ONE-TWENTY TWO: Trading Financial Markets
Exploring the poetry in financial markets for students of money and economy since the year 2000.
T2107, the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 200-day moving averages has been in decline since reaching a quick post-recession peak in late 2009. It is one sign that fewer and fewer strong stocks are supporting the overall stock market. So when the indicator takes a fresh plunge to the downside, I sit up … Read more
The recent batch of internet IPOs are collectively running into hard times these days despite the imminent introduction of Facebook (FB) to the public markets. On April 9, I noted a likely blow-off top in Yelp.com (YELP). Friday’s break of critical support all but confirms the top. I have updated the chart with the new … Read more
Apple (AAPL) has had a rough five days. The stock has sold off for five straight days on very high selling volume with losses increasing the last two days. The 9.7% loss pales in comparison to the year-to-date 43% gains. However, this recent selling is just as ominous as the last topping pattern Apple printed … Read more
Almost a month ago I made another case for a bottom in TBT, the ProShares UltraShort 20+ Year Treasury. The related breakout include some large, upward one-day moves. The churn included a convincingly successful retest of presumed support at the upper channel that formed the consolidation pattern for TBT’s bottom. Alas, that was not enough … Read more
(T2108 measures the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages [DMAs]. To learn more about it, see my T2108 Resource Page. You can follow real-time T2108 commentary on twitter using the #T2108 hashtag. T2108-related trades and other trades are posted on twitter using the #120trade hashtag) T2108 Status: 44% VIX Status: 16.4% … Read more
Two weeks ago, the iShares FTSE China 25 Index Fund (FXI) broke down below its 50 and 200-day moving averages (DMAs) just 5-6 weeks after an important breakout above these MAs. Buyers seemed to treat this as an opportunity to get into FXI before the breakout move resumed. Over the past two days, FXI has … Read more
It only took a day or two for First Solar (FSLR) and SunPower Corporation (SPWR) to confirm the bearish pattern I pointed out after the recent post-earnings celebration for SPWR. The charts below show rapid follow-through from the big fades that followed huge up days in each stock. Source: FreeStockCharts.com Note well that the bears … Read more
In late October, I claimed that Goldman Sachs (GS) had finally found a bottom after two years of mostly declining prices. It has been all downhill for GS ever since. The chart below shows the signals I used to decide GS had finally printed a bottom. Note that on November 9, GS sliced cleanly and … Read more
AAPL spent a large part of the first half of 2011 under-performing the market with a relatively low valuation (for example, see “A Rare and Important Test for Apple’s Recently Underperforming Stock“). AAPL’s relative under-performance has returned, and its stubborn inability to regain lost momentum is getting more than a bit disconcerting. Apple (AAPL) is … Read more
This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on October 30, 2011. Click here to read the entire piece.) The U.S. dollar was one of last week’s biggest losers during a very bullish week. As I have chronicled for several weeks now, the market’s bullish signals continue to grow. With … Read more