Brazil’s Big Comeback: EWZ Breaks Out

What a difference three months makes. On May 18th, I wrote “Trading Panic: Rushing Past the Exit from Brazil” to explain why I bought the big dip in iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF (EWZ) after Brazilian President Michel Temer was accused of bribery. I greatly under-estimated the upside opportunity at the time, and I find … Read more

U.S. Concrete: A Strong Play on the U.S. Economy (My Interview with CEO Bill Sandbrook)

On August 15, 2017, I had the privilege of interviewing Bill Sandbrook, President and CEO of U.S. Concrete (USCR), a producer of ready-mixed concrete and aggregate products for domestic construction projects. I am relatively new to this industry, so I prepared by listening to earlier interviews, reviewing USCR’s latest earnings results for Q2 2017, and … Read more

Above the 40 (August 14, 2017) – Another Fear Phase Fizzles

AT40 = 42.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 51.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 12.3 (volatility index fell 20.5%) Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary As has been the pattern for quite some time now, the latest phase of fear fizzled out fast. … Read more

Housing Market Review – Just Another Month (July, 2017)

The last Housing Market Review covered data reported in June, 2017 for May, 2017. The month from there was relatively sedate for home builders. For example, the iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB) went absolutely nowhere with August’s burst out the gate providing a bit of a gain. The good news is that the uptrend … Read more

Above the 40 (July 21, 2017) – A Stock Market Soaring High But On the Edge

AT40 = 64.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 60.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 9.4 (volatility index) (2nd lowest VIX since at least 1990!) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary The S&P 500 (SPY) is soaring high since its impressive breakout two … Read more