Toll Brothers: Examining the Mystery of the Stock’s Weakness

“Haters gonna hate.” That phrase was a great way for CNBC’s Jim Cramer to begin his monologue introducing his interview with Toll Brothers CEO Douglas C. Yearley. In 2018, investors have exhibited plenty of loathing for the stocks of home builders despite an on-going string of strong earnings results and the backdrop of a strong … Read more

Forex Critical: Trade Relief for the Australian and Canadian Dollars, Mexican Peso

It was a simple headline from the Wall Street Journal but enough to turn the tide for trade-sensitive plays: “U.S. Proposes New Trade Talks With China to Avert Tariffs.” The reported talks are proposed for later this month, but the market wasted no time in responding. In the world of foreign exchange, the U.S. dollar … Read more

Another Amazon Panic – This Time is Different for Pharmacies

Another Amazon Panic broke out last week. Amazon.com (AMZN) announced its purchase of PillPack as part of its entry into the lucrative business of selling drugs. The news immediately took down pill pushers like Walgreens Boot Alliance (WBA) and CVS Health Corporation (CVS). While WBA looks like it is already bottoming, sellers followed through with … Read more

Above the 40 (June 8, 2018) – A Promising Stock Rally Comes Up Short of Important Threshold

AT40 = 69.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 57.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (a 4-month high) VIX = 12.2 Short-term Trading Call: neutral (“almost bullish”) Commentary Friday started out in bearish fashion. Apple (AAPL) took a broadside from yet another one of those … Read more

Above the 40 (June 6, 2018) – A Broadening Stock Rally Stretches Toward Important Threshold

AT40 = 68.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 56.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (a 4-month high) VIX = 11.6 Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary It is tough avoiding a flip on my short-term trading call to bullish, but I am sticking by my … Read more

Above the 40 (April 6, 2018) – Barbarians Posturing At the S&P 500’s Support

AT40 = 37.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 40.2% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 21.5 Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary via GIPHY The week ended badly with a 2.2% drop in the S&P 500 (SPY). The week began with the exact same … Read more

Above the 40 (December 1, 2017) – Another Sharp Panic Paves the Way for Fresh Buying

AT40 = 60.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 59.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 11.4 Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary I call it a mini panic dip. Political news roiled the stock market for a brief moment, a grand 30 minutes … Read more

Above the 40 (November 17, 2017) – The Stock Market Sharply Switches to A Bullish Divergence

AT40 = 47.9% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 54.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 11.4 Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish Commentary The S&P 500 (SPY) failed to follow-through on Thursday’s snapback rally, but a bullish divergence kept the short-term prospects looking good. … Read more

A Closer Look At Lane’s Drive That Weakened the Canadian Dollar

There is nothing like a significantly stronger currency to get central banks to take pause. I cannot recall in recent memory a time where a little known (or under-appreciated?) Deputy Director of the Bank of Canada made a notable impact on the Canadian dollar. Such an event occurred on Monday, September 18th. Deputy Director Timothy … Read more

A Recharge for the Canadian Dollar Bull

A little over a week ago, I explained why I put the Mexican peso and the Canadian dollar (FXC) on shorter leashes. Canada’s extremely strong second quarter GDP report at the end of August just loosened that leash a little. Statistics Canada reported 2Q real GDP growth of 1.1%. The annualized growth rate of 4.5% … Read more