Back to Reality, Oversold Again – The Market Breadth

reality (Credit: parallel realities by Cornelia Kopp on Flickr)

Stock Market Commentary: Riddle me this. How many months does it take for a “lagging indicator” to reflect reality? The labor market has defied expectations almost all year, and during most of that time it seems like too many pundits have dismissed the data as a lagging indicator of some long lost economic reality. The … Read more

An October Sugar High Ends Oversold Trading – The Market Breadth

sugar high

Stock Market Commentary: September was somber. October so far is a sugar high in comparison. With the remaining pandemic era gains preserved for now, the major indices immediately face the challenge of downtrends in place since August’s peak. The conclusion of an extended (8 days long) oversold trading period means, according to history, that at … Read more

Chopped Into Bearish Trading Conditions – The Market Breadth

Stock Market Commentary: As expected, the S&P 500 took the spotlight in the latest week of trading. Earlier I noted that the index was a breakdown away from bearish trading conditions. The S&P 500 obliged and dropped under its 50-day moving average (DMA) (the red line below). However, the bearish call is challenging because sellers … Read more

Stock Chart Reviews – Apple Wary As Big Cap Tech Fails Important Tests

Stock Market Commentary A promising week of post-oversold trading ended in tensions over inflation, interest rates, and Ukraine. Overall, the stock market remains locked in churn. Yet, the view from individual stocks can provide cause for greater alarm. End of the week selling in big cap tech raised a red flag against my overall bullishness … Read more

Stock Chart Reviews: Waning Market Breadth Exacts Its Toll

Stock Market Commentary Waning market breadth weighed on a broad swatch of stocks last week. I was compelled to let go of some of my worst losing stocks. I feature a few of them in this inaugural Stock Chart Reviews series. My pace of trades will likely slow for the rest of the year unless … Read more

A Test of the Stock Market’s Most Predictable Pattern – The Market Breadth

Stock Market Commentary The S&P 500 (SPY) is a key driver of the stock market’s most predictable pattern. The index’s relentless rise this year has held the majority of the trading action above the 20-day moving average (DMA) (the dotted line in the chart below). Brief dips below the 20DMA set up tests of the … Read more

Follow-Through Trades: The S&P 500 Left Churning Stocks Behind

The Follow-Through: Churning While the S&P 500 (SPY) cruised higher all week, much of the rest of the market resigned to churning. The dichotomy of a market rebound versus the wounds left to heal continued to play out. Many of the follow-through trades for this week churned with the rest of the stock market. See … Read more

A Strong Market Rebound that Failed to Heal All Wounds – Above the 40 (June 25, 2021)

Stock Market Commentary Even the Federal Reserve must sit back and marvel as the S&P 500 (SPY) refuses to rest for long. Post-Fed handwringing sent the stock market into a period of doubt over previous assumptions of inflation fears. The previous week even ended with oversold conditions looming. However, as is the case with so … Read more

Stock Buyers Break Important Downtrend Only to Get Stymied Again – Above the 40 (April 30, 2021)

Stock Market Commentary Last week featured an intense barrage of earnings reports. The collective response on the major indices was a major yawn. The S&P 500 finished flat for the week. The NASDAQ and the iShares Trust Russell 2000 Index ETF both softened by 0.4%. Financials were a notable exception as the Financial Select Sector … Read more

Buyers Follow Through On Latest Bullish Signals Despite Targeted Carnage – Above the 40 (March 26, 2021)

Stock Market Commentary Many stocks rebounded sharply from intraday lows on Thursday. The flurry left behind key bullish signals. Buyers did not disappoint on Friday. They delivered strong follow through on the latest bullish signals even as sections of the market suffered targeted carnage. Indeed, the ability to ignore the targeted carnage was itself another … Read more