Above the 40 (July 26, 2017) – A Stock Market Floating Higher And Still On the Edge

AT40 = 63.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 60.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 9.6 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary The stock market had a relatively bland day that matched a relatively bland statement on monetary policy from the … Read more

Above the 40 (July 14, 2017) – S&P 500 Hits All-Time High Alongside Historic Volatility

AT40 = 63.2% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 59.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 9.5 (volatility index) (since 1990, only TWO days have been lower, both in December, 1993!) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary The volatility index, the VIX, closed at … Read more

Above the 40 (June 7, 2017) – A Disarming Calm Ahead of Trifecta Thursday

AT40 = 47.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 54.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 10.4 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary At the time of typing, financial markets are carefully stepping into “Trifecta Thursday” – or maybe not so carefully … Read more

Above the 40 (May 26, 2017) – The S&P 500 Hits More All-Time Highs Floating On Pillows of Caution

AT40 = 47.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 55.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 9.8 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary I should no longer be amazed, but I am still amazed: the inability of sellers to generate follow-through in … 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

Awful Offerings Confirmed: Acacia Communications and Twilio

A little over six months ago, I made a bearish case for Acacia Communications (ACIA) and Twilio (TWLO) based on the way each company rolled out follow-on stock offerings and the market’s reactions to the selling. Since then, ACIA and TWLO have fully lived up to bearish expectations. ACIA is down 55.1% from its offering … Read more

Housing Market Review – Lumber Issues Loom Over Another Series of Strong Data (April, 2017)

The last Housing Market Review covered data reported in March, 2017 for February, 2017. At that time, the iShares US Home Construction (ITB) was at the bottom of what turned out to be a very shallow pullback from a near 10-year high. The subsequent recovery has been grinding and slow, but ITB now trades above … Read more

Housing Market Review – Spring Looks Ready to Bloom But Will It Bear Fruit? (March, 2017)

The last Housing Market Review covered data reported in February, 2017 for January, 2017. At that time, the iShares US Home Construction (ITB) was pressing against a near 10-year high. Uptrends in the 20, 50, and 200-day moving average suggested that “the coiled spring” was uncurling up and to the right. In March, ITB launched … Read more

Century Communities: Good Growth for A Cheap Price

Century Communities (CCS) just made a new all-time high and yet it is STILL a cheap stock. CCS sits at a 0.5 price/sales ratio, 1.1 price/book ratio, 10.7 trailing P/E, and 7.6 forward P/E. Home builders typically hit 1.0 price/book ratios at the BOTTOM of a recessionary cycle. The response to CCS’s latest earnings report … Read more

The Trump Volatility Trade: Nordstrom, Intel, Cognizant Technology, and Biotech

President Trump will address a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, February 28th. Traders will no doubt have notepads ready to jot down the latest corporate targets of Trump’s wrath and praise. Trump’s words and tweets move markets, yet recent impacts have not lasted and have even worked in reverse of expectations. It is … Read more