
The underlying index (XLF) has been holding steady around its moving averages, but FAS recently showed what analysts call a "Fast Bearish Crossover." This happens when the current price drops below short-term averages while the long-term trend still looks bullish. It’s a yellow flag. It means the upward momentum is gasping for air.
If you're looking at the FAS stock price today as a long-term "buy and hold," you're probably playing the wrong game. This is a tool for capturing a 48-hour rally, not for funding your 2045 retirement.
What the Big Boys are Holding
The fund is currently heavily weighted toward:
- Berkshire Hathaway B (BRKb): Roughly 8.37%
- JPMorgan Chase (JPM): Around 8.19%
- Visa (V): About 5.52%
When Jamie Dimon sneezes at JPMorgan, FAS catches a cold. When Warren Buffett makes a move, FAS feels the earthquake.
Actionable Strategy for the Coming Week
If you are watching the FAS stock price today with the intent to trade Monday morning, stop looking at the price and start looking at the 10-day Simple Moving Average (SMA).
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Right now, the 10-day SMA is hovering around $171.88. Since we closed at $163.89, we are trading significantly below that short-term average. In technical terms, that's "oversold," but in a 3x fund, it can also mean a "falling knife."
Don't just jump in because it's "down." Wait for the price to reclaim the $168 level with high volume. If it doesn't, the next floor is likely much lower, possibly testing the $155 range we saw back in late 2025.
Check the pre-market data on Monday around 8:30 AM EST. If the regional bank ETFs (like KRE) are showing green, FAS will likely gap up at the open. If the treasury yields are spiking unexpectedly, stay away. Higher yields are usually good for bank margins, but sudden spikes cause market panic, and FAS doesn't handle panic well.
Keep your stops tight. In a 3x fund, a "small" 3% move in the market is a 9% hit to your wallet. You've been warned.
Set a hard exit point at $175 if we get a rally. Greed is the number one reason people lose money on FAS. Take your profits, get out, and let the long-term investors worry about the "landscape." You're here for the trade, not the drama.