T2108 Update (August 17, 2012) – Waiting for Confirmation (Reasons to Love and Hate This Market Here)

(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: 74.9% (third day of … Read more

Sifting Through the Rubble of Retail High-Flyers for Potential Trades – Long and Short

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on August 6, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) The HOLDRS Retail ETF (RTH) made new all-time highs in late July, and the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) has remained in a trading range since failing a retest of its … Read more

The Reserve Bank of Australia Declares Soft-Landing In China, Focuses On Europe

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on August 7, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) The immediate response to the Reserve Bank of Australia’s latest monetary policy decision was muted, but I think the statement spoke volumes. The RBA essentially declared a soft economic landing in … Read more

Another Important Breakout for the Australian Dollar

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on August 5, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) The Japanese yen was the last remaining currency to “hold out” against the Australian dollar’s recent advances. On Friday, the AUD/JPY currency pair jumped again off its 200-day moving average (DMA) … Read more

Atlanta Fed’s Lockhart: “QE3 Is An Option”

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on June 29, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) On June 27, 2012, Nightly Business Report interviewed Dennis Lockhart, President of the Atlanta Federal Reserve about the U.S. economy. During the interview, Lockhart indicated that the economic anecdotes he hears … Read more

Yellen’s Case for More Easing Primes Fed to Act Sooner Than Later

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on June 15, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip}…I decided to summarize the last two speeches from U.S. Federal Reserve Vice Chair Janet L. Yellen given her strong advocacy for pro-active intervention on behalf of the U.S. economy…{snip}… I … Read more

Australian GDP Growth Soars Despite A Large Drop in the Terms of Trade

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on June 6, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) Tuesday night, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported a surprise jump in GDP of 1.3% quarter-over-quarter. With growing fears of a global economic slowdown, analyst consensus had pegged growth only … Read more

Bank of England’s Inflation Report Provides No Cheer for the British Pound

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on June 4, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) I have followed the Bank of England’s quarterly Inflation Report since November, 2009 as a way to gain insight into the UK economy and the prospects for the British pound (FXB). … Read more

Austerity Under Fire: One of Several Economic Drags on the U.K. Versus the U.S.

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on April 30, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) As recession descends across Europe, fiscal policies have received extra scrutiny. Austerity measures have been promoted as keys for long-term economic stability but the necessary short-term pains have been understated. Without … Read more