Above the 40 (October 26, 2018) – Yo-Yo Trading Action Takes the S&P 500 Closer to Declining 200DMA Signal

AT40 = 9.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) – (as low as 7.6%) 8th day of oversold period following 4-day oversold period AT200 = 25.2% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (as low as 22.5%) VIX = 24.2 (as high as 27.5) Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary … Read more

Above the 40 (October 25, 2018) – Breadth Responds Poorly to Latest 1-Day Oversold Rally

{editing note 10/28/18 – this is a restored version of this post after I accidentally over-wrote it in preparing for the next edition of Above the 40} AT40 = 12.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) – 7th day of oversold period following 4-day oversold period (as low as 10.3%) … Read more

Above the 40 (October 23, 2018) – A Classic Oversold Bounce Leaves Behind Critical Breakdowns

AT40 = 13.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) – 5th day of oversold period following 4-day oversold period (as low as 10.6%) AT200 = 30.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (as low as 26.7%) VIX = 20.7 (as high as 24.7) Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary … Read more

Above the 40 (October 18, 2018) – A Second Oversold Period Gives 200DMAs A Fresh Challenge

AT40 = 15.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) – 2nd day of oversold period following 4-day oversold period AT200 = 33.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (up 6 percentage points) VIX = 20.1 (15% increase) Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary The 200-day moving averages (DMAs) still … Read more

The Australian Dollar and Japanese Yen Are Still Useful S&P 500 Signals

I often use the Australian dollar (FXA) versus the Japanese yen (JPY) as a proxy for the market’s risk tolerance. If AUD/JPY is rising, the market is bullish. If AUD/JPY is falling, the market is bearish. The correlation is not as consistent as I would like, so I use it with caution, caveats, and context. … Read more

Above the 40 (September 21, 2018) – A Suspect Breakout for the S&P 500

AT40 = 52.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 56.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 11.8 Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary The stock market is not quite out the (short-term) woods yet. Last Wednesday I pointed out why the latest bearish divergence forced … Read more

Forex Critical: Trade Relief for the Australian and Canadian Dollars, Mexican Peso

It was a simple headline from the Wall Street Journal but enough to turn the tide for trade-sensitive plays: “U.S. Proposes New Trade Talks With China to Avert Tariffs.” The reported talks are proposed for later this month, but the market wasted no time in responding. In the world of foreign exchange, the U.S. dollar … Read more

Above the 40 (September 7, 2018) – A Shaky and Stretched Stock Market Redux

AT40 = 48.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 53.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 14.9 Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary Almost a month ago, the stock market was in a similar technical position to the one it is in now. At … Read more

Above the 40 (September 4, 2018) – Fading Prospects for FOMO With A Borderline Bearish Divergence

AT40 = 57.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 57.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 12.9 Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary The momentum for FOMO (fear-of-missing-out) on the major indices effectively fizzled out with the start of post-summer trading. At one point, the … Read more

Australian Dollar: A Monetary Policy Statement Made for A Currency Rebound

In recent weeks, I have seen calls for the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to cut interest rates. It's important to remember when the RBA moves to cut interest rates, there will probably be two (or more) 25bp moves. As my mate Saul Eslake once noted, interest rate changes are like cockroaches, when you get … Read more