A Big Bet On Home Builders As Seasonal Trade Winds Down

On March 25th, CNBC’s Fast Money discussed very active options trading in the iShares Dow Jones US Home Construction Index (ITB). Call option volume was triple put option volume. Of note, some trader purchased 5000 April 12 $35 weekly calls with ITB trading at $34.60 and just under its 200-day moving average (DMA). That trader … Read more

Above the 40 (March 22, 2019) – Tension Headache: Dovish Fed Fails to Keep Market Complacent to Risks

AT40 = 45.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) (2+ month low)AT200 = 38.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 16.5 (20.9% gain)Short-term Trading Call: bearish Stock Market Commentary Friday’s trading action provided delayed confirmation of my short-term bearish trading call. The week previous to the last, … Read more

Above the 40 (March 15, 2019) – Bears Give Way to Breakouts As Stock Market Remains Precarious

AT40 = 61.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs)AT200 = 43.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 12.9 (5-month low)Short-term Trading Call: bearish Stock Market Commentary The stock market’s scramble for support worked last week as buyers and bulls put the bears on notice. However, the rally … Read more

Above the 40 (March 8, 2019) – A Newly Precarious Stock Market Scrambles for Support

AT40 = 54.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs)AT200 = 38.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 16.1Short-term Trading Call: bearish Stock Market Commentary The above tweet begins the dilemmas that lay ahead for short-term trading after I first flipped bearish ahead of Thursday’s selling. First, I … Read more

Above the 40 (March 6, 2019) – Nick Widens: End of Overbought Period Exposes Precarious Stock Market

AT40 = 63.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) (25th overbought day)AT200 = 41.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 15.7Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bearish Stock Market Commentary The broken record in the stock market finally came to an end. The small nick in the overbought period … Read more

Foot Locker: How to Trade A Stock That Gaps and Craps

Foot Locker (FL) reported earnings before the market opened on March 1, 2019. The initial reaction to the news was extremely positive: FL gapped up 14.0%. Sellers took over from there and pushed the stock down to a close with a 6.0% gain. The stock still managed to close above its upper Bollinger Band (BB), … Read more

Above the 40 (February 27, 2019) – A Lingering Waiting Game As Overbought Period Reaches Important Threshold

AT40 = 80.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) (23rd overbought day)AT200 = 45.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 14.7Short-term Trading Call: neutral Stock Market Commentary And still the waiting game rolls along. News on the US-China trade front generated some excitement to start the week, … Read more

Above the 40 (February 22, 2019) – An Extended Overbought Rally Slowly Grinding Resistance Away

AT40 = 85.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) (20th overbought day)AT200 = 47.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (4-month high which reverses the October, 2018 breakdown)VIX = 13.5Short-term Trading Call: neutral Stock Market Commentary The waiting game continues within a bullish cloak. An extended overbought rally … Read more

Above the 40 (February 19, 2019) – An Extended Overbought Rally In Slow Motion

AT40 = 88.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) (17th overbought day)AT200 = 45.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (4-month high that effectively reverses the October, 2018 breakdown)VIX = 14.9Short-term Trading Call: neutral Stock Market Commentary AT40 (T2108), the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40DMAs, … Read more

Above the 40 (February 8, 2019) – Convenient Resistance Holds Market Back But Sellers Do Little Else

AT40 = 78.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) (11th overbought day)AT200 = 35.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 15.7Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary In my last Above the 40 post, I noted the “convenience” test of 200DMA resistance for major indices. The S&P 500 and … Read more