TBT Finally Breaks Down, TIP Continues to Grind Upward

I thought TBT’s (ProShares UltraShort 20+ Year Treasury) successful test of the 200-day moving average (DMA) back in March would mark the beginning of a fresh extended run higher. Instead, the declining 50DMA marked the true short-term trend, and, for the second time in a month, TBT failed to break that resistance. At the end … Read more

RIM Warns, Management Holds Firm, and Market Continues to Lose Confidence

(This is an excerpt from an article I published on Seeking Alpha. Click here to read the entire piece.) After listening to Research In Motion’s conference call explaining the company’s downward guidance Thursday night, I thought I would write a piece just as bullish as management’s insistence that longer-term upside prospects remain unchanged. However, writing … Read more

Google Sits At An Important Valuation Juncture

Excerpt from an article I published on Seeking Alpha. Click here to read the entire piece: Google (GOOG) is down 9.2% since reporting earnings April 14 and now sports a forward earnings multiple of 13. At $525, GOOG is at 7-month lows and is again close to the psychologically significant $500 price level. This combination … Read more

Chart Review: Did Apple Already Start Its Next Sprint Higher?

This is a quick follow-up to my piece three days ago summarizing the pre-earnings technical outlook on Apple (“Apple Teeters On Critical Support Ahead of Earnings…and the Next Sprint Higher?“). I thought I would be writing this commentary AFTER earnings, but it seems Apple (AAPL) may have already started its next sprint to higher prices. … Read more

The OCC’s Enforcement Action May Confirm A Bottom for Lender Processing Services

On Wednesday, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency rendered punishment on Lender Processing Services, Inc. (LPS) and other financial institutions “…for unsafe and unsound practices related to residential mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure processing.” (See OCC Takes Enforcement Action Against Eight Servicers for Unsafe and Unsound Foreclosure Practices). The OCC now requires mortgage … Read more

Following the Charts Instead of the Bad News: Some Lessons from the Past Two Weeks

One of the many interesting features of the stock market since it broke down on March 10th is that the news has often been a distraction to underlying developments in the market. Following the charts has been relatively more effective than following the news in creating a (short-term) trading strategy. T2108, the percentage of stocks … Read more

Chart Review: From Promise to Letdown – Finisar, JDSU, F5 Networks

A week ago I used F5 Networks (FFIV) as a model to suggest that Finisar (FNSR) and JDS Uniphase (JDSU) showed some promise to bounce from critical support levels. I drew out the specific price points at which buys made sense and included some stops. The promise quickly led to a letdown as both FNSR … Read more

The Yen and Franc Break the Dollar’s Back – Can the BoJ Save It?

NOW things get even more interesting for the U.S. dollar. In dramatic fashion, a tremendous surge in buying in the Swiss franc and the Japanese yen shortly after the close of the U.S. market on Wednesday set the dollar hurtling through its long-term support line. This break was long in the making and something I … Read more

What A Day for a Fed Meeting (including S&P 500, USD/JPY chart reviews)

The Federal Reserve meets and decides monetary policy on Tuesday right in the middle of the most tumultuous time for global financial markets perhaps since the March, 2009 lows. As the Bank of Japan (BoJ) is furiously printing money to buttress its financial system and promote calm, I fully expect the Fed to issue a … Read more

Advantage Finally Goes to the Sellers in the Stock Market

The primary upward trend in the S&P 500 finally ended, and the advantage in trading finally goes to the sellers for the first time since August, 2010. For me, technically, the upward trend ended with the flattening of the 20DMA. I noted this important change yesterday. The confirmation of the end came today with the … Read more