Fun With Numbers: Daily Trading Patterns for the S&P 500

Back in 2012 and 2013, I wrote pieces describing some interesting daily trading patterns in the S&P 500 (SPY). The effects looked big enough to matter. In particular, Mondays and Tuesdays showed outsized performance differences from other days in the week. The performance divergences were very large in the first 5 months of 2013 as … Read more

Above the 40 (December 28, 2018) – A Day of Relative Rest as the Stock Market Limps Away from 2018

AT40 = 8.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) (oversold day #10)AT200 = 11.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 28.3Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary Trading is finally calming down a bit. From its high of the day to its low of the day, the S&P 500 … Read more

Housing Market Review (December, 2018) – Prices Are Still Too High

I saw a flicker of hope for home builders in the May Housing Market Review. Traders decided to snuff that flicker out very quickly afterward. When I wrote June’s housing market review and described a “struggling flicker,” the iShares US Home Construction ETF (ITB) was once again bouncing off the bottom of 2018’s trading range. … Read more

Above the 40 (December 26, 2018) – Oversold Chronicles: Stock Market Delivers Major Reprieve for the Post-Trump Reversal

AT40 = 6.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) (oversold day #8)AT200 = 11.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 30.4 (down 15.7%)Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary Pick your favorite catalyst or explanation. I am sure there is good news (or the absence of bad news) out … Read more

Above the 40 (December 24, 2018) – Oversold Chronicles: An Epic Reversal, Historic Depths, and an End to Hubris

AT40 = 3.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) (oversold day #7, 10-year low!)AT200 = 8.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (9 1/2- year low!)VIX = 36.1 (1-day gain of 20.0%, 10 1/2- month high)Short-term Trading Call: bullish (oh so many caveats below!) Commentary Although it’s been … Read more