ONE-TWENTY TWO: Trading Financial Markets
Exploring the poetry in financial markets for students of money and economy since the year 2000.
I heard this tweet referenced twice in the financial media: the first time unsourced and the second time sourced. I must assume that the bizarre data points of the U.S. housing market from Glenn Kelman, Redfin’s CEO, went viral. Redfin’s commentary and observations on the housing market are typically astute and insightful, but this particular … Read more
Stock Market Commentary Last week delivered another key test of support levels for the stock market. The major indices passed their individual tests, but the week ended with no resolution. Bulls and bears are battling between short-term ranges that are chopping and churning traders. With the stock market resigned to this kind of chop, patient … Read more
As someone who watched too much of this year’s crypto run-up from the sidelines, I welcome the recent implosions of Bitcoin (BTC/USD) and Ethereum (ETH/USD). These top cryptocurrencies are inherently extremely volatile, so sharp and deep corrections are features not bugs for crypto traders. As long as these assets enjoy a broad fan base of … Read more
Stock Market Commentary Last week featured yet another episode of momentary panic proceeded by a virtual “all clear” signal. In the middle of the week, the S&P 500 (SPY) broke down just as the stock market hit extremes. Subsequently, buyers stepped into the breach. As a result, the very next day, the stock market rebounded … Read more
Stock Market Commentary The S&P 500 (SPY) finally broke down and succumbed to the selling pressure building up in the stock market. A “surprise” surge in inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) delivered the headline catalyst for a day of broad-based selling. Given market breadth was already in the process of narrowing, … Read more
Stock Market Commentary The stock market is a cauldron of contradictions and divergences. Breakdowns below key support levels abound. Stocks suffer post-earnings fades even after companies report strong results, especially in both beaten up growth stocks and resilient big cap tech. Yet, the S&P 500 just rises above the steady erosion of market breadth with … Read more
Stock Market Commentary Last week featured an intense barrage of earnings reports. The collective response on the major indices was a major yawn. The S&P 500 finished flat for the week. The NASDAQ and the iShares Trust Russell 2000 Index ETF both softened by 0.4%. Financials were a notable exception as the Financial Select Sector … Read more
North American: The United States “What we’re seeing now is an economy that seems to be at an inflection point….we feel like we are at a point where the economy is about to start growing much more quickly, and job creation coming in much more quickly…we see strong growth and strong job creation starting right … Read more
Stock Market Commentary The week began with two straight days of selling for the stock market. Almost everything was in place for a real pullback. Although the S&P 500 (SPY) was less than 2% off its all-time high, my favorite measure of breadth in the stock market, AT40 (T2108), the percentage of stocks trading above … Read more
The Relationship At its height last March, the U.S. Global Jets ETF (JETS) still could not close all its pandemic-driven losses. JETS was a 5.9% gain from finally returning to where it last traded at its 200-day moving average (DMA) (the blue line in the stock chart below). Similarly, the number of travelers at U.S. … Read more