How To Estimate Intraday Moves For The S&P 500 Using The Australian Dollar

In numerous posts I have described the intriguingly consistent and profitable relationship between the Australian dollar (FXA) and the S&P 500 (for example, see “A Hypothesis for the Connection Between the Australian Dollar and the S&P 500“). In recent weeks, I have also noticed periodic patterns in the way the Australian dollar trades versus the … Read more

Shortage of Labor in Some Housing Markets

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 7, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) In “Home Builders Don’t Have Enough Workers to Meet New Demand“, CNBC reports that housing markets with strong demand are reporting severe shortages of labor. These strong markets include the Western … Read more

Cognizant Technology Fills Earnings Gap

This is a quick follow-up on a piece I wrote about Cognizant Technology (CTSH) called “Planning to Accumulate Cognizant Technology Even As It Fights To Hold 2-Year Lows.” Since then, CTSH has rallied to fill its earnings gap from May. Source: FreeStockCharts.com I sold my position after the August earnings gap up thinking I would … Read more

T2108 Update (September 20, 2012) – Warily Waiting for the Next Ramp Up

(T2108 measures the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages [DMAs]. It helps to identify extremes in market sentiment that are highly likely to reverse. To learn more about it, see my T2108 Resource Page. You can follow real-time T2108 commentary on twitter using the #T2108 hashtag. T2108-related trades and other trades … Read more

Chart Review: Autozone Comes Back, Cliffs Abandons

I watched Autozone (AZO) this morning stage another incredible comeback from post-earnings selling. In pre-market trading, AZO was down over 3% around $345. By the time trading opened, AZO rushed out the gate at $355. While it looked like a bottoming move, I failed to give the trade a try (with a stop below the … Read more

Swiss National Bank Strikes A Dour Note As Franc Remains Over-Valued

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 14, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) The Swiss National Bank (SNB) struck a very dour note in its latest statement on monetary policy. Blaming in part the continued over-valuation of the Swiss Franc (FXF) – “the Swiss … Read more

Now that Bernanke Has Made His Move, It Is Azumi’s Turn

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 14, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) In the Federal Reserve’s latest statement on monetary policy, Chairman Ben Bernanke basically announced that the Fed is giving the economy a blank check: {snip} This forceful action is likely much … Read more

The QE2 Reference Price Identifies the Strongest Iron Ore and Metallurgical Coal Plays

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 16, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) Last week, I demonstrated how the timing of QE2 provided a useful reference point for buying Freeport-McMoran (FCX) as part of a coming revision of the commodity crash playbook. In this … Read more

Using the QE2 Reference Price To Buy Freeport-McMoRan

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 10, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip}…I want to demonstrate how well last year’s playbook has worked for Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (FCX) (so far!). One of the rules from the playbook states: “QE2 (the second … Read more

T2108 Update (September 14, 2012) – 2006 All Over Again?

(T2108 measures the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages [DMAs]. It helps to identify extremes in market sentiment that are highly likely to reverse. To learn more about it, see my T2108 Resource Page. You can follow real-time T2108 commentary on twitter using the #T2108 hashtag. T2108-related trades and other trades … Read more