Trading Cocoa: A Roller Coaster of Weather and Forecasts of Surplus

The downtrend for the iPath Bloomberg Cocoa SubTR ETN (NIB) won out yet again. Source: FreeStockCharts.com The buyers looked particularly convincing for NIB’s latest 50DMA breakout. Yet, a 1-2 punch of a return of good weather results in Ivory Coast and a particularly aggressive crop production forecast from Rabobank killed the latest rally for NIB. … Read more

Above the 40 (May 11, 2017) – S&P 500 Snaps Back As SNAP, Well, Snapped

AT40 = 49.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 57.2% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 10.6 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary The week started with the volatility index, the VIX, plunging to a 14-year low. I held onto my put options … Read more

Toll Brothers Upgrade Breathes New Life Into the Seasonal Home Builder Trade

With the technicals on the stock market weakening ever so subtly, I concluded that now might be a good time to lock in the rest of my profits on the seasonal trade on home builders. However, an upgrade from RBC on Toll Brothers (TOL) breathed new life into the home builder rally. TOL benefited mightily … Read more

Above the 40 (March 9, 2017) – The Stock Market Hits A New Bearish Divergence

AT40 = 39.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 58.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 12.3 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary From a technical perspective, my last “Above the 40” post made as detailed a case as I can make to … Read more

Above the 40 (February 22, 2017) – The S&P 500 Still Finds Overbought Elusive

AT40 Status: 65.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 Status: 70.2% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX Status: 11.7 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary The struggle for the overbought threshold continues. AT40 (T2108), the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages … Read more