2012 Has Delivered Some Attractive Bargains In Commodities

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on April 23, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) Commodity stocks have generally underperformed the stock market in 2012. I still cannot decide whether this weakness represents a leading indicator of broader weakness to come or a fortuitous relief to … Read more

The Odds Favor Big Upside from Apple’s Fiscal 2012 Second Quarter Earnings

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on April 23, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) If recent history has any relevance to the upcoming (and much anticipated) earnings announcement on April 24th from Apple (AAPL), odds favor a very positive reaction the following day. I generally … Read more

Time to Buy Zynga Ahead of the Facebook IPO

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on April 19, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip}…selling in the stock is accelerating as Zynga wipes out all of its post-Facebook gains and retests its $10 IPO price. If Facebook is a $90B company, then Zynga’s 12% share … Read more

Chart Review: British Pound Continues Breakout Versus Australian Dollar, Now Expecting Temporary Pullback

Last week, I pointed out how the currency pair of the British pound versus the Australian dollar (GBP/AUD) was setting up for a breakout. That breakout occurred two days later and continues at the time of writing following weak consumer price index data from Australia. I sold my latest round of GBP/AUD long as I … Read more

Chart Review: Apple “Almost” Pounds Out A Hammer

With each passing day in the April downtrend, Apple’s stock chart gets more and more interesting. Today, Apple (APPL) almost pounded out a hammer. Given the final resting point on the 50-day moving average (DMA), I would throw caution to the wind and call today’s pattern a hammer, but I am showing some deference to … Read more

T2108 Update – April 20, 2012 (A Churning Week: Bulls Cling, Bears Hope)

(T2108 measures the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages [DMAs]. 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 are posted on twitter using the #120trade hashtag) T2108 Status: 39% VIX Status: 17.4% … Read more

Retail Stock Ownership Rate At Its Lowest Level Since 1998

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on April 20, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) American Public Media’s Marketplace has a partnership with Gallup called “Attitude Check.” On April 19, Gallup appeared on Marketplace to announce the latest results of its poll of the saving and … Read more

Chart Review: Yelp.com Confirms Blow-Off Top With A Break Of Support

The recent batch of internet IPOs are collectively running into hard times these days despite the imminent introduction of Facebook (FB) to the public markets. On April 9, I noted a likely blow-off top in Yelp.com (YELP). Friday’s break of critical support all but confirms the top. I have updated the chart with the new … Read more

Positioning More Bearishly Versus the Australian Dollar As It Loses 2012’s Gains

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on April 16, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) I have been writing more and more bearishly on the Australian dollar this year (for example, see “Reserve Bank Of Australia Seems Biased Toward More Monetary Easing“). After BHP Billiton (BHP) … Read more