Above the 40 (July 18, 2017) – A Food-Borne Breakdown and Classic Post-Earnings Gaps

AT40 = 61.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 59.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 9.9 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary The S&P 500 (SPY) closed effectively flatline with a point and a half gain. The NASDAQ returned to the … Read more

Above the 40 (June 20, 2017) – Buyers Fail to Follow-Through As the S&P 500 Goes On Notice

AT40 = 52.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 56.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 10.9 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary The Fed hikes short-term rates, and long-term rates go down. This relationship is not the expected one but is … Read more

Another Chicken Run for Restaurant Brands With El Pollo Loco Rumors

A little over two years ago, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO), a quick serve restaurant that “offers individual and family-sized chicken meals, Mexican-inspired entrees, sides, and, alternative proteins,” was mentioned as a potential acquisition target of Jollibee Foods Corp, the largest fast food franchisor in the Philippines. LOCO closed that day at $26.25 and with … Read more

A Chicken-Fueled Pairs Trade: Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Versus Restaurant Brands

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. (PLKI) is one expensive stock, especially for a (fried chicken) restaurant: trailing P/E of 36.2, forward P/E of 28.9, price/sales of 5.5, and price/book of 187.4. PLKI most recently reported 4.7% year-over-year revenue growth and -1.9% earnings growth. (Data from Yahoo Finance). According to briefing.com, year-over-year revenue growth has stagnated in … Read more

T2108 Update (November 16, 2016) – A 5-Day Backup Under All-Time Highs for the S&P 500

(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 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 are … Read more