Higher Interest Rates Pound Home Builders Into Bearish Territory

The Housing Market Index (HMI) for May increased to 70 and is just 4 points off its post-recession high set last December. Just don’t tell investors home builders are as confident as ever despite rising rates. Today, the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury bond soared to its highest level in 7 years and settled … Read more

Above the 40 (May 11, 2018) – The Stock Market’s Time to Test Buyers’ Resolve

AT40 = 65.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 51.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 12.7 Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary Here we are again. The stock market looks like it is breaking free, but there are major caveats which keep me wary … Read more

More Good Deeds Punished: LGI Homes Delivers Solid Earnings and Gets Back A Vicious Fade

Management for LGI Homes (LGIH) set aside an hour for its Q1 2018 earnings conference call. They only needed 37 minutes, including 23 minutes spent on Q&A. Perhaps they should have used the entire hour. Source: FreeStockCharts.com As the chart above shows, LGIH has had a wild two days following its earnings report. The first … Read more

Above the 40 (May 4, 2018) – The Apple Temptation of the Stock Market

AT40 = 53.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 45.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 14.8 Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bearish Commentary I was right to be bearish last week…until the very last day when all at once the market reversed almost all … Read more

Housing Market Review (April, 2018) – Dissonance: Decelerating Housing Data and Diverging Home Builder Stocks

The last Housing Market Review covered data reported in February, 2018 for January, 2018. At the time, I connected the dots on the bearish implications of converging technicals and fundamentals. The iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB) broke down below its 200-day moving average (DMA) in a very bearish move. Yet, the very next day, … Read more