Resistance to the Fed Gives Way to the Bear – The Market Breadth

Stock Market Commentary: The stock market chopped into bearish conditions in the previous week. My reasons for bearishness were not obvious, but, as is typical, market breadth dynamics led my thinking. Last week, the stock market flagged very clear signs of bearishness. Resistance to the Fed in the form of disbelief in the process of … Read more

Solid Housing Forecast from Freddie Mac Clears Way for Fed Rate Hikes

I doubted the ability of Freddie Mac to forecast the housing market once. Never again. In the immediate wake of the pandemic, Freddie Mac insisted that housing would recover rapidly. I was highly skeptical. Freddie Mac turned out to be too conservative! Fast forward two years and Freddie Mac has delivered a surprisingly solid housing … Read more

Inflation-Friendly Retail Stocks Are Still Outperforming

Stock Market Commentary: Inflation is everywhere in the global economy, and inflation will hang around for some time to come. The inflation problem is so bad that the Federal Reserve does not think inflation will return to its 2% target for another three years. While economists and pundits debate about how long inflation will last, … 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

Bank of Canada: Inflation Is Too High, We Need Higher Interest Rates

In a blunt and direct discussion, Bank of Canada (BoC) Governor Tiff Macklem made a compelling case for fighting inflation by declaring that “the economy has entered this period of excess demand with considerable momentum and high inflation, and we are committed to getting inflation back to target.” To do so, the BoC hiked its … Read more