Fed Avoids Ending the Summer of Loving Stocks

summer of loving stocks (Credit: Hippie tag ! by jocelyn.aubert on Flickr)

The Federal Reserve gave tacit approval to the unfolding summer of loving stocks. In its June decision on monetary policy, not only did the Fed hold interest rates steady, but also it rolled out improved overall forecasts for the economy. GDP growth for this year went from 0.4% to 1.0%, presumably lowering the odds for … Read more

A Looming Collision Between Overbought Trading and the Fed – The Market Breadth

collision (Credit: Collision Course by charlieishere@btinternet.com on Flickr)

Stock Market Commentary: Market breadth almost reached overbought trading territory last week. The Federal Reserve is issuing yet another missive on monetary policy this coming Wednesday. The market’s script is arranged for the potential drama of a collision between the euphoria of overbought trading and a Federal Reserve that is eager to moderate the market … Read more

Stocks Leave Regional Banks Behind – The Market Breadth

leave regional banks behind (Credit lisa nolan on Flickr)

Stock Market Commentary: Just a week ago, the stock market was teasing oversold conditions. The lingering memories of the Panic of 2023 seemed likely to push the market deeper into oversold territory before sellers exhausted themselves into a market rebound. Buyers decided not to wait. A broad-based buying spree conspired to leave regional banks behind … Read more

Project Calm from the Feds Bounces Stocks Away from Oversold – The Market Breadth

calm

Stock Market Commentary: The Feds delivered on Sunday as Janet Yellen promised. The FDIC, the Treasury, and the Federal Reserve joined forces to offer emergency financial backing and reassurances for the banking system, a kind of “Project Calm” to project calm. The Federal Reserve even came up with a new acronym that looks like a … Read more

A Quick End to the Inflation Trade

quick end

My idea for a trade on the U.S. CPI (Consumer Price Index) report seemed like a great idea last month. Up to that point, the market experienced sharp swings based on the directional gap between the actual inflation readings and expected inflation. I used the Cleveland Federal Reserve’s “nowcasting” to generate an approximate trading model. … Read more