Stocks Narrowly Avoid Bearish Conditions – The Market Breadth

Stocks Narrowly Avoid Bearish Conditions - The Market Breadth

Stock Market Commentary Last month, the stock market seemed to conclude that the threat of inflation had all but disappeared. Given the resulting celebration is one of the key drivers of the current extended overbought rally, today’s report on December’s CPI (Consumer Price Index) took on some significance. So when CPI missed “expectations” on the … Read more

Overbought Conditions In Peril As New Year Weakness Continues – The Market Breadth

Overbought Conditions Continue Despite On-Going Weakness - The Market Breadth

Stock Market Commentary As new year weakness continues in the stock market, a serious tension has emerged in the message of the market between profit-taking versus a sustained top. An extended overbought period raises the stakes for the resolution of this tension. As long as the stock market remains overbought, I will assume the current … Read more

Profit-Taking Or A Top? An Overbought Market Roundtrips – The Market Breadth

Profit-Taking Or A Top - An Overbought Market Roundtrips – The Market Breadth

Stock Market Commentary Exactly two weeks ago, the stock market fell out of bed. I called the abrupt move the rally’s third strike. However, buyers jumped right back into the fray and overcame that third strike with a rally right to the second to last trading day of the year. So far, the new year … Read more

A Remarkable Year Ends With Signature Stock Market Moments – The Market Breadth

A Remarkable Year Ends With Signature Stock Market Moments - The Market Breadth

Stock Market Commentary Signature stock market moments capped a remarkable year for the stock market. Two months of nearly relentless buying delivered a stunning 70% of the gains for the S&P 500 in 2023 after bulls exploded out of oversold trading conditions. Housing-related stocks soared even more as financial markets celebrate the presumed end of … Read more

The Extended Overbought Rally Quickly Overcomes Its Third Strike – The Market Breadth

Extended Overbought Rally Quickly Overcomes Third Strike – The Market Breadth

Stock Market Commentary After the stock market rally suffered strike one and strike two, Wednesday’s sudden pullback had all the signatures of a third strike to start the end of the extended overbought rally. Sellers surged in the final 90 minutes of trading that day. However, they failed to sustain the stampede for the exits. … Read more

The Fed Further Stretched Overbought Conditions – The Market Breadth

stretch (credit: Lynn Friedman on Flickr)

Stock Market Commentary For traders like myself who follow market cycles from extreme fear to extreme euphoria, last week’s trading action was astonishing. The stock market was already well overbought and stretched going into Wednesday’s Federal Reserve meeting. Yet, buyers STILL managed to go into extreme stretch mode. The Federal Reserve essentially declared the death … Read more

Stretching Out the Overbought Period – The Market Breadth

Stretching Out the Overbought Period

Stock Market Commentary Despite strike one and strike two against the market rally, buyers are stretching out this overbought period. The jobs report for November seemed to further support the case of an economy that survived the Fed’s rate hike cycle even as the case recedes for near-term rate cuts. The stock market responded by … Read more

Buyers Get A Hit and Dash Into Overbought Conditions – The Market Breadth

Buyers Get A Hit and Dash Into Overbought Conditions

Stock Market Commentary Market breadth tentatively tested the overbought threshold before buyers got a hit and made a dash into overbought conditions. The previous tentativeness created a first strike against the market rally. The dash into overbought conditions refreshed a broad bullishness in the stock market. Long-term interest rates were once again the center of … Read more

Buyers Push Against Topping Indices, Restart Overbought Conditions – The Market Breadth

push (Credit: Uphill Push by the_alien_experience on Flickr)

Stock Market Commentary The stock market delivered a gift on Friday as I scrambled to de-risk following the Bank of Japan’s drama on monetary policy. I braced for selling into bearish pressure and instead was pleasantly greeted by a broad push higher for stocks from the open. After the dust settled on the day, I … Read more

Now Overbought, the Summer of Loving Stocks Stares Down the Fed – The Market Breadth

stares down (Credit: Animal Kingdom - The Stare Down by Jeff Krause Photography on Flickr)

Stock Market Commentary On Thursday, good economic news scared Wall Street yet again. Initial jobless claims came in well below “expectations” and set off a cascade of reactions. Interest rates shot up and the stock market dropped down. The stubborn strength of the labor market allows the Federal Reserve to stay hawkish and keep its … Read more