Above the 40 (March 23, 2018) – A Stock Market From Another Planet: Yet Another Oversold Test Looms

AT40 = 25.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 37.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (2-year closing low) VIX = 24.9 Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary On Friday, President Trump characterized the pre-Trump stock market as something “from another planet.” Surely he meant the last … Read more

Financially Vulnerable: A Critical Test for Financial Stocks

This week, I blithely accumulated call options on Goldman Sachs (GS) ahead of and after the Federal Reserve’s latest declaration on monetary policy. I assumed that the Fed’s calming influence would remind market participants that the economy is fine and the prospects are good. Under that scenario financial stocks would do well as long-term interest … Read more

Above the 40 (March 2, 2018) – Trump Pulls the Trade War Tripwire

AT40 = 27.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 44.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 19.6 Short-term Trading Call: neutral (caveats below!) Commentary President Trump has been talking about taking unilateral trade actions since he was campaigning in 2016. The rhetoric heated up … Read more

Above the 40 (February 13, 2018) – Oversold Conditions End In the Face Of A Critical Test

AT40 = 20.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) (ends 3-day oversold period) AT200 = 44.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 25.0 (smallest range since February 1, 2018) Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary It was a reluctant push, but AT40 (T2108), the percentage of stocks … Read more

Above the 40 (February 9, 2018) – A Stock Market Reset

AT40 = 14.6% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) (day 2 oversold) AT200 = 31.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (near 2-year low) VIX = 29.1 (range from 27.7 to 41.1) Short-term Trading Call: bullish Commentary Friday’s classic battle between buyers and sellers delivered a (short-term?) market … Read more

Periods of Extremely Low Volatility Remain Bullish – Now With Fresh Footnotes

The volatility index, the VIX, closed below 11 on April 24, 2017. That launched 184 trading days of extremely low volatility (ELV). The VIX is now just 1 more trading day away from finally bringing this historic event to an end. By my definition, it takes 20 trading days of the VIX closing above 11 … Read more

Above the 40 (February 8, 2018) – The Simple Stock Trades for the Latest Oversold Period

AT40 = 12.5% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) (day 1 of the second oversold period in 4 days) AT200 = 39.2% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs (near 2-year low) VIX = 33.5 (range from 24.4 to 36.2) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish (with oh so many … Read more

Above the 40 (February 6, 2018) – Market’s Oversold Conditions Quickly End – More to Come?

AT40 = 23.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 = 47.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 30.0 (19.7% decrease, intraday high of 50.3) Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary The first oversold period in about two years ended after just one day. As a reminder, … Read more

Above the 40 (February 5, 2018) – An Oversold Stock Market Weighed Down By Historic Volatility

AT40 = 19.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) – first oversold day after 19 percentage point plunge AT200 = 45.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 37.3 (115.6% increase! The largest since at least 1990) Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish – oh so many caveats … Read more

Above the 40 (September 28, 2017) – A Stock Market Finally Overbought Again

AT40 = 70.1% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) – first overbought day AT200 = 58.7% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX = 9.5 Short-term Trading Call: cautiously bullish (one more higher close away from bullish) Commentary It took 8 months for the stock market to hit … Read more