ONE-TWENTY TWO: Trading Financial Markets
Exploring the poetry in financial markets for students of money and economy since the year 2000.
Stock Market Commentary The stock market started the week in familiar melt-up mode, supported by a (temporary) thaw in the economic war between the U.S. and China. Optimism persisted until the Federal Reserve weighed in with its latest announcement on monetary policy, when Chair Jerome Powell balked at the idea of a December rate cut. … Read more
Stock Market Commentary The protracted shutdown of the U.S. Federal government has dragged past three weeks and Federal workers have now missed their first paychecks of this battle. The stock market rallied to an all-time high when the shutdown started, and it certainly seems to care even less after recovering from a 1-day mini panic … Read more
Stock Market Commentary Last week’s trading had something for almost everyone: volatility, churn, recovery, and a bank scare. A familiar story about renewed U.S.–China trade tensions expanded into a larger mosaic of market stress and resilience. Still, given market breadth remains broken, I see a market skating on the edge. The volatility index (VIX) summarizes … Read more
Stock Market Commentary We now have a stock market melt-up alongside a government melt-down…and financial markets could not care less. In fact, the stock market can hardly get more bullish with the long-term, mid-term, and short-term uptrends each flashing green and pointing upward. Still, I cannot help checking my peripheral vision for signs of caution. … Read more
Stock Market Commentary The stock market leaned into a melt-up as a constant stream of IPOs signaled risk-on appetite even as a massive downward revisions in jobs in the 12 months through March, 2025 implied more than expected economic weakness ahead. Rate cuts beckon as a result of this broadening weakness, and Wall Street has … Read more