ONE-TWENTY TWO: Trading Financial Markets
Exploring the poetry in financial markets for students of money and economy since the year 2000.
“RedfinNow is buying homes aggressively. Our sellers’ agents are pushing hard to get more money for listing customers. And our buyers’ agents are making offers left and right, but still feel wary about how many will actually stick. It’s going to be a wild ride… RedfinNow is really scrambling to buy as many homes as … Read more
Overall Assessment I am neutral on M/I Homes (MHO) which means I am content to stay on the sidelines until a fresh catalyst pushes me off the fence. The Q4 earnings report for M/I Homes was relatively straightforward. So I am at a loss to explain why the stock gapped down as much as it … Read more
Introduction When I wrote about the third quarter earnings for M.D.C. Holdings (MDC), I wondered aloud: “MDC’s next report on orders should deliver a very telling challenge to investor sentiment.” MDC seemed to deliver on orders in its Q4 earnings report, up 49% year-over-year and up 13% for the whole year. Investors were initially excited … Read more
AT40 = 47.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 54.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 15.5Short-term Trading Call: bearish (from cautiously bearish) Stock Market Commentary The major indices managed to swing to all-time highs last week, but I still see signs of a … Read more
AT40 = 38.2% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 50.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 18.8Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bearish Stock Market Commentary Last week, I switched from neutral for the first time in, I believe, months. I downgraded to “cautiously bearish” because … Read more
In recent weeks, the trade in the stocks of home builders provided timely reminders in the limited meaning in price action. The market periodically makes key “mistakes” that provide buying (or selling) opportunities. A Fresh Turning Point At the end of December, I described a “precarious divergence” between the stocks of home builders and the … Read more
Housing Market Intro/Summary {Note a rough draft of this post was inadvertently posted on January 20, 2020} When I wrote the Housing Market Review for December, I described a “precarious” divergence between the performance of the iShares US Home Construction (ITB) and the S&P 500 (SPY). In late December, dour commentary from JP Morgan (JPM) about … Read more
AT40 = 69.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) (ends 1-day overbought period) AT200 = 63.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 12.1Short-term Trading Call: neutral Stock Market Commentary The stock market finally pushed into overbought territory on Thursday. The breakout only lasted for a day. … Read more
AT40 = 58.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs)AT200 = 59.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 12.6Short-term Trading Call: neutral Stock Market Commentary The bearish signals are growing, but they are still not impeding this resilient stock market. The ever so shallow selling acts like a … Read more
Meritage Homes (MTH) reported earnings two days before October 25th when iShares US Home Construction (ITB) first challenged its climactic January, 2018 high. At the time, MTH was in the middle of an impressive post-earnings rebound. At its intraday, post-earnings low, MTH perfectly tested support at its 50-day moving average (DMA). However, the moment of truth … Read more