Toppy Tesla

In early January, Tesla Motors (TSLA) confirmed its breakout from resistance at its 200-day moving average (DMA). At that point, I got bullish on the stock from a swing trading perspective. That bullishness came to a screeching halt today. On September 4, 2014, Tesla Motors (TSLA) reached an all-time closing high of $286.04/share. The stock … Read more

Above the 40 (February 15, 2017) – The S&P 500 Keeps Stretching Toward Overbought Status

AT40 Status: 67.3% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) AT200 Status: 70.8% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAs VIX Status: 12.0 (volatility index) Short-term Trading Call: neutral Commentary The S&P 500 (SPY) printed a positive gain for the 7th straight trading day and the 10th of the last … Read more

Another Chicken Run for Restaurant Brands With El Pollo Loco Rumors

A little over two years ago, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO), a quick serve restaurant that “offers individual and family-sized chicken meals, Mexican-inspired entrees, sides, and, alternative proteins,” was mentioned as a potential acquisition target of Jollibee Foods Corp, the largest fast food franchisor in the Philippines. LOCO closed that day at $26.25 and with … Read more

A Chicken-Fueled Pairs Trade: Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Versus Restaurant Brands

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. (PLKI) is one expensive stock, especially for a (fried chicken) restaurant: trailing P/E of 36.2, forward P/E of 28.9, price/sales of 5.5, and price/book of 187.4. PLKI most recently reported 4.7% year-over-year revenue growth and -1.9% earnings growth. (Data from Yahoo Finance). According to briefing.com, year-over-year revenue growth has stagnated in … Read more

Housing Market Review – The Confidence of A Coiled Spring (January, 2017)

The last Housing Market Review covered data reported in December for November, 2016. At that time, the iShares US Home Construction (ITB) had cracked through support at its 200-day moving average (DMA) as part of a post Fed rate hike pullback. That close turned out to be the last bottom for ITB, and it set … Read more